Anybody want to go into the brake hood manufacturing business with me?

https://cgi.ebay.com/CAMPAGNOLO-VINTA...item2c513e7f05

There is a guy that regularly cooks up a batch of repro's for something like $40 on the CR forum.

And they are good.

I've bought from him before.

I understand that he is now doing Universal's, as well.

I asked that guy where he gets his rubber, and he responded "trade secrets," haha.

If you're serious though, I found these guys who sell rubber for casting stuff: https://www.smooth-on.com/

They sent me some samples, and I picked one that I thought would be best for brake hoods, and they also have dyes in all colors. I was all set about a month ago to make Dura Ace/600 AX replicas, but got sidetracked with school. I'll get back to it one of these rainy days.

Yeah, no need to rush into making hoods that could financially support a normal lifestyle.

Aren't the molds the most expensive part?

I have no idea how you make those. Not being a smart axe, for once.

That would be my curiosity... How do you make molds. Plaster/Jewlers Wax???? As long as you had a pair of good originals I spose you could make a wax/plaster cast and go to town. Obviously metal would be the ideal way to go, but that would mean CNC-ing some kind of template... YIKES! Could be a nice Cottage industry for a teacher in the summer time, if I had the tech advice to start up

You mean Classic Randezvous? Where do I find this guy there? I could use some Universal hoods. Thanks.

Here's a good how to I found, on resin casting: https://www.starshipmodeler.com/basics/jc_molds.htm

Same basic principal. I would make the mold out of rubber too, so it would be easy to pull the hoods out, just need to liberally coat the inside with petroleum jelly or something, so they don't fuse together.

You know, I need to get back working on this project.

Here's a recent post of his with his email address at the top.

https://search.bikelist.org/getmsg.as...10910.1010.eml

I find it interesting that he bought the hoods then tossed them in a fridge...15-25 years ago! Anybody else keep their bike parts in the deep freeze?

I wonder if heating them in hot water and then the freezer would get them back to shape? I've got a R Ergo hood that's been leaning against a wall for years, and now looks like it, great condition, lousy "shape."

There would be a good-sized market for 7/8-sp Shimano STI hoods. I've never found them on line or anywhere, for 600/DA/RSX/RX100/105. Lucked into a set at an LBS, but that's it.

Dang, and I thought it was ridiculous when I found out that Diacompe aero hodds are going for like 45 bucks out there if you cane even find them, specially if you need white ones like the ones I have on my white Aero Gran Compe levers on my PSV. A few NOS's are out there to buy at eBay.....only if you are looking for Flesh, "Hot" Pink or "Candy Apple" colored ones.....all going for about 45 bucks! >:^P....Guess I'm lucky I'm not looking for NOS Campy ones!

Chombi
84 Peugeot PSV

They have amazing 3-D scanners now. I've worked with university biology department that has one, and it's amazingly cool. There's even a "printer" that makes a reproduction of whatever you scanned in a hard plastic. If you could get someone to scan a hood for you, inside and out (inside may involve cutting it in half), you'd design the mold in some kind of 3-D modeling program on your computer, then have the pieces "printed," and you have your mold.

How realistic would it be to pour some silicone onto the brake levers, shaping it with a spatula, and letting it dry? I suppose it would be ugly but functional.

Some people, including me, have contacted him. He doesn't seem interested in making Universals...

noglider: not!
Scanners are cool and would be great for the external shape. The mold has four parts, it think, based on the hoods I have. Upper, lower, internal and one for the cable hole.

A short cut would be to have the interanl and cable hole as one part. The hood would be removed just like taking it off of the brake lever base. Still need the upper and lower. You can tell by the mold break line that follows from the front lower edge of the hood above the lever to the back.

Typically, soft tooling would be OK for low volumn. Make a negitive of the original part (cast it). Make a positive from the negitive. Create the soft tooling molds from the positive. This allows for a master to be used for creating replacement negitives.

What is not often mentioned is the shrinkage factor. Typically material shrinks after it cools. The percentage of shrinkage is related to the thickness of the material as well as the geometry. This is the trade secret value added in the process of creating the molds. Different materials have different shrink factors and often molds are "tweaked" until the correct result is obtained.

So as simple as it looks, it is not.

Robbie posted this recently ( within past 2 weeks)
. . . snipped.
Marty

are there any current-production hoods that fit SR/NR reasonably well, or is there no way to avoid getting horribly gouged for 50 cents worth of rubber?

Look for Modolo hoods the non-anatomic ones fit perfectly and are a good copy. The anatomic ones
also fit but look a bit different in shape. Both were considered 'upgrades' back in the day.

Marty

I'd vote for the anatomic ones. They are soooo much better, very comfy and really durable. They fit perfectly and look great. I have a 25 year old pair that are still in great shap, with only some slight cracks at the base.

Not wanting to hijack this thread, but if you think that's ridiculous, how about this......

https://cgi.ebay.com/NOS-SIMPLEX-Juy-...item2a01f66037

Campy hoods never did much for me. I like the new Tektro Campy copy best. The hoods are super comfy. I just wish they made them longer and wider.

If you want to get rich make Campy hub cones in sets of front and rear for under 100$...Figure 65$ a pair. If that could be done you'd be the mack daddy of the vintage world.

Would anyone be willing to do a group buy? If we get more than 3 pair delivered we could save a bunch on price and shipping. Figure 2 or 3 bucks to re-ship? Around $42/pair seems much more reasonable than $57 pair...

Just an idea.

WjV

If you wear gloves, dispense with gummy eraser types and just get the black ones to fit DiaComp. I've used non-aero Shimanos too.

Reproducing a part like that can't be that hard. We made plastic injection molds in high school tech class. Plastic molds were dirt cheap. Even buying the rubber would be pretty cheap.

I think you guys are onto something here.