Help, info on my 1st pour...

[Firefyter-emt]

Ok guys, I hear a lot of things on this and I just really don't want to mess up this pour. I have some cleaned and very dry cactus in a cheap tupperware type container. I have 2 junk blanks cut to "fill" the container on the ends and hold the cactus in place. I have about 1" + of height that is held down with a piece of scrap wood and rubber-bands around the outside of the container. This all looks good and I blew the cactus out with a blow gun before I placed it in the container.

I bought some cheap 12oz plastic cups at the dollar store and I "hope" that 8oz is the right measurement. (It was just over 10oz for 1" without the cactus or the wood spacers.)

Now, I plan to cast high, say 60psi because there are no tubes and it's cactus. I know that I do not want to vacuum the blanks, but do I vacuum the the resin after I mix it and then pour it in the mold or do I just pour the mold and cast it under preasure?

Am I missing anything?

Oh.. on the resin I got from Michaels, it said that for castings that are over 1" to use 4 drops per oz, but I hear the magic number is 3 drops, which way do I go??

 

[Firefyter-emt]

OK... Well, wish me luck then!! I ended up keeping under vacuum for about 10 minutes and pouring it over the cactus. It's under 60psi right now... I had to mix 16oz, but I had enough left over to fill one hole in one of Gadget's molds. He had mentioned that it would be a good idea to make inserts to fill the mold when not in use, and I figured this would be a good place to pour any left over for now. I know the trick to use water and measure what you need, but to cover the cactus took more than I thought. I am kicking myself in the rear-end for not mixing in powder coat with the left over to see if it works.

 

[LEAP]

LOL, Lee you sound just like I did last week on my first casting experiment. I'm sure all will turn out well. I too used Michaels resin for the first couple of castings. My Mr. Fiberglass resin has arrived so no more expensive stuff from Michaels. Now I just have to get some dyes and stuff. let us know when you give the PC a try in casting it looks like a lot cheaper then the other colorants.

 

[Firefyter-emt]

I will indeed, I will give it a shot with the black first, mainly because it's the best one I have to use! I guess I could try my platinum silver, if you wanted to make a retro 70's pen I guess..

 

[neon007]

I only use pressure with my castings. The pressure pushes the air bubbles out so vac. is not needed. I havent done cactus yet but I have done many casting with just as much pourosity and no problems. Currently I am doing carbon fiber. 60psi is fine if the seal on your pot will hold it. I am a pipe fitter/welder so the first thing I did was put a better gasket in it. It is a combo of Garloc and teflon. It withstands 500+psi of steam so casting is nothing. Also I added 4 more clamps to the pot. As far as drops of resin is concerned for 8oz. of resin I use 7.5 cc of hardener Im sure this will start a war but it works and works fast. Also dont be so critical on the hardener. It wont make the casting any different. It will just speed up the chemical reaction. For a straight clear pour it only takes me 45 min. then I am cutting and turning. Hope this helps.

 

[LEAP]

Wow, 45 Minutes, I've been leaving them in overnight. Guess I'll check on the next batch a bit sooner.

 

[neon007]

Thats only if using as much catalyst as I am. Like I said I go very hot. I dont measure by drops. I use cc. There is a chart on the internet to convert. However if you have something that measures c.c. they I am using 7.5

 

[stevers]

I don't use vacuum either. The pressure seems to squish the bubbles down so small they cant be seen.
Let us know what you come up with Lee. You don't need to turn it, just throw up a pick of the cast blank when it comes out of the pot.
We'll be waiting with bells on.[][][]