Casting a picture in PR

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charliekap

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Joined
Jul 8, 2012
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25
Location
warrington,pa
Well I thought I have read everything about casting (and maybe did but CRS kicked in). Anyway, I read that you were not supposed to use the plastic cups ofr mixing the PR but I thought that recommendation referred to the flimsy plastic cups. So off I went to the dollar store to pick up a pack of the hard plastic cups. This morning I put the resin into the hard plastic and set in the Harbor Freight jewelry cleaner and then spent the last half hour trying to get the PR out of the bottom of the jewelry cleaner (DAMN). SO a couple of questions:
1) any suggestions on cleaning up the PR ( I tried mineral spirits until it started to gum up then it was fruitless). Any solvents to get the gummy mess cleaned up. I justified the purchase of the HF jewelry cleaner by suggesting my better half could also clean her jewelry. :frown:
2) Will the paper or cardboard Dixie cups work in the HR jewelry cleaner? I wasn't sure about the hot water or how the PR may react with cups.
 
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Depends, partly, what kind of surface it's on. I use acetone in a small can to remove bad castings from tubes. Acetone will eat PR. It will also eat other things, like plexiglass, painted finishes, etc. If your PR is on an impervious surface you could give that a try, however; Acetone dries fast. You would need to dam up around the spill to enable the Acetone to remain in contact till it softens. It may or may not be a workable idea!
 
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you should check the bottom of the cups to make sure the recycle code is either 1,2 or 5, those have worked for me and i also use the ultrasonic cleaner with my silmar 41
 
PR mess

Thanks for the reply... Just for clarity, the plastic cup broke or melted while inside the Harbor Freight jewelry cleaner and then the PR mixed with the water that was heating the PR (a big mess). When I dumped it out, it was every in the bath. I can try the acetone on a small area of the bath to see what it does. Not sure what the material is though.

charlie
 
I have learned that over time with using the same cups over and over, the resin tends to make the cup more brittle, that might be why some people use glass jars, however, i like the disposable aspect of plastic.
 
It's a little too late to help with your current problem, but I use alcohol to clean up after casting. Not as nasty to work with as acetone, but still gets the job done. I find also that once the resin starts to really gel, it's better to wait to try to remove it. Trying to clean it after it gels but before it solidifies can make a smeary mess that is a lot harder to remove. Once it is set I can generally pry it off of whatever I feel it shouldn't be on.

I also prefer to use the graduated mixing cups from US Composites. They clean up easily after use and I can feel good about not filling up the local landfill with plastic cups.


Ed
 
Murphy Lives

I just checked and the recycle code on the plastic cup is a 6 (go figure). Back to the store. Will the Dixie cups work in the HF jewelry cleaner? I have watched some youtube videos of folks using the Dixie cups but there was no mention of using the HF jewelry cleaner with them. I don't need any more PR leakages in the cleaner. I guess I will need to tell my wife that it's no longer a jewelry cleaner, it's a PR bubble reducer. :biggrin:

charlie
 
Plastic cups...recycle code 1, 2, or 5 will work with polyester resin and the HF ultrasonic cleaner. The brand does not matter. If by Dixie cups you mean the paper or other non plastic cups I would say (NO) plastic cups with recycle code 1,2, or 5.:biggrin:
Do a good turn daily!
Don

charliekap said:
I just checked and the recycle code on the plastic cup is a 6 (go figure). Back to the store. Will the Dixie cups work in the HF jewelry cleaner? I have watched some youtube videos of folks using the Dixie cups but there was no mention of using the HF jewelry cleaner with them. I don't need any more PR leakages in the cleaner. I guess I will need to tell my wife that it's no longer a jewelry cleaner, it's a PR bubble reducer. :biggrin:

charlie
Click to expand...
 
Yorkie, its not that you are getting the bubbles OUT of the resin(at least not for me), but merely a process to heat the resin and make it thinner not only for when you pour it(bubbles will rise to the surface quickly), but also to get into all the nooks and crannies(for tube on casting in my case)
 
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