Resin blank question

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RGVPens

RGVPens

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I've got a rookie question about blanks. I've looked and don't see exactly what I'm looking for.
I see a BUNCH of different resin blanks, and have turned some, but I'm looking for a list/ranking of ones easiest to hardest to work with from a beginner's point of view.

I would like to "work my way through" the plastics and think Alumilite might be the first step. It seems to be very easy to turn smoothly. This might be a good list to make and put in the library...unless it's there and I didn't find it. I'm talking about all the standard types and names that you can find on most supplier's websites Acrylic, Rhino, Kirinite, Aquapearl, Pen-Stone, Acrylester, Mica Pearl, Tru-Stone, and the list goes on and on. NOT all the different types of home brew, that would be too crazy.

That way all of us newbies, and maybe some not so new, could start at the beginning and add the next new type as we learn and progress without jumping too far ahead of our developing skills.

Am I crazy...wait, don't answer that 🤣 Does that seem like a reasonable idea? Again, it may already be out there, if so please tell me where to find it.
 
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Here is a rough starter from my experiences with non-wood blanks :

1. (easiest) Alumilite
2. (intermediate) Acrylic Acetate
3. (harder) Rhinoplastic
4. (hardest) Tru-stone and similar

Note that the criteria for easiest to hardest are not necessarily consistent over the whole spectrum of material types.

Others may wish to fill in some gaps, and/or add other materials.
 
RGVPens said:
Thanks John! Although it doesn't mention a lot of the brand names, it does give me a good overall look at plastics in general.
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you are not going to get brand names. You look at Alumilite but that is not a brand name just another resin type Alumilite has different products under that name. As is epoxy resins which is not mentioned.
 
The answers above are a close "in general" as a line up but some resins are mixed differently by the people manufacturing them so it can have an influence on their level of hardness. Your opinion as you turn them may be a little different than stated here, based on your skills, tools, etc. One thing to remember, alumilite is a company who sells many types of resin. Urethane resin is one of those types. It turns very smoothly with proper technique. Epoxy resin is another they sell. It is a little harder. Poly-resins are more brittle but if mixed with less hardner, can be easy to turn. Blank temperature can also influence the smoothness of a blank. If it's colder it can be more brittle. If the shops cold I put the blank in my pocket for 15 min or more to warm up prior to turning. One blank I usually avoid is inlace acrylester. It's polyresin made very hot so its brittle and softens easy if it gets too hot. It's not new turner friendly. Good luck!
 
@RGVPens
I should have said in my post #2 above that "Alumilite" is actually the name of a Michigan company that makes/sells a VARIETY of resinous products.

Penturners have come to use the company name"Alumilite" to refer to the pen blanks made from ONE of their casting products. . Strictly this is incorrect.
But, these pen blanks have become so popular, with highly desirable characteristics, that we usually forget the true origin of the name.

The company website gives more info about their lines of products :-. . . https://www.alumilite.com/products/resins/ .

But unless you have a degree in chemistry you can quickly get confused by the technical jargon and chemical names.
I long ago gave up on trying to understand the differences between the many types of resins that are marketed today for casting, painting, and other purposes.

As a beginning penturner, you should try "Alumilite". But beware that "Alumilite" pen blanks are considerably more expensive than most other types.
In spite of their cost, they are well worth using, and even learning to make them yourself, if you are that way inclined. . They can be made at home with proper equipment.

Quite a few IAP members do make their own and some have built up successful businesses selling the blanks to other members.
We can go into that if you want more info. . JohnU whose post appears directly above this post is one and he knows far more about this subject than many of us.
 
