HELP! Some casting questions. (kinda long winded)

[WHartman]

Some help is needed. I have been casting using CnC for about a year or so now and am curious about a couple of things. I have looked / read the casting forums regarding Silmar41 / Aluminite, but didn't see answers to my questions. Sorry if they were / are there and I missed them.

Is there much of difference between Silmar41 and CnC, other than price?
Is there still a strong smell as with the CnC?
Do I need to use a pressure pot or heat with Silmar, as I currently do not use either with CnC.
Can I still use mica powders (via costalscents) with Silmar?
What do you use for colors with Aluminite, as I have read that the mica powders may contain moisture which may or may not mess up the pour.

I have been "toying" with the idea to move to Aluminite, but am totally confused when it comes to the pressure pot portion. I only plan to do colors and swirls, no worthless wood or embedded objects, decals, snakeskin's.

Is there an odor with Aluminite? Can I cast in the middle of winter in a somewhat warm garage? How many PSI should I be looking for with a pressure pot? I have been looking at Craigslist, EBAY and the local pawn shops. I have found several pots that max out at 40 or 50 PSI, is that enough?

Recommendations on a air compressor would be helpful as well...

Thanks in advance for any and all responses.

Wade

 

[Drstrangefart]

Coastal scents will work with Silmar, the smell is pretty much the same, I can't tell a difference between the two products except price per ounce. Alumilite cures white as far as I've red and the fumes aren't as bad. If you want to pour outdoors in winter, I used a clear tub flipped upside down with vents cut in it. Stuck a hair dryer in a hole, let it run for 40 minutes, let it cool before I lifted the tub and PRESTO! Cold-weather casting. There were some concerns over the heating element in it, but it's occurred to me that the hair dryer was bringing in fresh air and pushing the fumes out the other end, and the air/fuel mixture was WAAAAAAAAY off of what it needed to be for combustion as it was. I did probably 12-15 pours like that with good results.

 

[BSea]

I'll give you my 2¢ worth.

1st off, I don't know anything about CnC resin. My experience is with Silmar 41, and some limited experience with alumilite.

Silmar 41:
Strong resin smell that lasts for a couple of days (at least). I pour in my garage, and you can smell it through the house. My wife hates it, but has tolerated it . . . . . . so far.
I don't use a pressure pot, but I believe some do.
Mica powders work great in S 41 as well as alumilite.
S 41 takes several hours to cure. I usually plan for at least 6 to 8 hours, but usually, I wait overnight.
In addition to mica powders, I also use dyes that are on the US composite website. I've used oil based paint with very limited success.
With S 41, different mica colors cure at different rates. It takes some experience to get more than 2 colors to work well. Take good notes.
I've used resin that has been almost a year old with good results.

Alumilite:
Virtually no odor.
In addition to mica powders, I use alumilite dye. I bought mine from Hobby Lobby.
I bought a Sears pressure pot when they were being discontinued. Although they look similar to a Harbor Freight pot, I think they are better quality. It says not to exceed 80 PSI with a working pressure of 50. I've used anywhere from 40 to 70.
Alumilite states that it has a 6 month shelf life. I had some less than 4 months that the B part turned to gel. I would only use it for solid colors because I could never get all the bubbles out. But I haven't tried vacuum yet to degas the mixed resin.

My compressor is one from sears. I think it's 32 gallon. I think almost any compressor will work. You're not using a lot of pressure, and as long as you have a tank for your compressor, you should be fine.

 

[BSea]

Alumilite cures white as far as I've red and the fumes aren't as bad.

There are different colors of alumilite. I use the clear which is supposed to polish the best (from what I've read). It also comes in white and black, and I think a few other colors, and at least 1 other clear combination.

 

[Drstrangefart]

That's how I cast outdoors when it was about 45 degrees outside. Worked like a charm!

 

[MesquiteMan]

Wade, see my comments in red!

Some help is needed. I have been casting using CnC for about a year or so now and am curious about a couple of things. I have looked / read the casting forums regarding Silmar41 / Aluminite, but didn't see answers to my questions. Sorry if they were / are there and I missed them.

Is there much of difference between Silmar41 and CnC, other than price?
Is there still a strong smell as with the CnC? Yes, the smell is the same since they are the same basic chemistry.
Do I need to use a pressure pot or heat with Silmar, as I currently do not use either with CnC.
Can I still use mica powders (via costalscents) with Silmar?
What do you use for colors with Aluminite, as I have read that the mica powders may contain moisture which may or may not mess up the pour. Alumilite dyes are available from Alumiite and mica powders do work fine. Just keep the lid on them when not in use and you will not have a problem.

