Hello all, I hope everyone has had a great Friday!!! Below I am going to outline how I do my Faceplates, note that this is my method and others go about it much differently. This so far works for me, for this example I'm using a shell with no drivers or connections in it!
You will need:
Sharpie
4in x 6in pc of picture frame glass (can be smaller, this is just what I had).
The investment (Mold) of the ear you are making faceplate for. (Another reason why I clean up the edge around the top.)
Place the glass on top of the investment.
Trace the opening with the Sharpie (marker), I usually make it a small margin larger than the opening.
Now remove the glass and flip it over so the marker is on the bottom (you do not want the UV Material to actually touch the Sharpie, hence why I flip the glass.).
Pour a small amount of your UV Material in the center and use a toothpick or tool to spread it around in the lines.
I will usually do one layer then expose it to the UV light, do another layer for thickness, remember we will post process (sand, buff, and so on....).
I then place the plastic sleeve I use to make my mold over the faceplate, and fill with Glycerin to finish curing the UV material under my UV light. You can directly pour the Glycerin over it or submerge it, there is no wrong way just use care.
I take a sharp blade and carefully remove it from the glass (took me a few faceplates to get good at removing from the glass.).
Remember that we drew the faceplate then flipped the glass over so when your done the flattest side of the faceplate will face up, side that has the rounded edges will be adhered to your shell. Keep this in mind in case you need to sand and buff the rounded side as your faceplate will be see through and you will likely see and ripples if there was any imperfections.
Im using the shell we made in my previous tutorial on shell making.
Coat the rim of the shell with UV Material or non-blooming super glue.
Place faceplate carefully on the shell and expose to UV light. (Be careful to not move it at all as you will see it through the faceplate, again took me a few tries to get good at placing the faceplate on the shell without blemish.)
Now all that is left is to sand the edges and buff.
As you can see by doing it this way it is easy to control the thickness and makes a nicely uniform faceplate! If this was a finish pair for myself or someone I would have continued with the finishing process and further buffed until it was completely smooth without any blemishes, but because this was just a tutorial on faceplates I'll leave it at that.
If there is anything else I can help with please let me know. This forum is the reason I have dove head first into building IEM's and I fully understand all those who are venturing down the same path.