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JohnU said:
The answers above are a close "in general" as a line up but some resins are mixed differently by the people manufacturing them so it can have an influence on their level of hardness. Your opinion as you turn them may be a little different than stated here, based on your skills, tools, etc. One thing to remember, alumilite is a company who sells many types of resin. Urethane resin is one of those types. It turns very smoothly with proper technique. Epoxy resin is another they sell. It is a little harder. Poly-resins are more brittle but if mixed with less hardner, can be easy to turn. Blank temperature can also influence the smoothness of a blank. If it's colder it can be more brittle. If the shops cold I put the blank in my pocket for 15 min or more to warm up prior to turning. One blank I usually avoid is inlace acrylester. It's polyresin made very hot so its brittle and softens easy if it gets too hot. It's not new turner friendly. Good luck!
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I've really learned a lot with the blanks you sent me, thanks again. The one in the picture came from you, don't know what it is... but it's hard as a rock and stunk up the whole shop when I cut it! The ones with your name on them turn really nice. I'm thinking of trying a Rhino, Aquabright or Kirinite. Any advice on those three?
 

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Greetings from Nebraska.

I started out with the Inlace Acrylester blanks from WoodTurningz - I think because there was such a fantastic variety and the price was right - usually less than $4 per blank. In my opinion they are one of the most difficult blanks to turn as they are typically very hard and brittle. Even the corners and edges of many of the blanks are chipped out from being sliced into blanks because of their brittleness. The best way to turn them in my opinion is to use negative rake cutters. I think that is the reccomendation from the supplier as well. (I still have a big box full of them as I really don't buy them anymore and I rarely go to them for a project).

Here is a pen I made using an Inlace Acrylester called "Peacock":
IMG_1335 Cropped.jpg

Although many indicate that they are the 2nd most difficult to turn, after Inlace I started buying Rhino blanks. True they are hard, but in my opinion not nearly as brittle as the Inlace. The price is usually great on these as well, sometimes as low as $3 per blank. I have had mostly successes with them and the few failures (cracks and blow-outs) I've had were because of my imatience when drilling. They are still my go-to blanks when I decide to make something out of plastic.

These were made using Rhino blanks called "Blue Sky":
IMG_1012 Cropped.jpg

Compared with these, the blanks advertised as Alumilite have turned like a dream. They are considerably more expensive though. I especially like the DiamondCast blanks that are made by Tim McKenzie at McKenzie Penworks. (They are also sold through Turners Warehouse). The one's that I have used have made beautiful pens!

This was made using a DiamondCast blank called "Oil Slick":
IMG_0781 Cropped.jpg

Good luck with your venture into plastic blanks.

Regards,
Dave
 
The real beauty of Inlace Acrylester ( worse to turn than Rhino, IMHO) and of Rhinoplastic is the very high gloss you can get . . . if that's what you are going for.
But they both seem to"fight you all the way" when you are turning them . . . prone to chipping, so you have to take very light cuts.

You can't get the same high gloss from "Alumilite" in my experience with it. . But turning it is so much more fun !
 
RGVPens said:
I've really learned a lot with the blanks you sent me, thanks again. The one in the picture came from you, don't know what it is... but it's hard as a rock and stunk up the whole shop when I cut it! The ones with your name on them turn really nice. I'm thinking of trying a Rhino, Aquabright or Kirinite. Any advice on those three?
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Thanks you, I'm glad you got to turn them. I dont remember all that I sent but the colored square blanks with my name were urethane resin from alumilite. Clear cast feathers are Silmar 41 poly resin. I don't over heat them and let them cure longer so they turn smoother.
Most commercially made blanks will smell and turn similar to the one you posted. I believe that is a Conway Stewart. You have to be careful with commercial blanks when drilling because they can clog up the drill bit and hole and create a lot of heat, stretching the drilled hole out making it larger than intended. Step drilling helps working from small to larger bits as long as they aren't Brad point bits. I think Kirinite turns a little easier than Aquabright, and I believe Rhino blanks are poly-resin so they'll turn and sand down a little easier than the other two. I would suggest painting holes in all of those blanks so the brass doesn't show or shine through when turned down. The only blanks I don't paint the holes with are the colored blanks made from alumilite white urethane resin. They cure very opaque. The problem with urethane blanks is they don't shine up as easy as poly-resin. An easy fix for than is a CA finish. Good luck! It's all fun turning and worth the experience. Oh, and If you didn't like the smell of the acrylic, don't drill or turn antler….. it's worse!
 
