"Pocket rocks"? Need for advice by thane experts;)
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@notsure 🤣🤣 It is hidious indeed! Just had blue pigment to work with..that brownish stuff is the original color. I think the one that's curing atm will end up like a chewed up smurf.
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My take on the "powerbotton"!
This time the mold ("borrowed " from the kitchen) survived saving me a hard time with my beloved;)
I used the A40 soft compound i had left. Mixed it with chopped up glassfiber (powder) as filler that i use for epoxywork. This clearly increased the hardness to desired level.
The bottom couple mm is without the fiber and grippier than grippy, it's not going anywhere. Still needs to cure a bit since the filler and softer compound increses curetime. -
@maciak This looks great, and definitely reminds me of the ones I purchased from ElectricStoke. Nicely done, and I hope it works out for you. I love the shape!
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@biell Thanks. Still wish i could get an original in my hands to compare. But i think this is pretty much what it is. All together i ve spent €50 for the other 2 rocks+this one on material which is still less than OBS shipping only;)
Just another question, sorry to bother..if you squeeze the rock really hard like in the pic, does it budge like this? (basically try to bend it).
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@maciak I don't get that much bend, maybe 20% of that. Mine barely bend at all. I have a Bump and a Gem. The former looks to be smaller than yours and the latter looks to be bigger.
That being said, your minor bend might actually be superior. What is important is how high you can get off the bonk. If it compresses a little, but has the strength to bounce back while you are still in contact, you might get a bigger bonk from the reaction.
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@biell It's hard to determine what hardness to look for without having an original, really need my hands on one.
Honestly i think softer is not beneficial as it always will absorb more than it can return. It bonks for sure but have not been able to use it somewhere i can accellerate better. It rains all the time too, there is no thane that grips reliable on a wet surface.
The harder compound i used does not bend or budge at all, so i must look somewhere in between. But the grippiness of the softer one is just perfect, as the harder compound gets sketchy..
In the mean time i made a mould for the "Gem" out of cardboard and play a bit more with properties of this material to understand it better..If i find the ideal hardness, making the largest rock (volcano) would cost €25 max to produce..
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@maciak That makes sense about the hardness. I think you are really close, so maybe just a bit more. For my Gem, I found I like hitting the corners better than the flat sides, so try that too when you are testing it out. One thing to note about the ES Gem, the shorter sides have a steeper angle, so I found that riding up the short corner gives me the most pop.
€25 sounds pretty good, but it also sounds like you are having fun with this, so it is all money well spent.
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W.I.P. 2 different formula's
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Curing..So far hopeful this will work. Off course this thane is 30% more expensive than the A40...couse it's Onewheel related😖
Edit: So the thane for the squared one is 85 Shore A. The bottom 5mm is 55 Shore A and yes, this brand has similar cure character and mix ratio. They actually bond really really well.
Only thing i dont get is that the stuff i used starting this topic was A75...which is actually harder and less grippy than A85. They're different brands still i dont understand this difference.The dark round one is pure 55 Shore A. No fillers used and is at this time same hardness as the blue round one (A40 with filler). Might still harden a bit more, still not fully cured.
All together i might have found the correct duro/grip combo. These ones are bit less grippy than A40 but definitely grippy still.
The initially used A75 will no longer be used for these, it's unsuitable compared to the more recent ones.
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@maciak Does the heat help the curing process, or is that just a convenient place to store them while they cure?
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@biell Heat shortens the de-molding process. Im thinking it could help after de-mold as well cause they're not fully cured yet. I could be totally wrong, know jackshit of this material really🤣
The softer one bonks fine in the limited room i have in the yard. Not impressive but neither am i...just bonk stuff to get over it on trails usually.
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@biell Just 1 thing i noticed (ok there's this green stuff and some dirt between the stones):
After a while with some movement the bottom of the rock gets dirty and looses grip. So a clean-wipe is needed to regain full grip again..
Aka "Vommbat"
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@maciak I have to say I love these colour choices~
Great work on these and thanks for sharing the process :) -
@lia Thanks lol. Just had limited color options at the shop but it worked ok...kinda. Updating the post above with the thane info, totally forgot;)
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@maciak The Power Button should bonk you higher than the Gem, so this isn't a perfect comparison, but I think you are getting higher off your Power Button shape than I get from my Gem. Of course rider ability might be at play, so you might be edging me out on height a little for that too. But, I think you are basically right on with your material at this point.
Depending on where I put mine, I might also have to clean it off on the bottom from time to time. My driveway is concrete, and pretty clean so generally I don't have to worry about it there.
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@biell Thanks for your feedback.
I actually never make footage and dont really think about it. So no idea how high/far i usually bonk things during rides. Also dont do "tricks" just for tricks lol. Im not talented enough and might break a hip.My "powerbutton" shape is not optimized and slightly lower than the real thing (so many bowls in the cupboard and this came closest;) And i needed to play with the materials, especially bonding of 2 different hardness. Might compare 2 rocks of same hardness soon IF im happy with the grip.
My quick-mold of the gem is actually too large laterally. But i increased the slopes a bit compared to the original increasing to max 68deg on one side. Gonna bonk that one tomorrow. Will tune down the dimensions next try to save resin. This one is around 1.2 kg, not exactly pocket size. Hope it works well so i might send it out to couple people on this continent.
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@maciak In my opinion, only the Bump is pocket sized. The rest are all to big for a pocket. A backpack, sure; but a pocket, no way.
A big Gem might be cool, let us know how much air you can get off it!
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@biell
I think this Gem has some potential at higher speeds, have not unlocked it yet. Bonk height/distance feels similar to the button but the pop is absolutely different. I think you are right, the button has a sweet pop to it, gentle and smooth.Im gonna pour a smaller gem (Using the A55) , to save resin and i think a larger (wider) size has little advantage.
Can you check something else for me: Do your rocks have the same hardness all around (sides, top, bottom), and is the bottom any different in profile /roughness compared to the other parts?
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@maciak Part of me wants to say yes and part wants to say no. I think the bottom is ever so slightly different (tackier) only because it wasn't touching anything when it cured. It could also be that the tops are covered in tire ruber that makes them more slippery.
It is the same hardness all the way around, with a minor exception at the edges b/c there is less material.
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@biell I have the same on the single thane rock. The bottom feels a bit tackier but it's the same material. On the Gem, where i used only a softer compound on the bottom it's very, very clear material and tackiness is different.
Further i think im kinda done exploring unless im able to get my hands on the original.
Conclusion so far:
The softest compound (A40) is too soft without fillers. It will absorb too much. When fillers are used it becomes equivalent to the slightly harder A55 (latter is 20% more expensive, easier to use and cures faster), also in surface grip. When a more "realialistic" hardness is needed, A85 needs to be used with a softer compound bottom layer as it needs grip on the pavement.
All in all i think the pure A55 -ish rock is what the shop is using. The shape determines pop, imho the slightly harder/softer thane does not add much. It's important that it sticks to the surface.
