My first attempt at worthless wood and Alumilite

[maxman400]

I would like to thank Curtis for his Tutorial on Alumilite, I must have read it ten times before ordering the Alumilite and another ten after I got it. I don't have a pressure pot "YET" (next payday) so I Red Necked it and improvised with PVC. It was a long 15 minutes hiding around the corner waiting for the bang!! (it held this time). The wood is Spalted Cypress, the Alumilite is a 2oz mix, 40 drops of red dye and 1/4 tsp copper powder. Has a CA finish.
As Always Any Sugestions or Comments are very welcome.

 

[Rollerbob]

Well, well, well ain't you something. Looks like a great start!!..........someday:frown:

 

[thewishman]

Looks very nice. Thumbs up.

 

[Papa Bear]

Looks Great!!!

 

[JohnU]

Nice job with the cast. Welcome to the madness of casting. Its all up hill from here.

 

[Wheaties]

Nice job! You are on a roll lately!

 

[MesquiteMan]

Did you say 40 drops of red?? If so, you are using WAY more than you need! I use about 1 drop per ounce and get very rich colors.

Great looking cast, nonetheless!

 

[bitshird]

Welcome to the darkside, you will be shunned by wood purists but your work will be appreciated by normal folks. Well done.

 

[GaryMGg]

Lovely.

 

[rjwolfe3]

Very nice!

 

[artme]

Great result with both casting and pen!!:good::good::good:

 

[maxman400]

Thanks for the tip on the dye, the bottle said to use up to 20 drops per once but it's good to know that I don't need that much. And I just got home with my Pressure Pot, some times it pays to live by Las Vegas I stuck $5 dollars in a slot machine and won $60.
Went to H.F. and the Manager gave me the Pot for $59.95 + tax.

 

[MesquiteMan]

I guess we both should have made things a little clearer...you did not say what dye you were using and I assumed you were using Alumilite dye!

If using Alumilite's dye, then 1 drop per ounce works well for me. If you were using something else, then I can not comment since I don't use anything but Alumilite dye!

 

[maxman400]

You were right, I just pulled out the dye bottle (Alumilite) and it says UP TO 20 drops per oz. I missed the "up to" part. But it is great to know that I don't need that much, Thanks.

 

[MesquiteMan]

So it is Alumilite dye? Is it now coming in a bottle with a dropper of some sort? If so, that is great! I suggested that to Mike (the VP at Alumilite) a year or so ago and then just recently again when I was helping him with the Crystal Clear formulation. The old bottle was just a bottle that you open the cap on and the dye just blobs out! It is real hard to control how much dye comes out at a time so I transfer my dye to empty CA bottles so I can count drops.

 

[maxman400]

It's the same bottle (1 oz size), but instead of taking the paper and foil seal off I just put a small hole in it and squeezed out drops. It is still very thick but controllable that way.

 

[MesquiteMan]

Now I am really confused. The last number of bottles that I got all said to use up to 5% by weight. There was nothing about drops on them. Now if the directions say up to 20 drops, do they tell you to just poke a hole in the foil for the drops or was that your idea?

 

[maxman400]

The "Hole" was my idea, The bottle says "Use up to 20 drops of dye into1 oz of Alumilite's "A" side to completely color the resin. Use lesser amounts or in combination with other dyes to provide lighter or custom colors".

 

[MesquiteMan]

That is interesting. I wonder just how in the hell they expect you to use drops if they don't give you a method of getting the drops?

Also...just a suggestion...ignore thier directions about putting it in part A. If you do this, you can not tell when the resin is completely mixed. It is best to mix the 2 parts together first. When you first pour them together, they will be cloudy. When the swirls are completely gone and the resin is completely clear, then you have it mixed properly. Then add the dye. It will not mess up the ratio or cause any adverse effects. I do ALL of my casts this way and have done so for the last 50 gallons or so!

 

[maxman400]

Ok! After 50 gallons you should know, this is my first 32 0z, so any info is good info! Tomorrow I will be building my pot and the shelves that go in it, after all it's Fathers Day so I get to do what I want to do, and I have the wife's permission.

 

[johncrane]

Your out come is very good,well done:biggrin:

 

[desertyellow]

There is a future for you in this.
That looks great.
More, let's see more.

 

[george]

I would like to thank Curtis for his Tutorial on Alumilite, I must have read it ten times before ordering the Alumilite and another ten after I got it. I don't have a pressure pot "YET" (next payday) so I Red Necked it and improvised with PVC. It was a long 15 minutes hiding around the corner waiting for the bang!! (it held this time). The wood is Spalted Cypress, the Alumilite is a 2oz mix, 40 drops of red dye and 1/4 tsp copper powder. Has a CA finish.
As Always Any Sugestions or Comments are very welcome.

Hello !
I agree, the tutorial by Curtis is excellent help. I have also used it several time (quite nice result), but without pressure pot. Can you tell me a little more about your way ? Sorry, but I do not understand PVC - is that something similar to pressure pot ? Is there something writtne in the library about it ?
Thanks in advance, Geore

 

[MesquiteMan]

George,

PVC...Poly Vinyl Chloride...white plastic water pipe (among many other uses).

 

[TX_Planes]

Must stop reading posts about the cool out comes from casting. Must stop reading these posts. Must not look into the light.

Very nice job. Great looking combo.

 

[desertyellow]

The end result tells me it was well worth your time.
Nicely done.