Knife Clip Mold

thingiverse

I had a pocket knife that really needed a clip. So I designed this 3D printable mold. Using vacuum resin infusion, which is available in my research lab, I coated the mold with carbon fibers and infused it. After curing, I shaped it with a Dremel and got a great new knife clip. **Instructions** Step 1: Print the mold. You can use any material you like and set your printer to whatever settings you're used to. Don't worry if you don't fill the mold fully; a high infill level is not necessary, but less than 10% might cause the mold to collapse under pressure. Step 2: Prepare the mold. I treated my mold with an acetone vapor bath (since it was printed from ABS) to smooth out the surface. Then I applied several coats of Freekote release agent or car wax, whichever you prefer. Lastly, I laid down a thin layer of peel-ply fabric to prevent epoxy from sticking to the mold. This may not be entirely necessary; just do what seems best and experiment first. Step 3: Add fibers to the mold. I used three layers of woven carbon fiber in a specific pattern (0/90, ±45, 0/90) at a weight of 300g/m^2. I cut the fibers so that they would overlap and completely cover the mold. Cut excess fibers around the edges. Step 4: Infuse with resin using vacuum infusion. Place your fiber-mold assembly on a glass plate, then add more peel-ply fabric on top of the fibers. Follow these steps to apply vacuum: - Cover everything in a large piece of vacuum bagging and secure it. - Insert hoses on either end of the vacuum seal with tacky tape. - Use the hose on one end as your "source" of resin supply; turn the pump off when this is sealed and make sure there's no leakage before sealing it. When all goes well, clamp both ends together & wait for resin flow then close off your input after that too