8043 - The Bucket that Never Was

[LennyRhys]

So I've been busy casting buckets (and still am - it's a lot of work!) but the results are very good and I'm extremely pleased with the outcome.

The buckets pictured are virtually straight out of the mold with no finishing or tidy-up work done, except for the bucket at the bottom left which has been sanded and varnished. My intention is to set up a production line so that all the buckets can go through each stage together. I've ordered 100 boxes for shipping (but I very much doubt I'll have that many buckets, at least to begin with) and I need to drill, sand, varnish and pack each bucket.

Suffice to say, this has been a lot of work and there's a lot of work still to do... I really hope it's worth it! I'm just about to pour another cast (#11, for those interested) and will update soon.

[timslegos]

The buckets look great! I will certainly be interested in buying one for the right price.

tim

[Alasdair Ryan]

I too would consider buying one,do you have a rough price in mind?

[Cumulonimbus]

Nice work LennyRhys, really impressive. Do you have any idea how tough the casting compound is after curing? Is it brittle or will it be as playable as the original bucket?

I too would consider buying one,do you have a rough price in mind?

Same here.

Edited July 29, 2015 by Cumulonimbus

[Karle]

I hope they sell well. I'll take a couple.

Edited July 29, 2015 by Karle

[LennyRhys]

Thanks guys.

Do you have any idea how tough the casting compound is after curing? Is it brittle or will it be as playable as the original bucket?

The stuff I'm using has a shore hardness of 75D, so it feels very much like the plastic that TLG uses, but it is definitely not as strong because it is not injection molded.

In saying that, it's still hard plastic and should last as long as any other Lego part if it's taken care of. I have one bucket (the very first cast) which will be my lab rat for some tests. My initial impression is that the buckets will withstand average play wear, but not excessive strain, especially on the teeth. I'll make sure that all relevant info is supplied when the buckets go on sale.

Price-wise, it's hard to say but I expect to charge around £15-20 ($23-30) each as they have been very expensive and time-consuming to produce, and they are a bespoke part. As I have mentioned before, these will only be available in the UK to begin with, and one per person because of the limited quantity. If all goes well with the first batch, I plan to do a larger second run and cater for overseas parties, but it may be some time before that happens because (have I said this already?) this is a lot of work!

[ritztoys]

Your buckets look very good, please put one on reserve for me as I'm over across the pond.

My Mom said, " Good things come to those who wait ", I'm willing to do that, just too damn excited to see a bucket with the correct proportions for our favorite Lego kit.

I'm sure the EB members here will purchase these, to make all your hard work worth it, and it's a win-win for everybody. :thumbup:

Great work!

[paul_delahaye]

yes, please put me down for one of the buckets, they look great.

Paul

[LennyRhys]

Thanks guys. That's me just finished cast #15 and dang, I'm getting tired so I think I'll call it a day and resume again tomorrow morning. Each cast including preparation and cleanup takes about 90 minutes, so it takes me about 8 hours to work through five casts from start to finish (and I'm also looking after my son during the day, so generally it takes a bit longer).

It's very repetitive work but it is rewarding, pulling back the sides of the mold to see the newly formed plastic part that was liquid resin not long before.

I'm REALLY excited to see one of these buckets on the excavator and that's motivating me to push on. I haven't decided yet how best to sell but I'd prefer to avoid ebay (or e-shylock as I like to call it) because of the ridiculous fees which will bump the price up. Will cross that bridge when I come to it.

Cheers again

[gevans12]

@LennyRhys, nice to se the progress my friend :)

As for selling, I'd set yourself up an email specifically for selling the buckets (that way you won't get your personal email spammed with requests), and have the people wanting to buy them email you a request there.

From there you can either set up a new PayPal or email people with your PayPal details once you have worked out the costing, and just have everyone send u funds as to friends/family rather than goods/services as you won't lose anything in fees then.

Then u just post out the kits when funds are in ur PayPal :)

[Richard Dower]

add me to the list of wanting a bucket....great work!

[Captainowie]

just have everyone send u funds as to friends/family rather than goods/services as you won't lose anything in fees then.

Yes, fraud. That's totally the best way to go.

[Dafgek81]

yes TLG has made several loader buckets, but they are always to narrow for the model it's on.

Don't own 42030 so can't tell how that bucket fits the model, but on previous loader sets, the buckets where to narrow.

[LennyRhys]

Yes, fraud. That's totally the best way to go.

Haha yeah I won't be doing that. I will be using a trusted and secure payment system, so Paypal fees are fine by me. It's ebay fees that I don't care for.

Also I'd prefer to use a reliable delivery service - looks like £3.90 for Royal Mail 2nd Class Recorded (Signed For) but I'll have to go tot he PO just to be sure. The benefit of shipping the exact same thing several times is that you only have to price it up once.

I took delivery of 100 boxes this morning and I've hot glued 30 of them ready for packing. With any luck I'll have some buckets ready to ship out by the weekend, but no guarantees. I still have to drill the holes, which needs to be done very precisely, and I haven't decided how I'm going to do that yet. I could build a jig, but I might get the job done just as quick if I drill the holes by hand (i.e. without an electric drill). Will update later today.

[Karle]

The 42030 bucket is 21 studs wide I'm not a student of loaders but it looks correct. The 32030 bucket(18 studs) that came with the 8043 was a good choice for the B model bulldozer but a "poor" one for the excavator.

Edited July 30, 2015 by Karle

[Dafgek81]

I was talking about earlier wheelloaders, for instance 8265, bucket is about 4 studs to narrow.

[Nazgarot]

I would also by one. Sent a PM...

-ED-

Edited July 30, 2015 by Nazgarot

[Pat-Ard]

This is so cool... I play around with styrene sometimes, too... So I know the work behind!

Everybody is speaking about §d printing, but this is real work!

GREAT!

[Geekphysique]

When you start selling to Canadians I would love to purchase one of these. I just got my hands on an 8043 all the way from the Netherlands and it's one of my favourite sets on display. Your bucket would look fantastic!

[Blakbird]

There are probably quite a few buyers (including me) from other countries who would like one of these. You might consider partnering with a local Bricklink seller who would be willing to ship them.

[Polo-Freak]

I Need one Bucket to :-D

[LennyRhys]

@ Blakbird, I hear ya. For US customers I thought that a proxy might work, so will look into that when the time comes.

I'm just about to demold the 27th pour and the mold is definitely on its last legs... parts are harder to demold now because the silicone is quickly losing its elasticity and it therefore grips hold of the part more firmly. I think that if I get 30 casts I'm doing well!

I've also drilled holes in two of the buckets. It's gonna take a LONG time to drill them all because I have to use a Dremel first and then finish the holes by hand to get them accurate.

Here are 25 cast buckets, not including the very first cast which I'm keeping separate. Still no finishing done; just focusing on casting at the moment as I want to get it out of the way.

[Pat-Ard]

cool!!!

@mods: Is there a special badge like "gear pro", "ldraw builder" and so on for work like this???

[OzShan]

Looks awesome so far. I'm also keen to see final pricing :) Nice how you've kept #1 aside. Interested in numbering the first 100?

Will you have to lay a bucket up each time because of the ports around the teeth, or is it possible to make two male patterns with which to make subsequent silicon moulds?

[BachAddict]

Have you factored your time into the price of the buckets? Make sure you pay yourself a good wage!