Bobbins

[dazzlindino]

Has anyone tried to mold their own humbucker bobbins?
Still trying to find a way to get different colored ones.
Thanks

[corduroyew]

Has anyone tried to mold their own humbucker bobbins?
Still trying to find a way to get different colored ones.
Thanks

I looked into it. Found out that to buy my own mold will cost about $1000 for the slug side and another $1000 for the pole side. Once I buy the tooling I can pay a local injection molding company to make you just about any color you want for about $0.20 a set. It's more than worth doing but it's expensive to get it up and moving. I'm trying to get a government grant for it at the moment but I doubt I'll get it.

[David Schwab]

You could try making a silicone rubber mold of some existing bobbins, and then cast them in casting resin or epoxy died the color you want.

Mold Making

[dazzlindino]

Thanks for the replies...if you ever get those 1000.00 molds up and running let us all know.
Thanks

[Possum]

........

I wonder though practical it would be to cast your own bobbins, if you have 10 sets of buckers to do in a week, those bobbins don't come out of the mold ready to use, you have to clean them up etc. probably would be more trouble than not...

[Djinn Guitars]

I wonder though practical it would be to cast your own bobbins, if you have 10 sets of buckers to do in a week, those bobbins don't come out of the mold ready to use, you have to clean them up etc. probably would be more trouble than not...

If you've got 40 bobbins a week going out the door injection molding doesn't sound so impracticable.

[WolfeMacleod]

I looked into it. Found out that to buy my own mold will cost about $1000 for the slug side and another $1000 for the pole side. Once I buy the tooling I can pay a local injection molding company to make you just about any color you want for about $0.20 a set. It's more than worth doing but it's expensive to get it up and moving. I'm trying to get a government grant for it at the moment but I doubt I'll get it.

If you've found a place that'll make the moulds for only $1000 each, hell, I'll put up the money myself to get them made. My own endeavours have shown that to get moulds made for slug and screw-side bobbins will cost into the five-figure range...

[JGundry]

Five figures for slug and screw is too high IMO. $2K sounds too low for steel molds though. Shop around and you should be able to get a better price at a small shop. The big places seem to be mainly interested in big dollar orders. But a good small shop can do as well plus it will allow you more one on one time with the person making the mold.

[peskywinnets]

I looked into it. Found out that to buy my own mold will cost about $1000 for the slug side and another $1000 for the pole side. Once I buy the tooling I can pay a local injection molding company to make you just about any color you want for about $0.20 a set. It's more than worth doing but it's expensive to get it up and moving. I'm trying to get a government grant for it at the moment but I doubt I'll get it.

was it a UK co that quoted you on the bobbins? It seems like a good price, & I'm after some bcustom bobbins made up too (takes too long on my hobby/homemade feeble CNC!),so would appreciate the name of the company.

Cheers,
pesky.

[jason lollar]

if you are only making a few- get some red or whatever pickgaurd material and build them up- use some acrylic for the cores etc. Here are some tortiseshell ones I made from scratch and these were before I had my laser cutter which makes it alot easier to do but check the quality you can do and once you set up to do it it only takes a matter of minutes to glue them together and drill and tap- jigging up takes time though!

[LtKojak]

if you are only making a few- get some red or whatever pickgaurd material and build them up- use some acrylic for the cores etc. Here are some tortiseshell ones I made from scratch and these were before I had my laser cutter which makes it alot easier to do but check the quality you can do and once you set up to do it it only takes a matter of minutes to glue them together and drill and tap- jigging up takes time though!

I'm not a fan of tortoise in general, but these HBs look just gorgeous! Great job, Jason!

[RedHouse]

if you are only making a few- get some red or whatever pickgaurd material and build them up- use some acrylic for the cores etc. Here are some tortiseshell ones I made from scratch and these were before I had my laser cutter which makes it alot easier to do but check the quality you can do and once you set up to do it it only takes a matter of minutes to glue them together and drill and tap- jigging up takes time though!

Nice work.

[Rosscoinc]

What about G10? I can get that i some nice colors at 1/16th or 1/8th thickness at a very reasonable price. I have used it in knifemaking for handles and it seems stable and stiff enough but I am newe to PUP building. Any reason not to use G10?