Tips and Tricks for your lab

[JMN]

Didn't say it was pretty, just fast and functional.

 

[Car 54]

i toss the caps once i open them. they end up all over the place and forgotten anyway. a push pin works well.
or if it gets clogged, just a slight bend with hemostats and it breaks off clean. well, at least for the glue i use

That's what I do, bend it to beak off the excess. Eventually if you don't use Vaseline like sonlab suggested, you can't get the cap to seat. I like the push pin idea

 

[CoolHandLuke]

jmn you make me want to move out there just to be your plastermonkey so you can work on actually nice models.

 

[JMN]

jmn you make me want to move out there just to be your plastermonkey so you can work on actually nice models.

They usually look better, this was a 3hr add a tooth turn around. My favorite office, really, and they are less than 1mi round trip from the lab.

You're welcome to parachute in anytime.

 

[PRO ARTS DL]

That's what I do, bend it to beak off the excess. Eventually if you don't use Vaseline like sonlab suggested, you can't get the cap to seat. I like the push pin idea

We get this for the CA glue. The glue easily breaks off the tip and if it gets too stuck, just cut off a bit and you're good to go. Gets too short, replace the tip for a new one.

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXMX80&P=ML

 

[Car 54]

We get this for the CA glue. The glue easily breaks off the tip and if it gets too stuck, just cut off a bit and you're good to go. Gets too short, replace the tip for a new one.

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXMX80&P=ML

Helpful Pro Art, as that is what I'm doing now, cutting the tip down as needed.

 

[Car 54]

Don't know if I'm the last to think of this, but never seen anyone else say anything about it either.

Those glue on hinges, when pouring the model, make a mark on the tray where midline is and just put the socket part into the stone on the midline.
Even if it pops loose when separating, you can glue it back into place because the hole is made in the model

This save me time on the articulation stone setup time and lets me send back the models articulated instead of just the models after taking them off the brass articulator.

View attachment 26735 View attachment 26736 View attachment 26737

I think it's fantastic, it's kinda what I do too at times when I need to get started with scanning, milling and waxing a case. When I have it based and dies trimmed I temp articulate it with a quick articulator like you did, then when things are milling, sintering or being pressed, I do the real articulation, which for those cases are semi-adjustable articulators

 

[CoolHandLuke]

Don't know if I'm the last to think of this, but never seen anyone else say anything about it either.

Those glue on hinges, when pouring the model, make a mark on the tray where midline is and just put the socket part into the wet stone on the midline.
Even if it pops loose when separating, you can glue it back into place because the hole is made in the model

This save me time on the articulation stone setup time and lets me send back the models articulated instead of just the models after taking them off the brass articulator.

View attachment 26735 View attachment 26736 View attachment 26737

there are base formers you can buy with the groove already in place. i think keystone makes them.

 

[JMN]

there are base formers you can buy with the groove already in place. i think keystone makes them.

I have some, but it takes time for the base former stone to dry around the model. Also, most removable work impressions are bigger than those so you cant do a 1shot single pour, and inverting the wet stone is bad anyway.

Just a hack for when you really need the time to put the socket portion directly in the wet stone of the model.

Generally they go on brass articulators, or when prudent a Hanau H2/96. This was just a very quick case and thought I'd share how I saved a few minutes.

Thanks for making certain I knew about those formers, apprecieate it.

 

[CoolHandLuke]

when i used to make models we used those base formers to add base to an already-set stone still in its impression. kind of a pour-twice deal where we soft sculpted the half set model so it would fit in the former, let set and pour again.

 

[sidesh0wb0b]

That's what I do, bend it to beak off the excess. Eventually if you don't use Vaseline like sonlab suggested, you can't get the cap to seat. I like the push pin idea

glue doesnt last long enough here to worry about it. usually empty in a week.

 

[2thm8kr]

glue doesnt last long enough here to worry about it. usually empty in a week.

That's a heavy sniffing habit.

 

[JMN]

Just a trick that I thought everyone knew and found out that wasn't the case.

For custom trays on models that still have teeth, I cut a rubberband and tack it to the widest portion of the extant teeth. One tack at every interproximal, then run a bead of wax around the top of the rubber band. The size jump helps keep the impression material in the tray better for those who have issues getting adhesive in all the needed places.

Yeah, I should train them better, but a few seconds is worth it to make sure the impression is accurate as possible.

 

[larsondental]

A piece of clear cling wrap on the inside of the glass changed often will stop the need to replace frosted glass.

 

[JMN]

A piece of clear cling wrap on the inside of the glass changed often will stop the need to replace frosted glass.

That's a great idea. I'd been using clear packing tape.

 

[Car 54]

A piece of clear cling wrap on the inside of the glass changed often will stop the need to replace frosted glass.

With the sand blaster I have, I'm able to get buy using Lexan plastic.
I buy a sheet of it and trace out on it as many windows as I can, like fitting
puzzle pieces in the sheet using an old window as the template. Lexan
won't chip or crack when you use a saber saw with a medium fine blade,
compared to normal plastic sheets, where you'd have to go slow and maybe
get a special blade for that type of plastic.

 

[JMN]

With the sand blaster I have, I'm able to get buy using Lexan plastic.
I buy a sheet of it and trace out on it as many windows as I can, like fitting
puzzle pieces in the sheet using an old window as the template. Lexan
won't chip or crack when you use a saber saw with a medium fine blade,
compared to normal plastic sheets, where you'd have to go slow and maybe
get a special blade for that type of plastic.

And if your workpiece ever starts to shoot back at you there's that whole bullet resistance thing too.

 

[XxJamesAxX]

With the sand blaster I have, I'm able to get buy using Lexan plastic.
I buy a sheet of it and trace out on it as many windows as I can, like fitting
puzzle pieces in the sheet using an old window as the template. Lexan
won't chip or crack when you use a saber saw with a medium fine blade,
compared to normal plastic sheets, where you'd have to go slow and maybe
get a special blade for that type of plastic.

Lexan is great I do the same. Take a buff wheel on spindle in a drill with some polish to the Lexan when it gets scratched and you can buff out small scratches to get more use out of them.

We’ve made several things out of Lexan in the lab. Works great on the walls behind the boilout tank, pumicing stations, and steamers to protect the walls.

Easily make new shields for splash hoods out of it also.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Car 54]

Lexan is great I do the same. Take a buff wheel on spindle in a drill with some polish to the Lexan when it gets scratched and you can buff out small scratches to get more use out of them.

We’ve made several things out of Lexan in the lab. Works great on the walls behind the boilout tank, pumicing stations, and steamers to protect the walls.

Easily make new shields for splash hoods out of it also.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You're right, I also forgot to mention that I have a sheet of it on the wall behind my sink and steamer. It keeps the wall clean from splashing
and what the steamer blows in its direction.

 

[sndmn2]

I've been using a BlueBerry to thin my zirconia margins. They work nice but a little pricey . Today I tried one of my Vident flexible diamond disc that I use to use when doing foiled laminates. Remember those ? Anyway , worked great. Used it for the bulk work and then just a little cleanup with a white rubber wheel. I'll have to see how long they last.