Kaboom!!! OR what I did this morning

[JayDevin]

I have spent the last week picking, drying and casting rose petals.
today I attempted to turn them, this is what happened

I think that I had some airpockets that I missed with the CA and the petals let loose!, I have 1 more that I have ready to turn, but I think I already know what will happen!

Any comments or tips welcomed!

 

[reed43]

I do not have any tips but the blanks are very nice. Good luck on the last one. Don,t give you have a good idea there.

 

[alamocdc]

I hate kabooms! I'm not sure I have any good advice for you either.

 

[turned_for_good]

Cant say as I cast anything, but assuming your cast was good, the picture looks as if there is no glue where the parts came off, make sure on your next one that you get as much glue in there as possable. Places where there is no glue adhesion cause a slight disturbance when turning, which equals KABOOM!

 

[OKLAHOMAN]

Just a couple of questions
1-are you useing a pressure pot and how much pressure
2- if you are how many drops per oz. You dont want it setting up quickly when casting items like petals,cactus ect because of all the air between and around the petals as this traps air.Cut way back on the activator, don't know if this is your problem or not but after well over a year of casting cactus and snake I very seldom have air bubbles after cutting back to 3-4 drops per oz.
3-Also use expoxy not CA to glue the tubes.

 

[JayDevin]

Roy

1 Yes, about 40 psi
2 dont use pr I used Alumilite
3 I will try that!

 

[airrat]

Jay with alumilite even the slightest moisture can cause some issues. I wonder if there was a tiny bit of moisture still in the petals and they got little air bubbles that weakened your blank.

Keep working at it, I think you have a nice looking blank and will be very happy with the final outcome.

 

[JayDevin]

Tom!!!

Me thinks that is it too!

Im drying more as we speak and will keep at it!

 

[leehljp]

Originally posted by OKLAHOMAN

Just a couple of questions
1-are you useing a pressure pot and how much pressure
2- if you are how many drops per oz. You dont want it setting up quickly when casting items like petals,cactus ect because of all the air between and around the petals as this traps air.Cut way back on the activator, don't know if this is your problem or not but after well over a year of casting cactus and snake I very seldom have air bubbles after cutting back to 3-4 drops per oz.
3-Also use expoxy not CA to glue the tubes.

Number 3 would be my suggestion also. You can tell by looking at the tubes if there was good adhesion. Because CA sticks so quickly, it it difficult to get good solid adhesion all the way through without pockets of air.

Also, even though some people never had problems with CA without cleaning or scouring the tubes, some do. If you continue to use CA, scour or sand the tubes lightly. Personally, I would use epoxy or gorilla glue. With epoxy, you can twist the tubes as you insert them, and do it slowly, making sure it it totally coated and at the same time not worried about sudden sticking as can happen with CA.

An extremely sharp chisel and patient very small bites are needed. Suggestions on this subject is highly subjective. It is not to insinuate that you are not being patient or don't have sharp chisels, but maybe to take it to the next level of patience and sharpening. As a reference to this subject, some of the most respected turners here sharpen their chisels a couple of times during a single turning. Some sharpen once before turning and swipe (hone) it two or three times during the turn of a single blank.

Those are some nice looking blanks! I hope you get the problem fixed and show us the pens that go with them!

 

[Mudder]

I'm wondering if you would have any luck if you pre-stabilize the rose petals in CA before you cast them?

 

[Modelmaker]

here's something that's worked for me in the past. if you are using a 1:1 mix of alumilite try using a few grrams less of the catalyst, this will slow the cure down a little bit. hopefully enough for the pressure to eliminate the bubbles.
Try using a food dehydrator for drying the petals. any moisture at all will cause some foaming in any poly-urethane resin.

 

[MarkHix]

I really want to see those as turned pens. I've been lurking in the casting forum for a while before I take the plung...a couple of question (please overlook my ignorance)...Is there any reason not to cast them with the tube already in? Wouldn't drying them ahead of time make them prone to breaking under the pressure?

 

[JayDevin]

Kris, I will give that a try, I am also gonna Chop the petals up a bit, cause what Ive noticed is that most of the failure points is a large area of petal....back to the laboratory!

 

[Jarheaded]

It's not a moisture issue. Any moisture would cause the Alumilite to foam up and ruin the casting. I would try the epoxy or the gorila glue. Good luck.

 

[JayDevin]

Ok I spent the morning glueing up * more blanks with gorlilla glue....I will turn late tonight or tomorrow.

the last of the Ca ones blew up on me this morning I thought I was gonna get it done..........KABOOOOM!
so heres hoping the GG works!

 

[CSue]

In the photo you have in another post, the petals aren't dried. Do you dry them completely before you cast them? They pack a lot of moisture in those petals. And if you air dry them completely first, you'll still have the color - and smaller pieces. I put the rose petals ina an airy straw-weaved basket for a week or more stirring them gently with a hand once a day.

If that goes kaboom, I have a great Rose-y Ice cream sauce recipe.

 

[PR_Princess]

Jay,

To dry the petals you can also use a desiccant, such as silica gel. There are many commercial brands available that are made for specifically for flower drying. Check at your local hobby store.

However, I suspect that you are correct in that the large petals form a fracture or "fault zone" within the PR. There is just not enough cohesion between the two sides of the petal to withstand the stress of turning. Smaller petal pieces should help reduce this effect. [8D]

 

[JayDevin]

Dawn, I have been drying in the oven, I have tosed some dessicant in the bag and,,,,,, I spray laquered the next bunch that I will try to cast soon, I put it on the back burner as I was getting Frustrated! and plan on chopping into smaller bits....why did I think that this would be SIMPLE!!!

 

[PR_Princess]

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