Alumilite questions.

[mredburn]

Im thinking of trying Alumilite and I had a couple of questions im not finding answers for.
THe Black and/or White alumilite. How opaque are they? Do they need additional dye or coloring to remain opaque at 1mm (.040) thicknesses? That is a common wall thickness for most kits, (apx). Or will you need to paint the tubes regardless.


Is there a distinct advantage of the water clear over the clear when using dyes or mica powders.

 

[jyreene]

Im sure Jonathon Brooks knows.

 

[Brooks803]

The white and black versions are opaque. However, I do add black pigment to the black Alumilite. Its a dull black without it. You'll probably want to test the opacity at that thickness, but I would think it'll be fine.

As for the clears. No advantage with pigments to my knowledge. Only that 1 of the has a longer open time (water clear I think) and that the clear version seems to polish a little easier.

If you buy the clear and the B side is thick like jello you can heat it up to thin it out.

 

[Brooks803]

Im sure Jonathon Brooks knows.

LOL....that was just to funny.

 

[mredburn]

I was going to pm you Jonathon but figured it might be worth sharing the answers on the Forum. Thanks for the quick replies. Anyone else have input they would like to share?

 

[Indiana_Parrothead]

Just make sure you plan on using a pressure pot with Alumilite but pretty well goes without saying.

Mike

 

[MesquiteMan]

Alumilite Clear is the better formulation for what we do. Alumilite Water Clear is considerably softer and will tend to dent easier over time. It also will not polish as well. The Clear is the formulation I helped them develop specifically for turning.

White is completely opaque, very thin viscosity, and fast! For black, you have a couple of different versions. You can use RC3 black or Alumilite Regular black. Both are fast but RC3 is going to have a little longer open time but is only available in gallons. I use RC3 for black since it is a little cheaper and has 3 min open time instead of 9o seconds with Regular. I have never seen the need to add anything to any of them as far as dyes go.

 

[kingkeyman]

I was going to pm you Jonathon but figured it might be worth sharing the answers on the Forum. Thanks for the quick replies. Anyone else have input they would like to share?

Thanks for sharing, it is well appreciated.

 

[mredburn]

Thank You Curtis.
Adding a question to the mix How well will the different alumilite products bond to themselves if repoured within 24 hours or if repoured after 24 hours.

 

[Brooks803]

Curtis will know this better than me, but if I remember, it would only be a mechanical bond. Might have to rough up the surface a bit. If the recast is in a complex shape (scroll saw blanks come to mind) that'll give more to hold on to. If its flat on flat I think the potential for seperation is high.

 

[MesquiteMan]

Jonathan is correct!