First time Alumilite user

[brownsfn2]

I wanted to try some casting with carbon fiber and I wanted to do it in my basement shop so I thought I would try Alumilite due to the smell of PR. I order some Alumilite clear from Amazon (Free 2-day shipping) and mixed a very small amount in a cup last night just to try it out. Well...

...it turned WHITE!

I am not sure why unless the distributor mislabeled the bottles or something like that. I think there are two possibilities though. First I did not read the long instruction sheet but only the directions on the bottle. The long instruction sheet says that if the "b" side is too thick that it should be thinned in hot tap water. I did not do that. I just thought it was how it was supposed to be.

Second is that my scale was not working right at first so I may have poured an extra .2 oz in the cup for side "a".

What do you guys think? Send it back or it is my fault?

Thanks for the help!

 

[Ed McDonnell]

0.2 oz of a "very small amount" might be a significant percentage. I had a batch of clear turn white years ago when I got the ratios wrong (I was way off). I think you should do another test and this time make sure you get the ratios right.

Ed

 

[JD Combs Sr]

Alumilite is best used where it can cure while under pressure. The curing process of Alumilite generates small, near microscopic bubbles. If you did not have the trial casting under pressure, minimum 40psi(I use 60psI), what you may be seeing in the white color is all the millions of bubbles the curing process generates. The applied pressure keeps the bubbles in solution and results in a clear casting.

 

[Kenny Durrant]

The first time I used it the same thing happened. It was on a Christmas weekend and the factory was closed so I had to go the whole weekend guessing what happened. First thing Monday I called and talked to someone about the problem and it was an easy fix. Alumilite goes by weight not volume. You need a cheep dig. scale and three cups especially when working with a small amount. Weigh part a and b equally in separate cups then pour each in a third cup to mix. that way the residue left in the cups to be weighed will be close to the same. If your accurate enough you can weigh both parts in one cup but be sure not to confuse the numbers or put too much of one and then add and subtract to get the exact amount of the two parts.Good luck.

 

[crabcreekind]

You have to remember that when you mix 10-12 oz of resin in a cup. You are able to off .2 oz or even .5 oz. But when mixing 1 oz total for a small tube in pen. The percentage of .2 oz off is huge compared to if you were mixing a bunch.

 

[brownsfn2]

Thanks for the information guys. I am going to try to do this without pressure. I really want to be able to case indoors. I watched this video here and he seems to do ok with no pressure: Casting Carbon Fiber pen blanks - YouTube

Thought I would try it. If it does not work I always have PR. Thanks again!

 

[Kenny Durrant]

Just a warning. Casting has it's own level of addiction. Just as pen turning casting will have you looking at and thinking about your next project 24-7. I think it also adds a little more satisfaction when the final pen is finished. The down side is it can also add more frustration with the problems that can occur.Like I said it's just like turning so it's worth all the down falls in the end. Good Luck.

 

[Brooks803]

Ron...one thing that hasn't been mentioned is that if moisture got to your resin while curing it will turn white. I'm guess that or either they sent the wrong resin. Did you time how long it took to go solid? If it went solid in less than 2min it's probably the wrong resin. If it took 5mins or more it's most likely the clear resin.

 

[JD Combs Sr]

The difference between pressure and no..

I cast this blank a couple days ago. It cured under 60psi pressure. I left the remaining tablespoon or so in the cup sitting on my bench. You can see the results of no pressure. Don't know if what was in the cup is as white as you experienced but it is definitely "whiter" than the blank.

 

[Russianwolf]

If you are like me, you get a lovely solid opaque white blank.

I have absolutely no luck mixing it, but I know I have the clear. And I cast under pressure so I know it isn't microbubbles.


I'm going to try one last time and mix basically all that I have left (measured correctly) to see if It's just the small batches that I'm not getting right.

 

[sbwertz]

did you solve your resin problem?

 

[brownsfn2]

Just a follow up...

So I order some new Alumilite to see if that was the problem. When I opened the box today I immediately noticed it was the issue. Both sides (a and b) are absolutely clear and pour like liquid. The stuff I thought was new off of Amazon must be old because on side was yellow and the other poured like thick 5 min epoxy (even after it was warmed up and refreshed). Good advice is to order directly from Alumilite corp.

I am going to cast some tonight and try it again.

 

[InvisibleMan]

Just a follow up...

So I order some new Alumilite to see if that was the problem. When I opened the box today I immediately noticed it was the issue. Both sides (a and b) are absolutely clear and pour like liquid. The stuff I thought was new off of Amazon must be old because on side was yellow and the other poured like thick 5 min epoxy (even after it was warmed up and refreshed). Good advice is to order directly from Alumilite corp.

I am going to cast some tonight and try it again.

Yep, that's what happens if it gets old. Yellow on one side and super thick on the other side. It doesn't take long in a hot garage either.