Question about blanks

[Seishin]

Hey everyone!

Ok, so, like many I imagine, I came to pen turning completely by accident. I bought a specialty lathe because I've always dreamed of making pool cues. One of the things I'd never really considered about making pool cues is the amount of time you wait for things (turn a shaft, let it sit for a month and see if it moves, turn it again, wait a month, etc.).

One day I saw a Youtube video on pen turning and thought "Wow, that looks like fun!" so I ordered a few kits. Next thing I new I was ordering a small pen lathe, within three days I realized it was too small and ordered a larger lathe. I've been hooked from the moment I held the first pen I had made.

This was about 2 months ago. So yeah... I have so much left to learn.

That brings me to my question (discussion?) for today...

I love working with exotic woods, but so many people today are looking for the bling instead of the class of an item. So, I need to learn more about non wood blanks.

I've been pouring epoxy resin for inlays for pool cues. So I'm sure I can pour for pen blanks as well and have tried. I melted it while sanding. *LOL

Can y'all talk to me about the differences between epoxy resin, acrylic, and alumalite pen blanks?

1. What are the differences?
2. Why do you prefer one over the other?

I would greatly appreciate your feedback.

Thanks!

Rusty

 

[Bstrauch]

I would suggest doing a search for "resin blank differences." Lots of threads and links will pop up.

 

[RDHals]

I use Alumilite Clear slow, it's a urethane resin cast under pressure. There is a thread that talks about some of the resins https://www.penturners.org/forums/casting-stabilization.43/ hope this helps.

 

[its_virgil]

Alumilite is a brand and not a product. They make urethane and epoxy resin.

Polyester resin is another choice.

Acrylic is a specific type of resin and not a generic term for any and all resins. Casting acrylic is beyond hobby and home shop casting.
Do a good turn daily!
Don

 

[Seishin]

Ok, so I've learned that I know even less than I thought I did. Thank you for the education you've already started to provide.

So, after reading this, I think what I'd like to ask is when turning pens, do you prefer blanks made from specific type of resin?

 

[JohnU]

I'll second what Don (it's Virgil) said above. Urethane, Polyester, or Epoxy are the three we use in the no commercial setups. I use them all for specific applications because they all have their pros and cons. Some work better than others depending on the project or material being cast.

In my opinion…

Silmar41 (polyester resin) is nice to use for tube on clear cast blanks or single color pours, or color casts either less color separation. It shines up very easily without applying a finish but can be a little chippy if mixed with too much catalyst. It smells in the raw form and takes 18+ hours to cure and will still be tacky out of the mold. It's ideal for multiple pours over itself. It doesn't have to be cast under pressure but I do to ensure no air bubbles in the blanks.

Urethane resins like Alumilite "Clear" and "Clear Slow" are great for clear and color casts with dyes and mica powders. Color variations are endless with great color separation buy watching the temperature when pouring. It has to be cast in a pressure tank to eliminate air bubbles.its very sensitive to moisture so items in resin have to be completely dry. It sets up and can be demolded in a few hours or less and turns the smoothest of all resins. It's the most durable and used in the kitless world where they cut their own threads in blanks. It looks best with a finish applied over the blank. I use CA. They Aren't made for multiple pours over itself.

Epoxy is my last choice and I only use it when the other resins don't work with the material being cast. It takes the longest to cure and can remain flexible for 5-10 days before the blank is fully cured. Epoxy resins are more prone to yellow sooner than the others. Its major advantage is it doesn't need to be cast under pressure so it works great for fill cracks and voids in larger projects. It can be a little chippy when turned. There are MANY brands out there so you have to make sure you read the instructions because some mix 1-1 and others at 2-1 ratios. Some are meant to be poured in several thin layers while others are "deep pour".

I usually recommend new casters start with "Alumilite Clear Slow" urethane resin. Not to be confused with "Alumilite AMAZING Clear" which is an epoxy. Clear Slow will give you a long working time (12 min) and is great for small or large pours and it turns very easily.

Best of luck!

 

[NJturner]

Really tough to top what @JohnU just stated - I second all he said. I cast a fair amount of urethane resin (couple of brands) and tinker constantly with pour methods, pour temps, coloring, etc. I tried epoxy resin for pens, and it is nice and hard but it takes forever to set up and harden, but as John said, it tends to yellow quickly. I'm having a bunch of fun and I believe it's the next step of truly 'hand crafted' pens that I make. What wasn't said so far is mold types - especially since you asked about casting pen blanks. I do mostly hand crafted fountain pens which require a longer blank than a standard kit based pen. My typical cast is 8" or more, using either silicone molds, PVC pipe, or sometimes @JohnU casting system (clear thinwall pipe). Many people use square block molds, which also work nicely but require a few more steps to get them ready for pen turning, but I'm currently fixed on 3/4 round vertical molds. Everything I cast goes into the pressure pot - and recently I've added an interim step of degassing the resin in a vacuum pot before final pours to help lower the potential for air bubbles even more. Not sure if this is needed, but I'm playing with higher pour temps to increase color separation which means the resin is getting a little syrupy so I'm more concerned about trapped air not getting out of the long length molds under pressure before the resin just gets to viscous and will not allow the air to be removed (or compressed leaving a void).

So I guess my real message in response is do your homework - costs go high very quickly if you plan on casting your own pen blanks. There are a lot of really good casters out there selling blanks, so unless you have a crazy quest like me to make everything from scratch, I'd focus on learning good pen making techniques before I'd jump into casting! There is a lot of good stuff here on IAP.....enjoy!

 

[WriteON]

I love working with exotic woods, but so many people today are looking for the bling instead of the class of an item. So, I need to learn more about non wood blanks.
I've been pouring epoxy resin for inlays for pool cues. So I'm sure I can pour for pen blanks as well and have tried. I melted it while sanding. *LOL



Thanks!

Rusty

Hey hi...welcome aboard. Pool cues... looking for a stand for my cue lathe accidentally turned me toward pen turning. I use to pass by PSI weekly and went in one day looking for a stand...had no idea what kind of place I was in. I just did my first conversion on a beater. I used the Ring blank on the butt. Turn some canes while you're at it. Are you on AZB Billiards?