Alumilite cure time

[jack barnes]

I was just on Alumilite web site doing some research and they say their cure time is 3-4 minutes. I don't believe that would give enough time to put in paint pot and pull a vacumm. If I'm right how do you elimulate air bubbles?

Jack

 

[MesquiteMan]

Jack,

I am a resident expert with Alumilite and I assure you, you have plenty of time to work with it! I personally do not use vacuum at all and prefer only pressure. The pot life of Alumilite Water Clear is 4.5 minutes. The clock starts ticking once the resin is mixed, not when you first pour them together. I frequently pour 19 ounces of mixed resin at a time and have plenty of time to get it all poured and pressurized long before it goes off. Four minutes is a lot longer than you realize.

Now granted, you may not have enough time to put it in the pot and pull a vacuum and then release and add pressure but I have yet to see any benefit to doing this anyway. If you reallly feel compelled to use vacuum then simply degass each part with vacuum before mixing together and then mix and pressure or simply cure under vacuum.

 

[karlkuehn]

Good to know, I just ordered my first batch of waterclear Alumilite and I was wondering the same thing. I'm going to try to pull a vacuum for a minute, release it and hit the pressure, at least for a blank or two, and then I'll try it with just pressure to see if there's a difference.

The problem with degassing the separate parts is when you finally mix them together, there's a chance for air bubbles to get back in there. At least for standard MEK catalyzed resin. The batch I just did seemed to work pretty good, but I didn't mix it too hot. With 1:1 stuff, I guess you can't really control the kick time. I'll have to play with it.

Does regular Alumilite resin work as good as the waterclear stuff? I'd be able to save a ton of money in dye if I could use the black stuff. []

Incidentally, thanks, Curtis for that great tutorial. It's changing the world as we know it! []

 

[MesquiteMan]

Karl,

Thanks for the comments on the tutorial!

I have already tried playing with vacuum and pressure and have found that there was not a difference. No bubbles is no bubbles, no matter how you slice it. You can not get any better than no bubbles and I can get no bubbles with just pressure most every time. The reason I say most every time is because if you are going to embed something complex withs lots of nooks and crannies such as the cactus skeletons that I do, you will undoubtedly get some small bubbles.

As for controlling the kick time...you can not with Alumilite DO NOT try to vary the ratio, it will not work properly, DAMHIKT!

As for the other Alumilite resins, they actually work better, IMO. They are a little more forgiving but they do go off much quicker. I use the Alumilite RC3 black for my solid black cactus blanks. It is solid black and is cheaper than regular Alumilite black and a heck of a lot cheaper than using clear and tinting it black. I have also used the white and regular Alumilite. The weird and difficult thing about the regular or the white is that they start out clear to amber but very much translucent. When they go off they change to solid white or cream (regular). That makes it quite difficult to get colors exactly how you want.

 

[Blind_Squirrel]

Curtis,

How much mixing is required and how can you tell that everyting is mixed? Also, what do you use to mix it with?

 

[ElMostro]

I second Curtis, you have plenty of time to mix and get in pressure pot before it starts to set. I have used vacuum and pressure and have noticed no difference so I stick to pressure. Scott; for the water clear when you put the parts together (equal parts of A and B) it gets a bit cloudy as you mix it it turns clear that is the sign that its ready or mixed properly. I use plastic cups and wooden ice-cream sticks to mix (and no worry Allumilite will not eat through the plastic like PR) you can also use paper cups.

 

[Blind_Squirrel]

I may have to break down and order some...

 

[jack barnes]

Curtis if pressure works for you I thank that is the way I'll go. I know that the cost is about 3Xs as much but I work 12 hours a day plus 2 hours travel time 5 and 6 days a week so I like the idea of quicker working time.
thanks Jack

 

[Blind_Squirrel]

Does Alumilite shrink like PR?

 

[ElMostro]

Scott, no shrinking with Allumilite. The only thing I have noticed is that in a square mold the tip at the top corners get rounded-over (the corner is not sharp) a little. I pour in a 6x6 mold and get a 6x6 block.

 

[MesquiteMan]

Originally posted by jack barnes
<br />I know that the cost is about 3Xs as much ...

Actually it is only double or so. It is $160 for a 1 gallon kit. That is 1 gallon of A and 1 gallon of B for a total of 2 gallons of mixed resin. That makes it $80 per gallon.

For me personally, the number of benefits far outweigh the cost difference.

 

[karlkuehn]

Gah! I got my Alumilite $25 kit yesterday. The cans look just like the pictures on the website, only reallllly small. heh

I used some of the dye in my cheapo A.C. Moore Castin' Craft resin, and it colored it beautifully, but I was a little disappointed in the viscosity of a couple of the dyes. They're so thick they come out in blobs of about 20 drops each. Can the dye be thinned with acetone?

I also opened up my little container of gold metallic powder to look at it. A little spilled on my hand, which I promptly rubbed off with my other hand, then wiped both on my shirt, which throughout the night kept rubbing back onto my hands, which I use to rub my face, etc...by the time I went to take a shower before bed, I looked in the mirror and was startled to see something that looked like a fatter, dirtier, smudgier version of an Oscar award. That stuff is concentrated and potent! Can't wait to try it! [] At least on something besides myself...

 

[MesquiteMan]

Karl,

Are you talking about Alumilite dye? If so, DO NOT thin it with acetone if you plan to use it in Alumilite. It will mess it up. Alumilite dye is polyol which is part A I beleive. I know for a fact that acetone in Alumilite will make it not set up properly. It will stay somewhat flexible. I put the Alumilite dyes in an empty squeeze bottle like you get from Monty for CA. I then use it to dispense the dye. It is VERY concentrated so it does not take much. I use 12 drops for 19 ounces of resin and get nice rich colors.

