pouring technique "stinktank"

[RAdams]

It just occured to me that there is very little talk of technique of pouring. I have recently been experimenting with different ways of getting the hardening PR into the blank and think there should be at least a thread for such discussion. Maybe the mods will see this and can bring it to the boss's attention and we can get maybe a subforum...

First of all, i use Polyester resin (Silmar 41) for all of my pours. And my colors come from coastal scents. Their mica powders are easily mixed, and AMAZING... Depth for days.

I also use the silicone muffin pan cups cute into individual cups for my mixing and pouring. They can easily be manipulated to flood the mold chamber, or pour a tiny stream.



NOW THEN... I have noticed that if i pour a small to medium stream, and not move the cup while pouring, i get these neat looking "flame rosettes" around where i was pouring.

If i pour a tiny to small stream, and move the cup up and down the length of the mold cavity, i get these really neat "flag folds".

those are on single color pours. On multi color pours, it is the same, only the rosettes end up looking more like swirls with rosettes. and the folds do really weird things. I don't know if this is some sort of chemical reaction from the different colors after the pour or what, but it happens the same.

STINK AWAY!! (unless you use alumilite!)

What is everyone elses thoughts / findings??

 

[jimofsanston]

I use perlix from Micheals

The perlix i get from Micheals gives a very nice pattern when i use PR. very different patterns each time i pour. I guess i never do it the same way twice. I also get it when i use the Alumilite resin also.

 

[RAdams]

Right-O...

That pattern is what i am trying to reproduce. I know by nature each blank will be different, but if i can control the "style" of patterns, that would be a plus!

 

[glycerine]

Perlix? Is it with the resin? I go to Michael's all the time and that's where I've been getting my PR, but the only coloring I could find was the transparent stuff.

 

[cnirenberg]

Ron,
Have you tried the powdercoating paint from HF? I made 2 or so rods with PR using the black paint powder, seems fairly opaque. So far so good. I will thread, drill and finish and report back. Just wondering if anyone else has tried this stuff.

 

[jleiwig]

Perlix? Is it with the resin? I go to Michael's all the time and that's where I've been getting my PR, but the only coloring I could find was the transparent stuff.

It's Pearlex, and it's over by their rubber stamping stuff. MY local store carries series 1 and 2 for 24.95 each.

 

[glycerine]

It's Pearlex, and it's over by their rubber stamping stuff. MY local store carries series 1 and 2 for 24.95 each.

Awesome! Thank you! I'll look today.

 

[glycerine]

I've also been curious about plain old powdered RIT dye. Does anyone use that? Wouldn't be pretty and pearly, but it should give a good opaque color, right?

 

[glycerine]

By the way, how much of the PearlEx is usually used for a blank?

 

[Smokey7385]

By the way, how much of the PearlEx is usually used for a blank?

I made a little "spoon" from a 7mm tube that I use to dip out the PearlEx. I took a tube and ground a 45 degree bevel on one end, drilled a dowel with the 7mm drill bit and glued the tube into the dowel about 3/4" deep. I use 1 to 2 heaped up spoonfuls per blank. If you use a small popcycle stick just mound up a bunch about 1/4" to 1/2" up the stick which should be enough for a single pen blank. As always YMMV.

 

[glycerine]

I made a little "spoon" from a 7mm tube that I use to dip out the PearlEx. I took a tube and ground a 45 degree bevel on one end, drilled a dowel with the 7mm drill bit and glued the tube into the dowel about 3/4" deep. I use 1 to 2 heaped up spoonfuls per blank. If you use a small popcycle stick just mound up a bunch about 1/4" to 1/2" up the stick which should be enough for a single pen blank. As always YMMV.

Thanks. I just picked up some from Michaels earlier today. Don't want to use more than I need and waste it.
Does adding pigments affect the cure time or amount of catalyst that needs to be added?

 

[ronhampton]

I've also been curious about plain old powdered RIT dye. Does anyone use that? Wouldn't be pretty and pearly, but it should give a good opaque color, right?

i tried the rit but i got a lot of undisolved,sand like particles that left small voids throughout the blank.hope this helps,ron.

 

[glycerine]

i tried the rit but i got a lot of undisolved,sand like particles that left small voids throughout the blank.hope this helps,ron.

Ok. I do have some of the liquid rit dye as well, but am afraid to add extra liquid to the mixture.

 

[soulcutr]

if it helps you can get a coupon for michaels for 50% off from livecouponcodes dot com. just go to the store locator by alphabet.

 

[RAdams]

WOW. that is alot of color for one blank. I use about a third of that for three blanks, and get amazing results. The mica is all i have tried, but the results are so amazing, i am in no hurry to try anything else.



thanks for the heads up on the cupon site! that might come in handy for alot of places!

 

[djpnevans]

All I do is put a bit of pealex in at a time, then use a colour stick if I can see the colour of the stick through the resin then I put more pealex in.
I got some pealex from this web site good price and quick delivery. ( http://www.dharmatrading.com/ )
David

 

[DozerMite]

I got some pealex from this web site good price and quick delivery. ( http://www.dharmatrading.com/ )
David

I have used them in the past and agree.

