My first pen blank pour is in the pressure pot

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jschoolcraft

jschoolcraft

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I scored big when I joined this forum on a giveaway of some pressure pots, molds and resin and finally got around to trying a pour. That was a while ago. I'm not sure what the shelf life is on an open Alumilite clear slow. It's been sitting in my unheated garage from 20F to 90F recently. Was 85F tonight when I made my attempt.

The town the gallery I'm at is having a Swords, Broomsticks and Mystical Beasts event and I'm trying to get some blanks together to pair with some dragon, skull, serpent, knights armor and phoenix components I have on order. This pour was Pearl Ex Russet Red and Aztec Gold, 98% single color. I put just a dash of the opposite color in just hoping for some contrasting swirls.

I only had 16oz solo cups so didn't think I could safely pour a single color to fill the 12 blank PTownSubbie mold I wanted to use. So I did 2x250g. I poured pretty early, almost immediately getting the pigment mixed in. That's mostly FUD around my first pour and trying to get into the pressure pot, getting the lid on and pressurized. My aim was pretty terrible on the russet red, puddled on the top of the mold because my aim was off. The gold went a bit better but poured the last bits over both just to fill the molds. I won't need the full 5" for the pens and it might be a happy accident that looks cool.

I'm excited to see how it turns out and if the resin is still usable. I'm hoping to get some emerald green, purple, and white-ish so I can turn these pens in time for the marketing materials to go out 😅

I'll post some pictures tomorrow of a success or learning opportunities.

🤞
 
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A few hints. Be sure not to use cups with a recycle code of 6 - they tend to be destroyed by the Alumilite. Second, buy a cheap infrared thermometer at Harbor Freight or similar and monitor your pour temp for getting any swirling - resin should be at least in the mid to high 90 degree mark to get any color separation. The published shelf life on Alumilite Clear Slow is not super long - but it should keep working until it gets a bit thicker in density. Yellowing of the resin pre-mixing will also occur, so be prepared to use some dye to hide the yellowing. Check out Zac Higgins Resin Works Studio on YouTube - he has some great videos and a good basic resin casting e-book - https://resinwerksstudio.com/collections/resin-casting-e-book
 
NJturner said:
A few hints. Be sure not to use cups with a recycle code of 6 - they tend to be destroyed by the Alumilite. Second, buy a cheap infrared thermometer at Harbor Freight or similar and monitor your pour temp for getting any swirling - resin should be at least in the mid to high 90 degree mark to get any color separation. The published shelf life on Alumilite Clear Slow is not super long - but it should keep working until it gets a bit thicker in density. Yellowing of the resin pre-mixing will also occur, so be prepared to use some dye to hide the yellowing. Check out Zac Higgins Resin Works Studio on YouTube - he has some great videos and a good basic resin casting e-book - https://resinwerksstudio.com/collections/resin-casting-e-book
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Thanks! I appreciate the tips. I have a cheap IR thermometer in the garage. This was my very first pour so I didn't want to complicate things with many colors and swirling and all these other great techniques. Next time!
 
I think they turned out well. I won't turn them for a few days, so we'll see. The first image shows all the over pouring where I missed. I was shooting for mostly solid colors just to see if the resin worked, I think it did.

new rabbit hole: unlocked.

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jschoolcraft said:
I think they turned out well. I won't turn them for a few days, so we'll see. The first image shows all the over pouring where I missed. I was shooting for mostly solid colors just to see if the resin worked, I think it did.

new rabbit hole: unlocked.

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Wow - for a first pour ever, they look great! If you think your spilling was excessive, I'm embarrassed to show you mine after a good pour...lol. I just have given up to trying to be neat and add an extra 10% or so in my volume calculations to deal with it. I'm more concerned with getting everything into the tube with enough time to do some manipulations of the resin then I am in being neat. Just spray some mold release into your pressure pot to keep if from making a mess of the pot or consider a throw away liner.

Waiting a few days for the resin to fully harden and cure is a must - they remain a little on the soft side for a bit until they are really done. One thing I especially love is watching the blank continually change as it is being turned - the outside of the rod rarely looks exactly like what's hidden inside.
 
NJturner said:
Wow - for a first pour ever, they look great! If you think your spilling was excessive, I'm embarrassed to show you mine after a good pour...lol. I just have given up to trying to be neat and add an extra 10% or so in my volume calculations to deal with it. I'm more concerned with getting everything into the tube with enough time to do some manipulations of the resin then I am in being neat. Just spray some mold release into your pressure pot to keep if from making a mess of the pot or consider a throw away liner.

Waiting a few days for the resin to fully harden and cure is a must - they remain a little on the soft side for a bit until they are really done. One thing I especially love is watching the blank continually change as it is being turned - the outside of the rod rarely looks exactly like what's hidden inside.
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Thanks!

I just ordered some stoner mold release this morning, so even with the air gun nozzle it was tough getting some of those blanks out. That's a good idea about using mold release in the pot itself, I have a secondary insert for leveling but I'll definitely spray in there. I poured with the mold in the insert but had to move the insert to the pot after I finished. I'm working off a workmate table in my unconditioned garage. Some day I really will try to clean and organize it but if the last 15 years are an indication it won't be tomorrow.

What's your suggested wait time? I've seen 24 hours but sounds like you're suggesting even longer.
 
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