Tube Static (Pouring Resin)

Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad

Todd in PA

Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2021
Messages
820
Location
Port Matilda, PA
I pour Clear Slow into pvc pipe to make my blanks. But sometimes a static charge in the tube redirects my pour down the sides of the tube rather than straight to the bottom.

I read using a dryer sheet could help remove static, but it actually made it much worse.

Any suggestions?
 
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
I'd be careful using water in the tubes. Any bit of residual water will make the Clear Slow foam like crazy and ruin the blanks. I'm unsure that static charge is what is moving the resin towards the tube, but it is true it does seem to be pulled toward the pipe. I try really hard to pour into the center of the pipe, but when mixing multiple colors into a single tube, it's pretty difficult if not impossible for my hands. It is one of the big reasons for why when you turn the blank back that you get some surprises on what is inside! The outside rarely looks like what the inside does.

Kevin
 
I have not done any casting. With that said, would it work to hold a thin rod in the center of the tube as you pour? My thought is the resin will attach to the rod as you pour. Then pull the rod and reuse. My guess is that using a thinnest possible rod would work best. Perhaps wiping the rod right into the tube as you pull it out.
 
Oh boy - you asked for it....

Resin is a fluid so it has fluidics characteristics that come into play.

Resin directly in contact with the PVC will have zero velocity relative to the pipe wall due to friction and intermolecular forces creating a no-slip condition (which means the fluid "sticks" to the pipe wall).

Because of the viscosity there is an internal friction between layers of fluid in the pouring resin. The layers nearest the pipe wall move slowest while the center of the resin mass moves fastest.

The adhesive forces between the resin molecules and the PVC pipe molecules cause the resin to cling to the surface. There are also cohesive forces that cause an attraction between the resin molecules themselves that hold the fluid resin together as a cohesive mass with the surface molecules pulled inward, reducing the surface area -- aka Surface Tension.

Then there is the Coanda effect which is the tendency of a moving fluid to follow a nearby surface. And if the surface is curved the fluid will follow the curve because of pressure differences generated by the fluid's motion and the curved surface.

So, the physics of fluids, fluidics, is likely the cause more so than any static charge. Fluidics is also why the thin rod (skewer) suggested by Steve (SteveG) would help as it (the rod) becomes the curved surface the resin interacts with rather than the wall of the PVC pipe.

Dave

PS I learned this fluidics stuff back in the late 1970's when studying electronics as some machine controls are more suited to low pressure (like 3 PSI) fluidics as fluidic controls are immune to electromagnetic interference and vibration which makes the ideal for applications like nuclear reactors and some aerospace applications. Also they eliminate electrical hazards which are more suitable for use in ultra clean or highly volatile (exposive) environments -- no sparks - no Boom! Fluidic systems are put together much like electronic circuits and there are functional equivalent components for switches, indicators, and even logic gates.
 
Last edited:
I have not done any casting. With that said, would it work to hold a thin rod in the center of the tube as you pour? My thought is the resin will attach to the rod as you pour. Then pull the rod and reuse. My guess is that using a thinnest possible rod would work best. Perhaps wiping the rod right into the tube as you pull it out.
Not a bad idea. I've read here recently that some bend a rod into a T and spin it to mix the colors. I like the pattern I get with a 'gravity' pour. But who's to say in wont like the pattern a rod gives even better.
 
I'm sure it doesn't help that I'm blasting Stoner release aerosol through the tube?

Of course I've fought with this before. But lately it's gotten more frustrating as I'm refining my technique to get different looks. I figure someone here probably has a solution.
 
Oh boy - you asked for it....

Resin is a fluid so it has fluidics characteristics that come into play.

Resin directly in contact with the PVC will have zero velocity relative to the pipe wall due to friction and intermolecular forces creating a no-slip condition (which means the fluid "sticks" to the pipe wall).

Because of the viscosity there is an internal friction between layers of fluid in the pouring resin. The layers nearest the pipe wall move slowest while the center of the resin mass moves fastest.

The adhesive forces between the resin molecules and the PVC pipe molecules cause the resin to cling to the surface. There are also cohesive forces that cause an attraction between the resin molecules themselves that hold the fluid resin together as a cohesive mass with the surface molecules pulled inward, reducing the surface area -- aka Surface Tension.

Then there is the Coanda effect which is the tendency of a moving fluid to follow a nearby surface. And if the surface is curved the fluid will follow the curve because of pressure differences generated by the fluid's motion and the curved surface.

So, the physics of fluids, fluidics, is likely the cause more so than any static charge. Fluidics is also why the thin rod (skewer) suggested by Steve (SteveG) would help as it (the rod) becomes the curved surface the resin interacts with rather than the wall of the PVC pipe.

Dave

PS I learned this fluidics stuff back in the late 1970's when studying electronics as some machine controls are more suited to low pressure (like 3 PSI) fluidics as fluidic controls are immune to electromagnetic interference and vibration which makes the ideal for applications like nuclear reactors and some aerospace applications. Also they eliminate electrical hazards which are more suitable for use in ultra clean or highly volatile (exposive) environments -- no sparks - no Boom! Fluidic systems are put together much like electronic circuits and there are functional equivalent components for switches, indicators, and even logic gates.
Oh my..thats great info thanks for sharing
 
Oh my..thats great info thanks for sharing
It's why stuff like this happens too. Adhesive, cohesive, and coanda forces cause the liquid (fluid) to adhere and follow the side of the container that it is being poured from.

Coanda Effect.PNG
Coanda Effect 2.PNG


Dave
 
It's why stuff like this happens too. Adhesive, cohesive, and coanda forces cause the liquid (fluid) to adhere and follow the side of the container that it is being poured from.

View attachment 389081 View attachment 389083

Dave
Great visual illustrations, AND explanation above. THANKS! Most of my physics lessons from the 60's have waned away but I do remember a little of the fluid dynamics and I have always been intrigued by "laminar flow".
 
Wait, wait, my head hurts!!! Fluid Dynamics? Coanda Forces? Laminar Flow.......Toto, I don't think we are in Kansas anymore....!lol

Despite the humor, I really enjoyed the science lesson. I am always amazed at the knowledge people bring to this forum, and this episode was no disappointment. I've tried to figure out why my pours ALWAYS seem to be unusually attracted to the tube sides - no matter how careful I am. Now I know! As most vertical casters know, the exterior of the blank is usually way different than the interior - as I almost always do some manipulation of the resin either during the pouring process or afterwards with a stirring bar of many different configurations.

Thanks Dave!! And I just thought my pouring technique was not great........

Kevin
 
Back
Top Bottom