I have been "toying" with the idea to move to Aluminite, but am totally confused when it comes to the pressure pot portion. I only plan to do colors and swirls, no worthless wood or embedded objects, decals, snakeskin's.

Is there an odor with Aluminite? Very little odor. You almost have to put your nose in the cup to smell it. Can I cast in the middle of winter in a somewhat warm garage? Casting in cold conditions will lengthen the open time but if you keep the unused resin in the house, it would be best. Alumilite clear can also be used inside the house if you want. How many PSI should I be looking for with a pressure pot? I have been looking at Craigslist, EBAY and the local pawn shops. I have found several pots that max out at 40 or 50 PSI, is that enough? For straight colors with no embedded items, 40 psi is what Alumilite recommends.

Recommendations on a air compressor would be helpful as well...

Thanks in advance for any and all responses.

Wade

 

[BSea]

That's how I cast outdoors when it was about 45 degrees outside. Worked like a charm!

Now that's a good idea. Sure beats being closed in a garage.

 

[glycerine]

In either case, no matter what you use, PLEASE remember that NO ODOR does NOT mean it's ok to BREATHE! These are still dangerous checmicals that we are working with and you still need a well ventilated area...

 

[Drstrangefart]

That's how I cast outdoors when it was about 45 degrees outside. Worked like a charm!

Now that's a good idea. Sure beats being closed in a garage.

My current rig is a wood rack for baby soda bottle tubes. I just set it up and point a space heater at it to kick the MKEP. Seems to work really well, too. Can't see it not working mid-winter. Maybe build a box for the whole thing.

 

[WHartman]

Thanks everyone!

That is a neat idea.

My current setup is two sawhorses on the side of the house in the sun. I do my pour, let it sit in the sun for the day, usually about 4 hrs and its good to remove from the mold. I usually let it sit on the bench for a day or two...(depends on the temp of course, been in the 90's lately).

As you can see with this method, the summer or warm (hot) temps are the only time I can pour... just looking to expand the time that I pour to cover the times that I can't go outside.

Thanks

Wade

 

[Drstrangefart]

I think we're going to be experimenting with an indoor casting station using a vent fan to push the fumes out of the house. I don't know when the project is supposed to start, though.

 

[Brooks803]

I've put my comments below so they'll make more sense. If you're planning on staying with PR I would look into S41. You can buy it in larger containers than CnC at a better price. Alumilite is a bit more expensive, but it is worth trying out to see if you like it.

Some help is needed. I have been casting using CnC for about a year or so now and am curious about a couple of things. I have looked / read the casting forums regarding Silmar41 / Aluminite, but didn't see answers to my questions. Sorry if they were / are there and I missed them.

Is there much of difference between Silmar41 and CnC, other than price? S41 can be a touch softer than CnC once cured. Other than that, it's pretty much the same resin.
Is there still a strong smell as with the CnC? Yup...stinks the same
Do I need to use a pressure pot or heat with Silmar, as I currently do not use either with CnC. Nope, S41 works exactly like CnC. 3-4 drops of catalyst per 1oz of resin and you're good to go.
Can I still use mica powders (via costalscents) with Silmar? Yes
What do you use for colors with Aluminite, as I have read that the mica powders may contain moisture which may or may not mess up the pour. For dyes definitely go with the alumilite dye. It's made for it and works very well. Micas are fine, just keep the lids tight. Oil based paints will also work.

I have been "toying" with the idea to move to Aluminite, but am totally confused when it comes to the pressure pot portion. I only plan to do colors and swirls, no worthless wood or embedded objects, decals, snakeskin's. For just color casting you only need 40psi to get rid of the bubbles.

Is there an odor with Aluminite? Can I cast in the middle of winter in a somewhat warm garage? How many PSI should I be looking for with a pressure pot? I have been looking at Craigslist, EBAY and the local pawn shops. I have found several pots that max out at 40 or 50 PSI, is that enough? Pretty much no odor at all. Cleans up MUCH easier than PR too! 40psi is all you'd need for straight color casting.

Recommendations on a air compressor would be helpful as well...

Thanks in advance for any and all responses.

Wade