How to get swirls to look like swirls?????

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Celt40

Celt40

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Joined
Nov 26, 2007
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Location
Scotland UK
After watching grub32 video's on casting i though i would have a go.
Thanks grub32 for taking the time to help others get into casting.

I made a small brick big enough to get 4 blanks out of it. I used Pearl-ex and a polyester colour pigment paste. The blanks looked nothing great, so i turned one into a Slimline. I was quite pleased with the look of the blank when finished, but it did not turn out as i had planed. I will post a picture when i work out how to post a picture, or see if "ma wee wify (wife) will do it for me!!!!!
I was tring to get a blank with swirls in it of a contrasting colour.
I mixed my base colour Green Pearl-ex and poured it into the mould, i waited till it had started to gel up a bit then i added another colour Black and swirled it arround a bit with a cocktail stick. I did not swirl it around much as i did not want the two colours to mix together.
This is what had happened, i have some contrast but not as much as i was looking for. Should i mix the colours and wait till they start to gel up a bit then pour them into the mould at the same time, give it a wee swirl, then leave till set????
Looking for some ideas to try out in my next set of blanks, i will want more of a marble affect. [:I]
 
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I have better luck keeping the colors seperate
by simply catalyzing one color several minutes before
another.The viscosity difference seems to help.:)
 
Thanks to all for you info. I have done some swirls in two castings and i am getting better results. One mix started to thicken after about 20mins, ( i had mixed the colour at the start ) turned into a thick blob in seconds, by the time i had started to pour it was too thick. I dumped it into the mould, then spread it out the best i could with a stick then poured the other colour over it. It was better than wasting the mix.
I have also made a mould for a larger brick 40mm square x 260mm, out of an old plastic chopping board. Sealing it with silicon. Hope it works out as i think i will be able to get more swirls in a deeper mould. Will this depth of resin set okay.
 
Originally posted by Celt40

Thanks to all for you info. I have done some swirls in two castings and i am getting better results. One mix started to thicken after about 20mins, ( i had mixed the colour at the start ) turned into a thick blob in seconds, by the time i had started to pour it was too thick. I dumped it into the mould, then spread it out the best i could with a stick then poured the other colour over it. It was better than wasting the mix.
Click to expand...

How much MEKp were you using and were you using any liquid/paste dyes or colorants? How old is your resin? Was it stored in a cool dark basement or against a wall of the garage that gets sunlight all day long and radiates heat at night? What was the local ambient temperature? Did you add any external heat?
 
1. I added 6 drops per ounce of resin.
2. Used PearlEx.
3. Resin bought 2 weeks ago.
4. Stored in wooden garage out of direct sunlight.
5. Local temp during day about 20C, at night about 10C.
Did not add any external heat

Will this make a difference to resin setting?
 
Originally posted by Celt40

1. I added 6 drops per ounce of resin.
2. Used PearlEx.
3. Resin bought 2 weeks ago.
4. Stored in wooden garage out of direct sunlight.
5. Local temp during day about 20C, at night about 10C.
Did not add any external heat

Will this make a difference to resin setting?
Click to expand...

All those are factors for the speed resin will set up as well as how many ounces/ml/cc are you pouring at a time.

Try dropping back to 4 drops per 30ml (30ml is 1 metric ounce for the non-metric readers)

Pearl-ex powders should not effect cure time. I have found that some liquid dyes that have Yellow incorporated in the color tend to accelerate cure time.

Did you buy the resin from a resin distributor or from a hobby type shop. My question is basically - how long did it sit on the shelf before you bought it. Polyester Resin begins to cure the moment it is manufactured. MEKp just accelerates the process. The older the resin the faster it will cure with the addition of MEKp.
 
Glass Scracher,
I see what you mean. I bought the resin from a large resin distributor. They are a large company so resin should not be old.
 
Glass Scratcher

Read your 4/25/08 posting on your method for creating swirls - think I'm beginning to understand - excellent write up.

Thanks

Gordon
 
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