 

[karlkuehn]

Ahhh, okay (yeah, it's Alumilite dye, I got four bottles, red, blue, yellow and black). I used my fingernail to cut through the foil seal on the red, which was the first one I opened. There was some dye on the underside of the foil, and a little bit got under my fingernail, and then spread as I dug it out with my other hand's thumbnail, which I then cleaned with the original hand's middle fingernail, etc. Needless to say, I spent the day at work looking like I'd been trying to claw my way out of the inside of some unspeakable bloody carcass. Gah, based on my activities of last night, I think I'm going to have to learn to use paper towels or something to start cleaning myself off with if I'm going to make it as a caster, unless self-coloring is a sign of success, in which case I'm going to be rich. []

The Polyol might explain why the casting that I did with standard (Castin' Craft) Clear PR using Alumilite dye is a little stickier and rubbery than normal, even though I mixed it hot with the MEKP. I covered my cast slab with sawdust so it'd slide on my bandsaw without making a mess, and cutting through the middle part, the resin is good and hard, but the outside is giving me fits. Thank God for acetone, or I'd be glued to my keyboard right now. [] My poor bandsaw blade is a wreck, looks like I coated it in maple syrup and proceeded to start cutting car tires up. []

The red Alumilite dye that I got is thick, but not 'undroppable', but the black I almost have to cut chunks off of. Does the dye get thicker with age and maybe I got an old bottle? Also, can I thin it with part 'A' Alumilite then?

 

[Coop]

I am using Alumilite for the frst time in the morning on some Buckeye and wondering how long you all leave it under pressure and how much pressure? I am stablizing some 1" stuff..

 

[MesquiteMan]

Coop,

If you are doing something similar to my "Worthless Woodâ"¢" technique, then be sure your wood is very dry. I suggest drying it in a toaster oven for a few hours at 200 degrees and then casting with the wood still warm. It will make the Alumilite penetrate even better and help you keep from having problems with moisture.

I leave all my Alumilite stuff under pressure for about 15 minutes and then take it out and let it cool down. I use 60-70 psi but I tend to overdo everything anyway! I figure that the more pressure, the better the penetration. If you are trying to get penetration in punky wood, I am afraid you will be disapointed. It will penetrate some but not all the way through.

 

[MesquiteMan]

Originally posted by karlkuehn
<br />The red Alumilite dye that I got is thick, but not 'undroppable', but the black I almost have to cut chunks off of. Does the dye get thicker with age and maybe I got an old bottle? Also, can I thin it with part 'A' Alumilite then?

If the black is too thick, contact Alumilite and talk to Mike. He is the VP and runs the show over there. He will take good care of you.

As for the stuff getting old, I have the same original bottles I bought 1 year ago and they are still fine. I do not use black, however. If I want black resin I use Alumilite RC3 black which is a lot cheaper and you don't have to mess with the dye.

And yes, you can add one of the parts to the dye to thin it. I believe Part A is the polyol but you better check the MSDS first to make sure!

 

[Blind_Squirrel]

Originally posted by karlkuehn
<br />Gah! I got my Alumilite $25 kit yesterday. The cans look just like the pictures on the website, only reallllly small. heh

I used some of the dye in my cheapo A.C. Moore Castin' Craft resin, and it colored it beautifully, but I was a little disappointed in the viscosity of a couple of the dyes. They're so thick they come out in blobs of about 20 drops each. Can the dye be thinned with acetone?

I also opened up my little container of gold metallic powder to look at it. A little spilled on my hand, which I promptly rubbed off with my other hand, then wiped both on my shirt, which throughout the night kept rubbing back onto my hands, which I use to rub my face, etc...by the time I went to take a shower before bed, I looked in the mirror and was startled to see something that looked like a fatter, dirtier, smudgier version of an Oscar award. That stuff is concentrated and potent! Can't wait to try it! [] At least on something besides myself...

 

[Blind_Squirrel]

Stop it! I can hardly see my keyboard through the tears of laughter!!

Originally posted by karlkuehn
<br />Ahhh, okay (yeah, it's Alumilite dye, I got four bottles, red, blue, yellow and black). I used my fingernail to cut through the foil seal on the red, which was the first one I opened. There was some dye on the underside of the foil, and a little bit got under my fingernail, and then spread as I dug it out with my other hand's thumbnail, which I then cleaned with the original hand's middle fingernail, etc. Needless to say, I spent the day at work looking like I'd been trying to claw my way out of the inside of some unspeakable bloody carcass. Gah, based on my activities of last night, I think I'm going to have to learn to use paper towels or something to start cleaning myself off with if I'm going to make it as a caster, unless self-coloring is a sign of success, in which case I'm going to be rich. []

The Polyol might explain why the casting that I did with standard (Castin' Craft) Clear PR using Alumilite dye is a little stickier and rubbery than normal, even though I mixed it hot with the MEKP. I covered my cast slab with sawdust so it'd slide on my bandsaw without making a mess, and cutting through the middle part, the resin is good and hard, but the outside is giving me fits. Thank God for acetone, or I'd be glued to my keyboard right now. [] My poor bandsaw blade is a wreck, looks like I coated it in maple syrup and proceeded to start cutting car tires up. []

The red Alumilite dye that I got is thick, but not 'undroppable', but the black I almost have to cut chunks off of. Does the dye get thicker with age and maybe I got an old bottle? Also, can I thin it with part 'A' Alumilite then?