A Guitar Hero controller was modded in this project by showing how to create duplicates of GH controller keys in frosted clear plastic. These translucent keys are shown in the images below which provides some lights to liven up the virtual shredding.
Two types of molds involving the same principles and materials are going to be illustrated here including a simple block mold and the other is the same block mold with multiple castings implemented which is often known as a gang mold. During the molding, some of the things that will be used include Room Temperature Vulcanizing (RTV) silicone. Against tin cure silicone, the Polyester casting that will be used will have some cure inhibition as it remains sticky which could result to getting good parts out of the mold. Before casting the parts, the mold will be coated in sealant, bake the parts after being cured, and a clear sealant to the parts is applied after they are molded.
Other things needed are digital scale or gradual measuring cups, latex gloves, Bondo car body filler, mold board, clean polyester resin & dye, disposable paint brushes, hot glue, lots of paper towels, respirator or ventilation system, MEKP catalyst, power, foamcore, and stirring sticks.
The image below shows how the controller was dismantled where the neck is unfastened by removing the main body panel. The circuit board is removed along with the keys and their rubber bumpers which will fit perfectly into the new keys.
A pretty simple and straightforward molding is using a single key which was laid down on the mold board in the photo below. Before mixing up and pouring, the bottom of a disposable cup has to be cut off and the top portion is hot glued to the mold board around the key. The silicone is mixed and stirred for at least a minute while scraping down the sides and bottom. The mixture has to be poured from high above the mold in a very thin stream, as shown below, in order to avoid bubbles in the casting. The large bubbles that would have been included in the casting will be popped by this stream.
The gang mold is a more complex version where several rectangles of foamcore are started as seen below. A sealant is sprayed to them after adhering to the mold board. To make things simpler to arrange and cast, the parts are hot glued. The previous step applies to this setup of filling the mold with silicone.
For the translucent frosted look, the polyester resin had to be modified before casting. Before molding, a crystal clear spray has to be applied into the mold in a thick coat. A PVA mold sealant can be sprayed into the mold for a super smooth look and a super shiny water soluble layer in the mold will be formed. A remarkable shine will be revealed when the parts come out and rinsed in water. The things needed in casting the keys are shown below.
The silicone mold can be bent until the parts fall out since it is flexible. Before putting the guitar back together, the little rubber bumpers should be ensured to be inserted. A video and image show the modded Guitar Hero with molded keys in action.
