Toss in the sugar bowl

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Bobalu

Bobalu

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A friend that works for a large company that packages sugar asked if a pen could be made with sugar cast in the acrylic. I haven't done any clear casts yet, but thought I'd toss this out for the C&S forum to comment on. A lot of you have tossed just about everything you can imagine from the kitchen cupboard into a mold, how about sugar? My first thought would be the heat might discolor the crystals, maybe even caramelizing them. Any thoughts or experiences?
 
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Short answer: Probably.
Long answer: when you turn it you would have sugar all over your shop, not to mention the pen its self, that would attract bugs and rodents. Just my $.02, i'm not saying don't try it, but maybe fine white sand instead? It would be hell on your tools but should look pretty good.
 
Instead of casting it in a large block you could try having it just around the tube.. maybe in several layers even, and then casting over that. Avoids the ants and keeping away from killing off your tools.
 
RustySplinters said:
Instead of casting it in a large block you could try having it just around the tube.. maybe in several layers even, and then casting over that. Avoids the ants and keeping away from killing off your tools.
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That's a good idea. Just cover the tube with sugar and cast like you would with snakeskins. I bet that would even look better than sugar suspended in the resin.
 
Thanks all. The idea of trying to suspend it in the resin has already been ruled out. I did a small test with about 1.5 ounce of resin and a couple of teaspoons of sugar. I think some of the sugar did dissolve, but not totally. It ended up looking like cloudy resin with a grit. Not very attractive looking. I'm still debating the idea of painting a tube white and trying to coat it with sugar. I know the resin would magnify it a little, but I have a feeling that it would still be too small to recognize as sugar. This probably wasn't a good idea to begin with, but you live and learn.
 
Sylvanite said:
Have you considered using colored sugar crystals? Flow some CA on a pen tube, sprinkle with sugar, and cast. It might turn out very interesting - especially with mixed colors.

Regards,
Eric
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Interesting idea, though one I can't use on this specific project, as those decorating sugar crystals are not part of the product line from this company. I'm stuck with the white stuff on this project. But thank you for the suggestion.

Speaking of stuck, my test batch is still in the mold and curing quite slowly. I don't think sugar is an accelerator as someone mentioned earlier.

Next attempt will be to try building up some layers of sugar on a painted tube. Perhaps repeated applications of Modge-Podge sprinkled with sugar will give some depth and definition.
 
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Here's a thought...paint your tube the desired color and while still damp roll in sugar. Let dry. Spray with clear lacquer rol again before it dries. Repeat until the desired diameter is reache. The lacquer should act as a glue but dry faster then the sugar will melt...
 
You can, in fact, cast sugar in PR resin. The simpliest way that I have found is to start with sugar cubes stuck together with spray adhesive. Then, either make a mold or find one that will allow you to stack the cubes into the mold in "brick laying" patterns. Put as much sugar as you pack into the mold.

Make sure to line your work bench with poly painters drops or waxed paper. Then mix the resin and any translucent dyes that you choose. Add double the catalyst that you normally use. (for example, for regular mica pearl casting, I use 3 drops per oz. For sugar, jelly, etc, I use 6 drops per)

Be ready to immediately pressurize or vacuum. The hot resin does, in fact, melt the sugar and cause it to sink to the bottom of the mold (hence the need to "pack" the mold with as much sugar as possible).

The last time I cast sugar (jelly, actually), it took 6 days to fully harden and not be sticky. For the obvious problem with bugs, be prepared to seal the mold in a air tight container as soon as it comes out of pressure.

With all that said, sugar can be cast but doesn't produce a beautiful blank.....white beach sand, on the other hand looks great.

Be
 
Oh... And do a little reading! Sugar can and will explode. As a matter of fact, a customer of mine managed a sugar refinery down the road... The chemistry wasn't exactly right one day and boom.....no more sugar refinery!
 
PenMan1 said:
You can, in fact, cast sugar in PR resin. The simpliest way that I have found is to start with sugar cubes stuck together with spray adhesive. Then, either make a mold or find one that will allow you to stack the cubes into the mold in "brick laying" patterns. Put as much sugar as you pack into the mold.

