Attempt at Cloth Keychains (in progress)

[Todd in PA]

I got a tube-in resin mold (thanks mbroberg) and just started playing around. Will any of these turn out?

A) Fabric ribbon.
B) Chain for a necklace.
C) Actual t-shirt cloth tie dye.
D) (not shown) Thinner pattern printed fabric.

I hit 'em with a hair dryer to warm it up and remove moisture. Will the materials trap air? Will the material be too thick? I saw nothing in search or resources about cloth pens.

Well, they're in the pressure pot now—Shrodingers blanks. Any predictions?

 

[KMCloonan]

Great. Now I'm not going to be able to sleep. LOL. Looking forward to seeing how they turn out.

 

[jttheclockman]

Yes they will trap air. I hope you are using an epoxy resin. You need a real thin resin to get into things like the chain and even with a pressure pot. Or if using a resin like Silmar 40 you need to warm the resin to really thin it. Have been casting for a long time and a few pointers I learned along the way.These will be all good learning experience for you. Good luck. I had show rope pen blanks I made which a similar to cloth. I found also I needed to use a color preserver to keep the colors vibrant or they become muddy.

 

[maxwell_smart007]

I wouldn't have guessed they were cloth - pretty cool!
I'm hoping it works - they'll be pretty great if they do!

 

[JohnU]

They are all doable but the thicker material on the first one will definitely give you challenges trying to remove air. I probably wouldn't bet on that one turning out. If your using a slow curing resin your chances will be better. Also, thinner resin would be better than thick. Glad to hear you warmed the material before casting. That will help remove any humidity that may be on them. I've cast fabric before in Silmar 41 polyresin with now issues, but I rubbed them down with resin before pouring the mold full to help get saturation. Also, it was thin material glued on with CA so the fabric wouldn't hold as much air. Good luck… I'll keep my fingers gets crossed and hope for the best for you.

 

[Todd in PA]

Well I feel honored that JohnU weighed in on my experiment. He's a casting pro!

I did keychains to minimize disappointment if it didn't work out. They turned out ok. Several small bubbles, but decent result. I'll post the turned items tomorrow.

 

[Drewby108]

I really like the chain blank. I feel like that would go really well with a sword themed pen kit.

 

[jttheclockman]

Well I feel honored that JohnU weighed in on my experiment. He's a casting pro!

I did keychains to minimize disappointment if it didn't work out. They turned out ok. Several small bubbles, but decent result. I'll post the turned items tomorrow.

They do look like they came out well. What was the process and what resin did you use? Did you put under pressure and if so how long and what pressure?

 

[howsitwork]

I got a tube-in resin mold (thanks mbroberg) and just started playing around. Will any of these turn out?

View attachment 339887
A) Fabric ribbon.
B) Chain for a necklace.
C) Actual t-shirt cloth tie dye.
D) (not shown) Thinner pattern printed fabric.

I hit 'em with a hair dryer to warm it up and remove moisture. Will the materials trap air? Will the material be too thick? I saw nothing in search or resources about cloth pens.

Well, they're in the pressure pot now—Shrodingers blanks. Any predictions?

I predicted the cat will escape before you open the pot but the results look good. I'd be interested in your s9lution to the air bubbles as , despite 50Lb pressure sometimes I still get some in my aluminite blanks.

The swearing doesn't cure them but boy does it make me feel better! Only when family not present anyway

 

[Todd in PA]

I didn't get to this yesterday…they essentially all came out satisfactory (for keychains). I'm not sure I'd try any of these for a pen except the thin cloth one. I would consider trying to make Xmas keychains and possibly tree ornaments using ribbon. That one is kinda

 

[jttheclockman]

They do look like they came out well. What was the process and what resin did you use? Did you put under pressure and if so how long and what pressure?

Just a repeat of this question. Thanks.

 

[JohnU]

Congrats Todd! Your results all look good! Well worry the experience and education. That's what keeps it fun.