What would you do with this.. casting ideas

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mywoodshopca

mywoodshopca

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Charlottetown, PEI Canada, Derby Kansas and Canyon
Got another chunk of wreck wood a few weekends ago..

Not sure yet which its from as three went down in the exact same area..

H.M. Alert in 1791 (schooner)
Gipsey 1850 (brigatine)
Clausina 1850 (bark)

Soaked this and cleaned it very well in boiling water to clean it. What would be everyones approach to make it into pen material using Alumilite?

Cut into blanks then cast?
Cut into a block to fit the pressure pot then cast?
Or??

There was an even nicer piece I was trying to get but it was wedged VERY hard under a very large rock, couldnt even budge it and running out of time. Maybe next year :)
 

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With that many voids, you will get the most complete fill if you cut into close to blank size before casting. Be aware that wood like that has become very porous and will most likely discolor with the Alumilite. I would probably suggest that you cast it in clear and then paint the tubes to get the best effect. This will highlight the wood best and not make it blend with the resin.
 
MesquiteMan said:
With that many voids, you will get the most complete fill if you cut into close to blank size before casting. Be aware that wood like that has become very porous and will most likely discolor with the Alumilite. I would probably suggest that you cast it in clear and then paint the tubes to get the best effect. This will highlight the wood best and not make it blend with the resin.
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Thanks Curtis, would letting it soak in some kind of wood hardener help first for a while before casting it? (and allowing me to do other colors?)
 
I have been wondering about "wreck" wood but just do not know how "legal" it would be. I may have access to some civil war wrecks but only if it is legal. Would be interesting to find out.

jimskio
 
Soaking it in some kind of hardener sounds like a really good idea. You can probably use colored resin then. Cutting it in at least 1" slabs before casting is probably also a really good idea to maximize penetration.

I can't wait to see how that comes out.
 
jimskio said:
I have been wondering about "wreck" wood but just do not know how "legal" it would be. I may have access to some civil war wrecks but only if it is legal. Would be interesting to find out.

jimskio
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Check with your local historian office to see what ones are protected if any. There are 100's of known wrecks off the island here and only 2 are protected. (Marco Polo is a well known one that was seen shipwrecked by lucy maud montgomery, the one who wrote the Anne Of Green Gables books)

Its sitting in about 15-20 ft of water and is only visable about every 5 years due to the tides.
 
RichW said:
Soaking it in some kind of hardener sounds like a really good idea. You can probably use colored resin then. Cutting it in at least 1" slabs before casting is probably also a really good idea to maximize penetration.

I can't wait to see how that comes out.
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Started to cut it into slabs today.. shes pretty soft. I think I better stabilize it first and then cast it. If I cast it as is, the wood would be pretty soft and would chip out a lot I believe.
 
I've cast some wood with lots of voids like that and it helps to pour the resin in fairly slowly and try to have the mold fill from the bottom up. I usually start pouring in open areas between blanks or on one side and let the resin flow into all the voids.

This way helps displace the air from the bottom and leaves room for it to escape from the top instead of pouring from the top and trapping air bubbles in the voids.
 
jthompson1995 said:
I've cast some wood with lots of voids like that and it helps to pour the resin in fairly slowly and try to have the mold fill from the bottom up. I usually start pouring in open areas between blanks or on one side and let the resin flow into all the voids.

This way helps displace the air from the bottom and leaves room for it to escape from the top instead of pouring from the top and trapping air bubbles in the voids.
Click to expand...
Great idea! Thanks!
 
I'd be worried not so much about filling the large voids as getting the resin to
penetrate into the wood itself to get some adhesion. Perhaps alternating vacuum
and pressure? Thinning the resin? I'm not sure. Looks like a challenge.
 
NewLondon88 said:
I'd be worried not so much about filling the large voids as getting the resin to
penetrate into the wood itself to get some adhesion. Perhaps alternating vacuum
and pressure? Thinning the resin? I'm not sure. Looks like a challenge.
Click to expand...

Use alumilite. I've never had problems with it adhering when making WW casts. Label/snakeskin casts, yes, but no problems sticking to wood or shrinking away.
 
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