Just try making your own. It's addicting as all hell. Been making Alumilite and Liquid Diamond blanks for almost a year now. Super easy to make and you can get a starter set for Liquid Diamonds from Amazon for reasonable price with silicone blank mold (cheap) to try. Even comes with a few alcohol pigments. No other equipment needed besides mixing cups and gloves. LD doesn't need a pressure pot but it does help.

Word of caution though, LD is a very slow setting resin (that's how it degasses itself) that takes up to 2 days to cure and it takes forever for color set to occur. If your looking to blend colors take your time and wait till resin temp exceeds 95deg before blending. Otherwise colors will bleed and your pretty blend of red and blue will be black when it's done.

If you really enjoy the foray into LD, you can invest in a pressure pot and step up to other resins like Alumilite Clear Slow or Amazing Clear, both turn very well and are easy to work with.
 
JohnU said:
Thanks you, I'm glad you got to turn them. I dont remember all that I sent but the colored square blanks with my name were urethane resin from alumilite. Clear cast feathers are Silmar 41 poly resin. I don't over heat them and let them cure longer so they turn smoother.
Most commercially made blanks will smell and turn similar to the one you posted. I believe that is a Conway Stewart. You have to be careful with commercial blanks when drilling because they can clog up the drill bit and hole and create a lot of heat, stretching the drilled hole out making it larger than intended. Step drilling helps working from small to larger bits as long as they aren't Brad point bits. I think Kirinite turns a little easier than Aquabright, and I believe Rhino blanks are poly-resin so they'll turn and sand down a little easier than the other two. I would suggest painting holes in all of those blanks so the brass doesn't show or shine through when turned down. The only blanks I don't paint the holes with are the colored blanks made from alumilite white urethane resin. They cure very opaque. The problem with urethane blanks is they don't shine up as easy as poly-resin. An easy fix for than is a CA finish. Good luck! It's all fun turning and worth the experience. Oh, and If you didn't like the smell of the acrylic, don't drill or turn antler….. it's worse!
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Lot of great info there...thanks John! And that's good to know about antler!!! It just got pushed farther down the list of things to turn.
 
egnald said:
Greetings from Nebraska.

I started out with the Inlace Acrylester blanks from WoodTurningz - I think because there was such a fantastic variety and the price was right - usually less than $4 per blank. In my opinion they are one of the most difficult blanks to turn as they are typically very hard and brittle. Even the corners and edges of many of the blanks are chipped out from being sliced into blanks because of their brittleness. The best way to turn them in my opinion is to use negative rake cutters. I think that is the reccomendation from the supplier as well. (I still have a big box full of them as I really don't buy them anymore and I rarely go to them for a project).

Here is a pen I made using an Inlace Acrylester called "Peacock":
View attachment 327010
Click to expand...

You ever tried sheer cutting with a negative rake carbide cutter? I turned one of the inlace acrylester blanks with just a negative rake cutter, but I've since learned how to sheer cut with...well, pretty much any tool now. The sheer cutting gives you a lot more control over the aggression of the cut, to the point where its almost not even cutting, which might be useful for the initial turning off of the corners and the like.

I have some blanks very much like the one above, and I need to give it a try myself. Just haven't had a chance yet. I'm curious how sheer cutting would work with these hard, brittle acrylester blanks.
 
Stubach said:
Just try making your own. It's addicting as all hell. Been making Alumilite and Liquid Diamond blanks for almost a year now. Super easy to make and you can get a starter set for Liquid Diamonds from Amazon for reasonable price with silicone blank mold (cheap) to try. Even comes with a few alcohol pigments. No other equipment needed besides mixing cups and gloves. LD doesn't need a pressure pot but it does help.

Word of caution though, LD is a very slow setting resin (that's how it degasses itself) that takes up to 2 days to cure and it takes forever for color set to occur. If your looking to blend colors take your time and wait till resin temp exceeds 95deg before blending. Otherwise colors will bleed and your pretty blend of red and blue will be black when it's done.

