Ribbons in PR

Just got a HF pressure tank and was anxious to try it out. Rigged it up with no leaks, made my ribbons and set them in the mold. Mixed up my resin and color and poured into mold. Pressured up to 50lbs. for an hour and a half(set it the hot Louisiana sun), opened it and the PR was set up just fine. I attemped to turn one this evening and it broke at the ribbon. I thought the pressure tank should take care of that.....Any suggestions?...should I let my ribbons dry to rigid state(they were rubbery when I poured)?

Thanks

All the pressure pot does is keep the air in suspension in the PR and helps force the PR into any voids . It does not make it any stronger or cause the PR to bond to the ribbons any better .
It most likely broke because you were to aggressive in turning it . Composite blanks like those require very sharp tools and a very light touch .
It also could have been because you turned it too soon . Since the ribbons were not fully cured when you cast the blank they may not have cured as fast as the rest of the blank . Try letting any composite blank cure for at least 24 hours , more is better .

PR Ribbons

Thanks Butch for the info. I just inspected that blank and it may be that I had 2 ribbons touching and no pr in between. I do know how important it is to keep the tools sharp especially when turning acrylics. I usually am agressive when starting an acrylic blank then do the art of turning when it gets a certain size. Started casting about a month ago and have learned alot right here on this site. Have made numerous mistakes with it but now it's getting easier. Thanks for the help

Mark Tupper

Mark try and sand the ribbon before you cast it, as this will give the resin some thing to stick to.
David