Casting & Long Term Effects

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beck3906

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I have a cast pheasant feather blank I've had for nearly 2 years where the feather colors have gradually turned very dark making the bright colors almost unrecognizable.

So, what may be the long-term effects on natural materials being cast? Could the heat generated from the process eventually darken the feathers?

Has anyone else seen this occur? Has casting techniques changed over the last year that may prevent this from hapening?

I ask this as I don't want to sell items if they don't retain their original colors. I'm wondering about feather blanks I've sold that may come back to me.
 
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Good questions , Rick . I checked a finished pen (which I now see needs to be refinished to my current standards) and three unturned blanks , I believe all from JohnU`s original offerings . All appear unchanged . All have been stored in the dark .

I`m assuming you are not referring to those with dyed feathers . I would be concerned about any that are dyed red .

All that said , natural , and man-made , materials do change over time , some more slowly than others .
 
Sorry to about this Rick. I'm very interested in seeing others input on this. Also, if the blank in question is one I made? I've been casting feathers for about four years now and my process , like others, has changed and been fine tuned over that first year of 2009. In the beginning my blanks were darker. Mostly because of how I prepared the tubes before casting but also because of the feathers I used. Since then, the blanks have been brighter and with more distinct patterns and mixtures of colored feathers. Ive checked blanks and pens I've had for years with no noticeable difference, but those I made that first year still appear dark, and would be very noticable compared to the final and current processed blanks that started later that first year. I'm sure there are issues with feathers that could contribute to problems like the type of feather, how they were cleaned, dried, preserved, and what was applied to them before the resin. I've never had a blank or pen ( natural or dyed feathers ) come back for any color issues and I've made thousands, so if anyone is having problems, please get with me so we can figure it out and make any needed improvements, and so I can make it up to you.
 
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John,
The blanks were some of the early ones you made. Please understand that I am not complaining or pointing fingers, just trying to understand the effects casting could have on natural materials such as feathers. My main concern was to see if casting could cause discolorization resulting in returned products.

I did sell one of these darker blanks on a pen this spring, so folks are still interested. I recently purchased several more from Exotics so I'll look at these over time.

I kept some of the early blanks for personal reasons, one of those reasons was to see if these types of blanks fail with age. I guess you could say I'm doing my own use testing like is done on commercial products.

I recently started a thread about segmenting and the possibility that segments could break apart. George more recently started a thread on a similar subject. I have kept a segmented blank I bought from someone selling them through a Woodcraft store to see the long-term effects on that blank. I found just recently that the glue bonding wood to aluminum had released and a large piece of the segmenting was falling off. The question I'm looking a now is what type of glue is best suited for segmenting to prevent segments from releasing.

Any one else with observations?
 
No problems Rick. I appreciate the post and Im here to help in any way possible. Please keep me posted. Thank you.
 
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