Cast fish pen blanks

[Suskmorrison]

Looking how to pour my own fish pen blanks? Any suggestions?

 

[JohnU]

It will be tricky, similar to snake skins but it is doable. You will want skins with small scales so they wrap easier and flatter around the tubes. Make sure they are clean and dry. Wash them in Dawn dish soap and rinse in clean water to remove oils in the skin. You may also want to remove the clear scales on the ski so they don't leave an air pocket between them and the skin or float off in the resin. They will lose their color as they dry but you could airbrush some back on prior to casting. Paint your tubes so the brass doesn't shine through the skins. Let the paint dry at least one day. Make sure the skins wraps around the tube and overlaps itself by 1/8-1/4". Cut around the scales on the overlap end to help hide the seam. Use medium CA to glue the skins and let them dry over night to degas any fumes or it may leave your resin cloudy. I would cast them vertically with the scale shape pointed up so the air doesn't get caught on them but if you're not set up for that make sure your resin is thin and pour slow. Warm them right before pouring the resin to remove humidity moisture from the skin. I would cast them in either Silmar 41 polyester resin or epoxy. Use a pressure pot !!! Skins hold lots of air. Silmar will need 18-20 hours to cure, with an additional day to not be tacky. Epoxy may demold in a day but need 5-10 days to fully cure from a flexible state. Good luck!

 

[Drewby108]

John's explanation made it click in my head what you actually wanted.

I had a mental image of casting a minnow or sardine and drilling through it lengthwise. I need sleep lol

 

[Woodchipper]

Interesting to work with fish and snake skins. The website, www.mudhole.com, has videos on applying snake skin to custom fishing rods.