Casting Grips

I had been thinking about getting new grips for a while but I couldn’t find anything that resembled the idea I had in my head. So I thought; why not design and cast them myself?

After doing some research I felt confident I could do this. I drew up a model and went ahead with it.

3d model of our spark grips

I ordered PU rubber, 3D printed a mold and did my first casting ever. It came out far from perfect, for example you can see the lines from the mold, but it was just a quick try-out. I’m quite happy with the results of my first try though and I’m currently working on a second mold to try something different.

The first mold half that was quickly printed

As you can see in the picture, I made a big mess, because I poured in way too much PU rubber before adding the centre. Practice makes perfect… at some point.

Lots of overflow out of the mold

After waiting a couple of hours to let the rubber harden, it was time to open up the mold. Not bad for a first try, right?

First result

The rubber came out pretty sticky, so getting the centre out was a struggle. Eventually the centre came out and I could fit the grip onto some bars. I like the size and how they feel so far.

The result placed on a handlebar

To be continued!