If you really enjoy the foray into LD, you can invest in a pressure pot and step up to other resins like Alumilite Clear Slow or Amazing Clear, both turn very well and are easy to work with.
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I've been thinking about casting my own blanks...but think I'll wait till summer. I'm in my show season right now and spend a lot of time on the scroll saw when not at shows. I'll have a lot of slack time this summer between trips to see the kids and making stock for next season.

It sounds interesting, and I can dream up all kinds of blanks to make.
 
RGVPens said:
I've been thinking about casting my own blanks...but think I'll wait till summer. I'm in my show season right now and spend a lot of time on the scroll saw when not at shows. I'll have a lot of slack time this summer between trips to see the kids and making stock for next season.

It sounds interesting, and I can dream up all kinds of blanks to make.
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I recently got into hybrid blanks and tried my hand at some endgrain osange hybrid blanks. Turned out pretty decent.

Recommend watching Alumilite's and Zac Higgins' YouTube channels for tons of info. Alumilite loves making fun videos on what resins to use when and they have a really cool video on the three major kinds for home casting, very informative. Their trip to Woodcraft is a great starter intro to blank casting but they do use a HF pressure pot so take that missing piece into account if you follow their lead.

Zac does some awesome experiments with colors and if you go back you can see how he started and as he progressed through his different experiments to get to making and selling decently high end blanks with really cool patters.

If you get hooked and want to build your own pressure pot, there's a eBay seller selling nicer pressure pots than the HF one in the same price class. Much better bolt system similar to the high end pots but much cheaper investment. Video on that conversion can be found here:
 

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Stubach said:
I recently got into hybrid blanks and tried my hand at some endgrain osange hybrid blanks. Turned out pretty decent.

Recommend watching Alumilite's and Zac Higgins' YouTube channels for tons of info. Alumilite loves making fun videos on what resins to use when and they have a really cool video on the three major kinds for home casting, very informative. Their trip to Woodcraft is a great starter intro to blank casting but they do use a HF pressure pot so take that missing piece into account if you follow their lead.

Zac does some awesome experiments with colors and if you go back you can see how he started and as he progressed through his different experiments to get to making and selling decently high end blanks with really cool patters.

If you get hooked and want to build your own pressure pot, there's a eBay seller selling nicer pressure pots than the HF one in the same price class. Much better bolt system similar to the high end pots but much cheaper investment. Video on that conversion can be found here:
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Great info Stu, Thanks! I saw a You Tube where a guy made blanks without having to use a pressure pot. I think it was an Alumilite product, and he mixed it up at 2:1 (?) and added some color powder. Then poured it in molds. I guess the downside was it sat for a couple of days...I think. But just starting out that's not a big deal for me. I'll have to see if I can find it again, I should have saved it.
 
Alumilite has one or two epoxy resins that can be suitable to pen blanks, also. This would account for the longer cure times similar to Liquid Diamonds. Note they also have epoxies that are NOT suitable for pen blanks, also.
 
Excellent thread! Anyone interested in making sense of it and creating a chart with some details?

Possibly it could be prefaced with a poll listing users options of materials. Below the poll, members could enter their opinions much like this thread.
 
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Wayne said:
Excellent thread! Anyone interested in making sense of it and creating a chart with some details?

Possibly it could be prefaced with a poll listing users options of materials. Below the poll, members could enter their opinions much like this thread.
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Would be a useful thing, for sure.

No one has yet mentioned some of the more exotic materials, either... Ebonite. Bakelite. etc.

I just placed an order for some ebonite rods, and have been looking at some bakelite rods. For some pen designs, these materials have more of a retro or vintage look, which is really nice. I am looking at segmenting with these materials, if possible, not sure how well that will go (don't know how well they glue together...which is an attribute that might be useful in some kind of catalog of resinous blank materials!)
 
