Let's give it a go!!!

creativewriting · Jun 23, 2010

Well I purchased a couple resinsaver molds about a year ago. I had a few ideas I wanted to try, but never got around to it. As my list of things I wanted to try kept growing, casting moved further and further down the list. I recently posted the resin savers for sale and sold one of them. I had one left for the Baron/Navigator/Sedona. Since it didn't look like anyone was going to take it off my hands I figured what the hell, let's try it out!

The wife was out of town, the little one was at daycare, and I was home after having a broken wisdom tooth removed. I made these blanks up the night before. They are polymer clay with a handwriting design. It is something I have been wanting to test for a while and I think they will make a really nice pen.

The first 2 pictures are of the tubes and loading them into the mold. The third is the full mold with resin poured. The forth is me moving the mold from the garage to the deck due to the fumes. The mold was placed in a cake pan and I put a mesh grease guard over the top to keep things out.

Let's hope it works! I'll keep you posted.

Craftdiggity · Jun 23, 2010

Wow, Keith. Those are pretty cool looking. How do you get the handwriting part onto the clay?

creativewriting · Jun 24, 2010

Chirs it is actually stamped in. I was messing around with some stamps I had laying around to see how they would look. Most of them just don't line up right when you make a complete revolution around the pen. I found a sweet spot on this one that spaced things out perfectly. The shading on the blank is done with different inks. It was a true experiment!

NewLondon88 · Jun 24, 2010

cool idea!
You might fit longer signatures by rolling them on an angle..

You have pictures of them finished yet?

creativewriting · Jun 24, 2010

The blanks popped right out of the mold today. So far so good. The only thing that concerns me is they are still a little tacky. With no experience casting I have to ask is this normal? It was hotter then haiti the last couple days so I didn't know if that played a role in the curing.

NewLondon88 · Jun 24, 2010

it's not unusual.. you could pop the blanks (mold and all) in a warm toaster oven
( if you happen to have a $1 yard sale toaster oven dedicated to casting) for an
hour or so, that would cure the tackies. PR is often tacky on the surface when
it is fresh .. good for layering, as the layers bond to each other very well.

creativewriting · Jun 24, 2010

You might fit longer signatures by rolling them on an angle..

I tried that at first. The pattern is made from a text stamp. Every once and a while while browsing the craft stores (Craft nerd...I know) I see something that I think might make a cool pen. 50% of the times it doesn't work. I have tried other stamps, but most do not match up that well after a full revolution. It leaves a bad seam or just an area that doesn't look right. The stamp I used for this is probably 4x6 and it took a while to find the sweet spot.

Being a PC guy I definatly have a toaster oven, but it is the flammable thing I worry about. I may wait it out a couple days to see if the "tacky" leaves.

bruce119 · Jun 25, 2010

creativewriting said:
The blanks popped right out of the mold today. So far so good. The only thing that concerns me is they are still a little tacky. With no experience casting I have to ask is this normal? It was hotter then haiti the last couple days so I didn't know if that played a role in the curing.

Just put them outside for a few hours. Especially if it's warm out. I avoid the oven now I used too but some things are sensitive to too much heat. I found I let them cure over night just 3 drops per once don't increase your MEK next morning there cured still sticky you can push a pop stick in about 1/16" normal. I set them mold and all outside in the sun the warmer air and sun cures it in about 3-4 hours then there nice and hard and dry. Then I pop them out.

They do look nice one of these days I am going to play with some clay. I got some a wile ago and it sits in a cabinet along with a ton of other "I'll get to its"

Good luck

bkersten · Jun 25, 2010

After mine firms/hardens up I put them in back of the dehumidifier in the basement for overnight - no tackiness the next AM

creativewriting · Jun 25, 2010

I will get them out in the sun this weekend and see what happens. When I originally poured them I placed them out on the deck (shaded). It was about 87 in the shade, but there was a chance of rain so I kept them under the awning.

Thanks for all the tips and tricks.

ZanderPommo · Jun 25, 2010

yep tacky is very normal. mine stay tacky for a long time, plus i just turned one of bruce's circuit board kits yesterday evening, still tacky after i bought it months ago lol, i knew it was normal so squared it and turned it out and vioala! really cool shiny pen :wink:

creativewriting · Jun 25, 2010

Once I got home today I went and grabbed one of the blanks. It wasn't nearly as tacky as yesterday. I couldn't find my mandrel for the wood lathe or I would have tried to turn one. Hopefully I will be able to turn one over the weekend. In the meantime I will put the blanks in the sun for a few hours to see how that helps.

Toni · Jun 27, 2010

Keith weekend is over....waiting......welll????

Let's give it a go!!!

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