Follow-up questions after watching the Alumilite videos

[micharms]

Great videos. They got me thinking and I was wondering if Water Clear and Clear are compatible? What I mean is can I pour a colored base using water clear and then once it has set up pour a clear layer of clear. Is that clear? Or since I have a few dribs of each left can I mix them together to do a pour?

Thanks
Michael

 

[wolftat]

You can pour a different type of alumilite over another, and you can also mix the white with the colored clear and make some cool blanks as well.

 

[Lenny]

What are the advantages of/uses for, the water clear vrs. the clear?
Which would be the best choice for getting started with alumilite?
Has anyone used Coastal Scents mica pigments with Alumilite?

Thanks!

 

[Texatdurango]

You can pour a different type of alumilite over another, and you can also mix the white with the colored clear and make some cool blanks as well.

Wolftat, I would call ALumilite about that. I use a lot of clear and also have some white and thought about making some nice white blanks with colored swirls but I didn't have any white dye. I called Alumilite to see if I could mix the White with the Clear and the answer was NO, it isn't compatible.

 

[micharms]

What are the advantages of/uses for, the water clear vrs. the clear?
Which would be the best choice for getting started with alumilite?
Has anyone used Coastal Scents mica pigments with Alumilite?

Thanks!

The clear gives a higher shine. I have used the Coastal Scents mica with it and there were no problems.

Michael

 

[Texatdurango]

What are the advantages of/uses for, the water clear vrs. the clear?
Which would be the best choice for getting started with alumilite?
Has anyone used Coastal Scents mica pigments with Alumilite?

Thanks!

Lenny, If I am wrong I would love to be corrected because I often get a bit confused myself.

I use the clear which I believe used to be called crystal clear but the name changed when they reformulated it to provide a resin that offers a better shine. I use PearlEx all the time with Alumilite.

Why they call two different resins clear and water clear isn't clear to me at all! :biggrin:

 

[maxwell_smart007]

Speaking of follow-ups - and not trying to hijack your thread, just a thought in passing - I wanted to see the results of the pour he did just before the shavings blank...

Andrew

 

[BSea]

Speaking of follow-ups - and not trying to hijack your thread, just a thought in passing - I wanted to see the results of the pour he did just before the shavings blank...

Andrew

It's shown at the very end of the video. But just for a second or so. Nothing was mentioned about demolding or turning.

 

[MesquiteMan]

Yeah, we choose to not show the demolding and turning of the white since it would make the video even longer than it already is. I will check with Mike and see if he can do some more video editing of the raw footage and possibly make a 4th video with the white exclusively. I believe we shot footage of that.

 

[MesquiteMan]

Great videos. They got me thinking and I was wondering if Water Clear and Clear are compatible? What I mean is can I pour a colored base using water clear and then once it has set up pour a clear layer of clear. Is that clear? Or since I have a few dribs of each left can I mix them together to do a pour?

Thanks
Michael

Michael, Clear and Water clear are not compatible. You can certainly pour one over the other as long as the one your are pouring over is already cured. They are completely different chemistry so they can not be mixed in liquid form.

Same with white and Clear. What Wolftat is doing is not mixing the 2 but rather pouring the 2 at the same time where they stay seperated from each other.

 

[MesquiteMan]

What are the advantages of/uses for, the water clear vrs. the clear?
Which would be the best choice for getting started with alumilite?
Has anyone used Coastal Scents mica pigments with Alumilite?

Thanks!

Lenny, Alumilite Clear is what you want to use. It was developed based on a conversation I had with Mike a few years ago to make a better Alumilite for penturning. I told him that we needed an Alumilite that polished better and that had a longer open time. After testing 6 or 7 different formulations for Alumilite, the Clear is came out of that and what they now produce. I can polish it just as good as PR and it has a 7 minute open time rather than 5 minutes that the Water Clear has. Water Clear was their original clear urethane casting resin but was harder to get a good shine with.

As for coastal scents...I do not use them but do use some Pearlex which I believe is also mica powder so I am sure it will work just fine.

 

[MesquiteMan]

What are the advantages of/uses for, the water clear vrs. the clear?

There are not any advantages of using Water Clear over the Clear that I can think of. I still use Water Clear but that is due to the unfortunate fact that I have developed a sensitivity to urethane and the Clear causes me to get an allergy attack. Not when casting, but when cutting up the finished blanks! A real shame too since I helped develop the Clear!

And to just correct George just a little...the Clear is what used to be called Crystal Clear. Mike had to change the name because another resin company claimed trademark rights to the name "Crystal Clear".

 

[Canadian_Kid]

I noticed that you didn't wear any "protection" while mixing. Is Alumilite safe to use without a respirator and gloves or was that just so you could talk easily during the video.

Thanks. Don.

 

[MesquiteMan]

I noticed that you didn't wear any "protection" while mixing. Is Alumilite safe to use without a respirator and gloves or was that just so you could talk easily during the video.

Thanks. Don.

I am not going to say you should not wear a respirator, since each person will differ. Alumilite has virtually no odor but is a possible inhalation irritant in some people. It is not suspected as being a carcinogen (unlike styrene in PR!) The MSDS says to use a respirator as needed. I also never wear gloves when working with Alumilite. It has no effect on my skin and I have used it a ton of it.

Now, I really should have had my safety glasses on, though! I always forget to wear them and have had Alumilite in the eye before. It hurt like hell but did not cause any damage and did not have to go to the doctor.

 

[Canadian_Kid]

Thanks for the reply and for the videos. I would love to see the look of the cast blanks after they come out of the pot.

Don.

 

[micharms]

Michael, Clear and Water clear are not compatible. You can certainly pour one over the other as long as the one your are pouring over is already cured. They are completely different chemistry so they can not be mixed in liquid form.

Same with white and Clear. What Wolftat is doing is not mixing the 2 but rather pouring the 2 at the same time where they stay seperated from each other.

Thanks for the info Curtis. I do know that if you let the one layer cure too long before pouring the second layer that you create a shear site. I have poured bottlestopper blanks with a colored base and then embedded something in a clear layer on top. A couple that unfortunately I left for a couple of days in between pours sheared at the junction of the two layers when I started to turn them. It was a total surprise since I have done this successfully a number of times with PR stopper blanks.

Michael

 

[wolftat]

You can pour a different type of alumilite over another, and you can also mix the white with the colored clear and make some cool blanks as well.

Wolftat, I would call ALumilite about that. I use a lot of clear and also have some white and thought about making some nice white blanks with colored swirls but I didn't have any white dye. I called Alumilite to see if I could mix the White with the Clear and the answer was NO, it isn't compatible.

I'll take your word for it, but I do it all the time and it works just fine. The way I have always done it is to mix them up seperately and then combine them in the pour, never had a problem but that doesn't mean it is safe to do.

 

[MarkD]

I noticed that Curtis mixed the Alumilite in clear plastic cups. Can any cup be used or are there certain types of cups that should be used?