First attempt at casting

[jbostian]

I finally tried casting for the first time the other day and got around to turning it tonight. I think it went pretty well for my first attempt and I learned some things that I am sure will make the next one better. It is supposed to be green with gold swirls. The green came out how I wanted but the gold swirls aren't as noticable as I had hoped. I should have let the resin set up a little longer before I swirled the colors. Anyway on to the pics. Thanks for looking.

Jamie

 

[B727phixer]

Looks Good Jamie!:biggrin: I think my first cast ended up in the dust bin.

 

[jbostian]

Looks Good Jamie!:biggrin: I think my first cast ended up in the dust bin.

Yeah I was a little afraid that is where mine would end up when I finally started mixing the resin. My only real goal on my first attempt was to be able to make a finished pen out of it. I was able to do that and I think it looks pretty decent too.

Jamie

 

[Dalecamino]

I think it looks good Jamie . Didn't know you were into this mfg. stuff . I'm looking forward to seeing more . Nice pen !

 

[Glass Scratcher]

Looks like a good job to me.

 

[johncrane]

Nice pen and color Jamie!

 

[jbostian]

Thanks for the nice comments.

Jamie

 

[Padre]

My first cast, and 2nd, and 3rd ended up in the trash, so you are doing great.

I like the green and gold motif as well. Keep up the good work.

 

[David Keller]

Looks good to me. I'll bet the gold is more prominent in the sunlight. Nice green color BTW.

 

[louie68]

Jamie pen looks great !!!
when casting what material did you use?

 

[louie]

Very nice first cast. I am gearing up for my first cast(s), hope mine look 1/2 as good as yours.

 

[Ankrom Exotics]

very nice.... especially for your first go at it. I like the colors you chose and the swirl effect you achieved is subtle but attractive. keep posting your pics.

Oh yeah, the pen looks very nice as well.

 

[jbostian]

Thanks all for the comments.

Jamie pen looks great !!!
when casting what material did you use?

I used Silmar 41 from US Composites. I got the pigments from my dad. He works at a paint manufacture and he got me a few samples of the pigments they use. I will see if I can find more info on the pigments.

Jamie

 

[Mark]

I like it a lot. The swirls are just enough to set it off. I like the green too.
That's a very nice pen.

 

[oops99]

Hey Jamie,

Looks like you've been at it for some time, I think it came out beautiful.
If you don't mind me asking, how much of a total investment would you say you have into it just to get started?
This is something that I have been thinking about for some time now, I would love to try it but don't want to buy more than I have to, I have a habit of doing that.

Tom/oops99

 

[jbostian]

Hey Jamie,

Looks like you've been at it for some time, I think it came out beautiful.
If you don't mind me asking, how much of a total investment would you say you have into it just to get started?
This is something that I have been thinking about for some time now, I would love to try it but don't want to buy more than I have to, I have a habit of doing that.

Tom/oops99

I really don't have too much invested in it so far. I got a gallon of the Silmar 41 resin for around $40 including shipping. I got the pigments for free from my dad. I had the cups and craft sticks for mixing the resin. I don't have a good mold yet though. There is an article in the library that shows you how to make a mold using silicone caulk. I am planning on making a few of those soon. I figure it will cost me about $15 to make the molds. So I will only have around $55 invested. If you have to buy pigments they can get expensive depending what kind you use. I am not sure how long I will be able to get free pigments from my dad, so I may have to invest in some of those in the future.

Jamie

 

[jttheclockman]

Jamie you did good for the first time and it does become addictive somewhat. Just a note though when using the resin, either wear some protective mask or do it in a well vented area. That stuff can give you a headache. Also depending on how you are doing the casting, if you are making a block or just one at a time., it would be better to buy some ready made molds. You really are not saving anything. That green is a nice color. Maybe add a little black for the secondary color or even white. Keep up the good work and thanks for showing.