Alumilite Slow vs Amazing Clear Cast

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ramaroodle

ramaroodle

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I am working through my process for clear casting blanks. Spent the last 2 weeks figuring out label types and methods of printing, cutting and sizing. I will probably pass on Silmar because of the reported smell. People seem to like Al. Clear Slow but even the smallest amount is 2x16 oz bottles which always goes bad before I get close to using all of it. Is the Alumilite Amazing Clearcast an alternative? It comes in 8oz bottles at Michaels.
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Amazing clear cast is an epoxy resin. IMHO it's not as good for all around casting. If your having trouble with the Clear Slow yellowing the epoxy's are known to be worse. Remember Alumilite is a brand. They make all kinds of resin. There's Urethane, Polyester which has the odor, and Epoxy Resins.
 
If you can't use resin fast enough for clear casting, buy some mica powders and have some molds handy to make color casts.

Respectfully, there should be no reason for letting your casting resin go bad. It's too expensive to let that happen.
 
Brian G said:
If you can't use resin fast enough for clear casting, buy some mica powders and have some molds handy to make color casts.

Respectfully, there should be no reason for letting your casting resin go bad. It's too expensive to let that happen.
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Outta sight outta mind. You make a good point though. I guess I could set a reminder with Alexa. "Andy, your open bottles of Alumilite are now 8 months old! What are ya gonna do with it?" :cool:
 
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bmac said:
Have you considered Liquid Diamonds, long open time, have had no issues with yellowing.

Bobby
Louisiana
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I am a big user of Liquid Diamonds and will have to say yes it does yellow as all resins do weather epoxy or poly or whatever. Just the nature of the beast. Some are slowed with the addition of UV additive. But what helps us is the fact the final product we turn is so thin you do not notice the yellowing. If you have an older bottle of LD just look at the resin portion and compare to a fresh one and you will see the yellowing very clearly. Just saying.
 
bmac said:
Have you considered Liquid Diamonds, long open time, have had no issues with yellowing.

Bobby
Louisiana
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Thanks. Yes, I have considered LD. Just don't need yet another set of more than half-empty bottles. Not even sure of the brand I used for these test runs. It's over 2 yrs old. Agree with JT that the final product is so thin it doesn't really matter. Some bubbles along the seam but should be easy to fix.

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Mark Dreyer uses a different product than Alumilite and other epoxy resins. He had a couple of clear blanks he'd made at a workshop back in May. One was Alumilite and the other was a product I'd not heard of before. The Alumilite blank had yellowed and the other had not.

I guess all epoxy and urethane resins yellow over time with UV exposure?
 
derekdd said:
Mark Dreyer uses a different product than Alumilite and other epoxy resins. He had a couple of clear blanks he'd made at a workshop back in May. One was Alumilite and the other was a product I'd not heard of before. The Alumilite blank had yellowed and the other had not.

I guess all epoxy and urethane resins yellow over time with UV exposure?
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I've never had an Alumilite Urethane blank (clear or clear slow) yellow. I've had several epoxy blanks yellow sitting in a drawer having never seen the light of day. I have 3 or 4 different epoxies that are partially used. One side of each has yellowed and the other side has stayed clear. Never had a problem with poly resin yellowing.
Do a good turn daily!
Don
 
Just came across this thread. I just started trying label casting. As always there is a lot to learn! I am using Alumilite Clear and Slow. For labels I am using Avery waterproof and printing with a black and white laser printer. I have also tried epoxy. So far I have to say my experience has been very mixed! I got a half decent result with epoxy but my first Alumilite batch was not great. The only part that appeared cloudy was on the top of the blank (no doubt moisture from the compressor). When I turned one, all looked Ok until I got near the end and saw what looks like a small cloudy area nearer the tube. I have a few questions: what labels do people use and how are they printed? When I looked at other blanks it appeared as if the join in the label has lifted. Is it worth sealing the label before casting? What is the best approach to eliminate moisture?
 
I thought moisture could cause a cloudy appearance. I didn't notice any foaming, so the cloudy appearance must be from another cause. I carefully weigh parts A and B, and thoroughly mix for about 10 mins, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the container. The mixture was completely clear before pouring. So, not sure what I am doing wrong.
 
NGLJ said:
I thought moisture could cause a cloudy appearance. I didn't notice any foaming, so the cloudy appearance must be from another cause. I carefully weigh parts A and B, and thoroughly mix for about 10 mins, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the container. The mixture was completely clear before pouring. So, not sure what I am doing wrong.
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The problem with moisture is that when the resin starts to set it gets hot. That causes the moisture to boil or something similar. When I see cloudiness it's mostly due to mixing. There's been a few times there were thousands of tiny bubbles that made it look cloudy but the pressure pot took care of most of those problems. I mix mostly small batches so proper weight and mixing becomes more precise. When I stir I try to make sure it's done thoroughly but it doesn't always happen. When emptying the cup sometimes I'll get a milky film on top of the blank. Luckily I've been able to turn it off. A suggestion I got from Alumilites Tech Support is that if you error on weight do it on the resin side and not the hardener side. Of course don't go overboard or it will never fully cure.
 
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