Make sure to line your work bench with poly painters drops or waxed paper. Then mix the resin and any translucent dyes that you choose. Add double the catalyst that you normally use. (for example, for regular mica pearl casting, I use 3 drops per oz. For sugar, jelly, etc, I use 6 drops per)

Be ready to immediately pressurize or vacuum. The hot resin does, in fact, melt the sugar and cause it to sink to the bottom of the mold (hence the need to "pack" the mold with as much sugar as possible).

The last time I cast sugar (jelly, actually), it took 6 days to fully harden and not be sticky. For the obvious problem with bugs, be prepared to seal the mold in a air tight container as soon as it comes out of pressure.

With all that said, sugar can be cast but doesn't produce a beautiful blank.....white beach sand, on the other hand looks great.

Be
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I think I'll go with the beach sand. I just pulled the the test blank from the mold and it looks like.........like.......well, let's just say it ain't very pretty. I may still try some of the other suggestions here, but this method is now off the board.
 
PenMan1 said:
Bob:
Even if you go with sand, it does much better with pressure. DAMHIKT!
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I'll keep that in mind. I've been waiting to find a project that allows me to use my pressure pot. My wife keeps asking me what that gray thing in the box is all about, and when am I ever going to use it.
 
alphageek said:
I'm pretty sure that Dawn has done both sugar and salt. Just be aware - some of these odd materials work as an accelerator for CA!
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LOL Impressive memory Dean!!!:biggrin::biggrin:

Here is the one that I cast with a form of sugar a while back -

http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=32482


And salt -

http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=28919



Both did just fine in casting and turning. Both have a CA finish.

On the downside, the sugar one did seem to attract ants...even through the protective CA coating! :eek:

The salt one .... well, Ed mumbled something about never again while trying to nurse feeling back into his still flaming fingertips.

LOL Just no sense of adventure if you ask me!:tongue::biggrin:
 
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Sylvanite said:
Does sugar react with CA glue? If not, you could do a CA buildup instead of casting in PR.

Regards,
Eric
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Looks like this could work. I just tested the idea by putting a tablespoon of sugar into a plastic cup and saturated it with thin CA. Except for the fumes and a lot of heat, the sugar held up. Right after mixing the sugar crystals began to adhere to each other, forming littler clumps of crystals. It looked like 3-D snowflakes. But a half minute later the whole thing was one solid lump. Now, if I can replicate this process and remove the small groups of crystals before everything gets solid, I might have something to work with that could be suspended in PR. Thanks.
 
Why suspend in resin? Put glad wrap in the mold, pack in sugar and keep adding CA. After drilling and turning, finish with more sugar and thick CA.

Should work? The thick CA doesn't seem to build up heat as badly as thin CA.
 
Once you succeed in making the blank---

Bear in mind that these crystal structure items are going to "resist cutting". Your tools will become dull rapidly.
 
ed4copies said:
Once you succeed in making the blank---

Bear in mind that these crystal structure items are going to "resist cutting". Your tools will become dull rapidly.
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Yep!

AND on the odd chance that you decide to substitue SALT, FORGET CA! If you do manage to CA glue salt without burning down the shop, cast salt is near impossible to turn!
 
Personally, I'd use beach sand, PearlEx Micropearl and and about 1/1000 gram of table sugar....just so I could say that it is "made partially from sugar".

A little marketing doesn't hurt:)
 
PenMan1 said:
Personally, I'd use beach sand, PearlEx Micropearl and and about 1/1000 gram of table sugar....just so I could say that it is "made partially from sugar".

A little marketing doesn't hurt:)
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I wasn't ignoring you Andy. Honest. Me and the wife went grocery shopping while you were posting all these great ideas. Between you and several other people here I have a variety of suggestions to work with. Dawn has already proved it can be done, so I'm up for the challenge. Right now I need to go sharpen all my tools (per ED) so I can be ready to take a stab at it in the morning.
 
The longer you let it cure, the better your turning will go.

If it is not thoroughly 'set", the sugar pops out in chunks as your tool hits it. Although we did not use finely ground sugar, so that certainly will make a difference.

You, just like me, will learn as you turn!! Good luck and be careful!!
 
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