KenB259 said:
I am pretty sure Bakelite is pretty hazardous and nasty stuff. I'm no expert though.
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Its not as bad as the fearmongering makes it seem. When I first started looking into it, I of course found a ton of fearmongers proclaiming anyone who handled bakelite products were going to die, or develop cancer at the very least.

People latch onto the fact that its initially formulated with formaldehyde and some other powerful chemicals. People also bring up asbestos, which was only used very rarely with some particular kinds of industrial bakelite, which was rare enough back then, and I doubt anyone would normally encounter it today. The very vast majority of bakelite used wood pulp as a base.

I looked into the actual chemistry of the process that produces the plastic-like result, and that chemistry irreversibly bonds all the toxic chemicals into a new compound. You don't want to breathe the dust anymore than you would want to breathe wood dust, but its not like turning it is going to release asbestos particles that would get forced into your lungs and infuse you from head to toe with formaldehyde...it just doesn't work that way. ;) You wouldn't want to breathe acrylic fumes, or urethane fumes and particles, either.
 
MRDucks2 said:
I exchanged a bit of info with Eric (Sylvanite) after that or a similar thread and began to build a chart on different resins but never completed it. I'll see if I can find it.
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Mike,

I hope you find your info that you and Eric were exchanging.
We need to get this in everyone's hands. (Library)
 
@Wayne
I have been following this thread.
I have also read the thread written in 2017 by Eric and referred to by Curly, MrDucks2 and yourself in the posts above.
I am quite interested in the subject under discussion.
But, I am no expert in this subject area.

I do support your suggestion to produce a summary article for the library.
It would be good if a plastics expert with a detailed knowledge of the underlying chemistry and associated manufacturing processes could be involved.
Alas, there may be no such expert "close at hand". . In fact, it could require several "experts" to get all the facts straight and suitably organized.
It is an ambitious project.

The resulting summary article would be of immense general interest.
And, of course, all of us penturners who use the blanks would find it useful.

That said, it is not a week-end project. . It will probably take considerable time to "pull it all together" at the various levels involved.

I can offer my encouragement but little else ! !
 
magpens said:
@Wayne
I have been following this thread.
I have also read the thread written in 2017 by Eric and referred to by Curly, MrDucks2 and yourself in the posts above.
I am quite interested in the subject under discussion.
But, I am no expert in this subject area.

I do support your suggestion to produce a summary article for the library.
It would be good if a plastics expert with a detailed knowledge of the underlying chemistry and associated manufacturing processes could be involved.
Alas, there may be no such expert "close at hand". . In fact, it could require several "experts" to get all the facts straight and suitably organized.
It is an ambitious project.

The resulting summary article would be of immense general interest.
And, of course, all of us penturners who use the blanks would find it useful.

That said, it is not a week-end project. . It will probably take considerable time to "pull it all together" at the various levels involved.

I can offer my encouragement but little else ! !
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Why not inquire with the manufacturers? Alumilite for instance is big on education and has their own YouTube channel for this very reason and they partner with other social media people/companies to get their info out. Reach out to their team and see if they shouldn't mind helping put the info together. They actually have a decision tree reference chart similar to what we're looking for around their 2-part silicone mixes so could maybe create something similar for resin.

They'd probably love a partnership with us and maybe the collaboration could build a beneficial cross advertisement. Maybe even a IAP discount for those of us in the hobby? 😁
 
Stubach said:
Why not inquire with the manufacturers? Alumilite for instance is big on education and has their own YouTube channel for this very reason and they partner with other social media people/companies to get their info out. Reach out to their team and see if they shouldn't mind helping put the info together. They actually have a decision tree reference chart similar to what we're looking for around their 2-part silicone mixes so could maybe create something similar for resin.

They'd probably love a partnership with us and maybe the collaboration could build a beneficial cross advertisement. Maybe even a IAP discount for those of us in the hobby? 😁
Click to expand...

@Stubach, @Wayne

Good idea, Stu. . . Maybe Wayne can make the approach to the Alumilite company.
 
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