mostangrypirate
Member
I would like to start a thread for my benefit as well as anyone else who is interested in casting thier own blanks. It would be great to have a thread that shares each individual experience with different types of casting material, brand names, where they got it and how much it was.( such as PR, alumilite, silmar41 etc.) I will begin with the small amount of info that I have gathered and I hope everyone will chip in. if our despriptions are brief yet informative, it will make for easy, quick reading and help guide others in the direction they want to go.
)Clear casting resin from douglas & sturgess www.artstuf.com 12.90 per quart and about 45.00 per gallon. I found this resin to be very easy to work with. it has the much talked about oder and fumes, but I don't mind it. it turned very well, (only 1 out of 10 or so, chipped) much better than the acrylester I got from PSI( 1 in 10 survived) finished great.
)clear polyester resin by castin' craft. purchased one gallon at wood world for 50.00, but have seen this brand elsewhere also. I found this stuff to be a little different. everything went well until it got to the lathe. I have had nothing but trouble trying to turn this stuff without blowouts and shattering. this is MY personal experience with this product and I connot promise that it was not user error. the surving pieces finished well.
)Alumlite made a bottle stopper blank at a chapter meeting. do not know brand or price. I found this product was very easy to work with. it is ready to turn much sooner then the PR, but the working time before it hardens may not always be a desire. it turned extremely well. smooth cuts and not a hint of being brittle. one downside I saw was that the shavings were almost like fishing line. they flew off like a dream, but when they got wound up I had to stop the lathe and pretty much cut them off.(which was often) they were stong enough to grab my chissel and drive it into the piece otherwise.
)Clear casting resin from douglas & sturgess www.artstuf.com 12.90 per quart and about 45.00 per gallon. I found this resin to be very easy to work with. it has the much talked about oder and fumes, but I don't mind it. it turned very well, (only 1 out of 10 or so, chipped) much better than the acrylester I got from PSI( 1 in 10 survived) finished great.
)clear polyester resin by castin' craft. purchased one gallon at wood world for 50.00, but have seen this brand elsewhere also. I found this stuff to be a little different. everything went well until it got to the lathe. I have had nothing but trouble trying to turn this stuff without blowouts and shattering. this is MY personal experience with this product and I connot promise that it was not user error. the surving pieces finished well.
)Alumlite made a bottle stopper blank at a chapter meeting. do not know brand or price. I found this product was very easy to work with. it is ready to turn much sooner then the PR, but the working time before it hardens may not always be a desire. it turned extremely well. smooth cuts and not a hint of being brittle. one downside I saw was that the shavings were almost like fishing line. they flew off like a dream, but when they got wound up I had to stop the lathe and pretty much cut them off.(which was often) they were stong enough to grab my chissel and drive it into the piece otherwise.
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