Here is the link to the Pearl-X page. http://www.dharmatrading.com/products/pearl_ex/index.html

 

[ldb2000]

Cris , The black powder coat will work ok and does make a nice opaque blank but I find it to be a PITA to get it to completely mix with the PR (lots of clumps) . Go to www.coastalscents.com and get some of their Mica Powders for pearly looking blanks or they also have other powders for different effects . They are cheap and mix very quickly and completely with the PR .
Jeremy , The Rit dyes don't work very well for tinting PR , the powders clump and don't mix completely and the liquid dyes have some water content and won't mix completely with and will cause Alumilite to foam up . Like I told Cris , go to coastal scents and get their powders . They work as well as the Pearlex and cost about half the price .

 

[OKLAHOMAN]

I can only agree with all who said go to www.coastalscents.com , and after your first order you will receive an e=mail every Friday with their specials.

 

[bitshird]

Ron,
Have you tried the powdercoating paint from HF? I made 2 or so rods with PR using the black paint powder, seems fairly opaque. So far so good. I will thread, drill and finish and report back. Just wondering if anyone else has tried this stuff.

Chris, my experience with Powdercoat is it seems to make the casting a bit more brittle, for colors I use the resin dyes fro U.S Composites, it even work with epoxy for tubes and holes, the opaque3 dyes only requires a few drops in an 8 oz cup, and the transparent dyes are great with Pearl-Ex.

 

[glycerine]

Thanks, now that I have some pigmens for my PR, I'm ready to learn some technique! Which is what the original post was about. Sorry I can't contribute yet since I haven't done it...

 

[glycerine]

I do have a thought about mixing resins. Has anyone used a turkey baster or syringe of some type? It seems like it would be easier to control the second color with one of these items instead of pouring from a cup. Maybe have more control over the swirls and/or some type of design as well.

 

[cnirenberg]

Chris, my experience with Powdercoat is it seems to make the casting a bit more brittle, for colors I use the resin dyes fro U.S Composites, it even work with epoxy for tubes and holes, the opaque3 dyes only requires a few drops in an 8 oz cup, and the transparent dyes are great with Pearl-Ex.

Thanks Ken,
I agree with Butch that is was a PITA to throughly mix . I chucked up a Popsicle stick in my cordless drill and mixed that way. I threaded it last night, came out good, it was a bit on the brittle side. Will go coastal next time.

 

[jason_r]

By the way, how much of the PearlEx is usually used for a blank?

Just another library plug:

The samples in the Resin color library include measurement amounts and estimates on opacity.

In general, I believe PearlEx has large particle size and so more is needed to achieve a comparable opacity to other pigments. But then,if you want better "depth" (chatoyance), too much opacity is bad.

 

[glycerine]

Just another library plug:

The samples in the Resin color library include measurement amounts and estimates on opacity.

In general, I believe PearlEx has large particle size and so more is needed to achieve a comparable opacity to other pigments. But then,if you want better "depth" (chatoyance), too much opacity is bad.

Ah, thank you!

 

[td]

Ron,

I appreciate the direction of your original post. I tried something similar about a year and a half ago and found most people to be pretty mum about techniques they'd developed to achieve certain effects. I found with my own casting that the techniques change depending on the molds I'm using. Flow and stream techniques don't work as well when casting single molds. It's a lot easier to come up with reproducible pouring patterns when working a brick mold. I prefer open molds to "tube" molding because I have more control.

When working with two or more colors (I like 4) you are going to get swirled or blended colors if the stream is very thin because of the exothermic reaction. Once the heat starts.... if you watch the resin.... there is a very slow roil from the chemical reaction. Nothing will come out of the pot the same way it went in. I know this because I cast without a PP for the first 6 months. It's pretty interesting to watch the colors move with the chemical reaction. You get the same roil with a single color and that's what causes the "flourette" effect.

When you change resins.... it's a whole new ball game. The viscosity might be different (usually is) causing different effects with the same pouring techniques.

Didn't intend to be long-winded... it's just a vastly individual topic. Happy casting!

Terry
Texas Wood House

 

[NewLondon88]

I do have a thought about mixing resins. Has anyone used a turkey baster or syringe of some type? ..... Maybe have more control over the swirls and/or some type of design as well.

You would think so, but the resin doesn't stay still once you pour it.
If the resin is still thin enough to use a syringe, it is still thin enough
to be self mixing. The heat causes a lot of movement and color mixing.
Plus, those basters and injectors get pretty expensive..

I've tried them, for the reasons you mention. But I stopped

 

[glycerine]

You would think so, but the resin doesn't stay still once you pour it.
If the resin is still thin enough to use a syringe, it is still thin enough
to be self mixing. The heat causes a lot of movement and color mixing.
Plus, those basters and injectors get pretty expensive..

I've tried them, for the reasons you mention. But I stopped

Ok, thanks. I never thought about the heat causing more movement.