Your experiences

[Terredax]

In another thread, and I've also read posts here and elsewhere, there is mention of blanks that don't have sparkle around the entire blank.

My questions, since I've only purchased a few blanks, is were these commercial blanks, or from someone that cast? What are the particular materials... not all plastics are acrylic, so the material could be different in each scenario.

I do know that the commercial Acetate blanks have two sides with sparkle, and two without. I know this is attributed to the manufacturing process. Those blanks are formed in sheets and compressed, which causes the sparkle to lay flat.

I have cast thousands of items, and even a thousand or so pen blanks, and have never experienced this situation. All of the blanks, even before being turned, have very nice sparkle at any and every angle around the complete blank with no dead spots.

Could the lack of sparkle be from casting set-up, the colorants used (some of the less expensive stuff may cost less for a reason?), or allowing the resin to set too long before gelling, which could allow the flakes to align causing the same effect as the Acetates? Or maybe something entirely different?

What are... your experiences?

 

[MRDucks2]

Thanks, John. Awaiting feedback...


Sent from my iPhone using Penturners.org mobile app

 

[McKenzie Penworks]

Well in my case I cast in single blank molds so it's laid flat vs say in a vertical round tube. I use very nice pigments and alumilite resin. I see the same phenomenon regardless of how long I wait.

I'm probably going to try a vertical cast and see what that does.

 

[TattooedTurner]

I usually cast single pen blanks in a vertical pvc tube. I mainly use Silmar 41 with House of Kolor ice pearls or sometimes flakes and I've never had a problem with either sinking to the bottom. I let the resin start to gel a little bit before it goes in the pressure pot, mostly because that's the consistency I need to get the effect I like when mixing colors.

 

[McKenzie Penworks]

I usually cast single pen blanks in a vertical pvc tube. I mainly use Silmar 41 with House of Kolor ice pearls or sometimes flakes and I've never had a problem with either sinking to the bottom. I let the resin start to gel a little bit before it goes in the pressure pot, mostly because that's the consistency I need to get the effect I like when mixing colors.

It's not sinking... It's just how the flakes line up. Definitely even distribution though.

You buy the good stuff! I love painting with ice pearls but they empty the wallet quickly.

 

[MRDucks2]

I usually cast single pen blanks in a vertical pvc tube. I mainly use Silmar 41 with House of Kolor ice pearls or sometimes flakes and I've never had a problem with either sinking to the bottom. I let the resin start to gel a little bit before it goes in the pressure pot, mostly because that's the consistency I need to get the effect I like when mixing colors.

Do you get the same radiance 360 around the turned blank or does it end up with any dead sides?


Sent from my iPhone using Penturners.org mobile app

 

[TattooedTurner]

It's not sinking... It's just how the flakes line up. Definitely even distribution though.

You buy the good stuff! I love painting with ice pearls but they empty the wallet quickly.

True, they're not cheap, but it only takes a very tiny amount for a pen blank and I don't use them that often. I have a small jar each of white and rainbow that will probably last for years.

Do you get the same radiance 360 around the turned blank or does it end up with any dead sides?

I haven't noticed any dead sides on shaving brushes or pen blanks with the ice pearls except for the first couple times when I used way too much. Even then I didn't get any dead spots but instead patches where there was too much. They get very evenly distributed throughout the resin as long as you use them in moderation. I've only used the flakes a couple times, again the first time I didn't let the resin get thick enough and there were more towards the bottom of the blank. I had better results after that, but the look of the ice pearls is really much nicer and I get better results.

As always, wear eye and breathing protection especially with the ice pearls. The guy where I bought them told me they're basically very tiny pieces of glass and could cause some real damage.

 

[Terredax]

I've cast both horizontal and vertical, along with casting some very odd shapes of all kinds. We used polyester, urethane, and epoxy depending on the requirements of the cast and customer requests.

I'm still fighting off this sickness, but I felt well enough today to get out a box of blanks I cast a while ago. I examined about one hundred of them (some unturned and other that have been turned) and other than the typical mesmerizing trance, there was a nice sparkly, shimmer effect completely around the blanks in both the rod and block forms.

I will admit, some, but not all, of my colorants are very expensive. One of them costs $85 a gram. Fortunately, I didn't have to purchase those.
Then others I use, are from the same sources as some casters here and elsewhere use. So, I don't believe the colorant is the problem.

For my pen related casts, whether blocks or rods, I never used pressure or vacuum. So, that would eliminate that as a cause, unless, using either of those is causing the issue.

I don't consider taking the blank into the sun as a gauge for sparkle and shimmer. Most people are not in the sun, using most of the products made in this case. They should have a nice effect under artificial lighting, where most people will be using these items.