casting

Wow, I blink and several months have gone by. We've been crazy busy in the shop as we work to keep the new products in stock. Thank you for supporting our small business and helping us keep American made products like our pen kits alive! As part of bringing back the M3 Material, and converting...

This is for the casters out there. I've started using a different brand of mica powders to color my resin lately, and I've noticed a problem. After the casting has cured and I take it out of the pot I see spots, not many but some, where it looks like the mica powder hasn't mixed well in the...

I decided to dive in head first again after being out of the pen turning hobby for around 10 years. So I'm restarting my journey where I left off...making resin blanks. When I quit pen making back in 2014, my attempts at casting swirls ended up looking like mud. Well 10 years and a lot of...

Just for the fun of it. I have a question for the casters out there. Do you have a list of color combos, a recipe book, or some way to keep track of your color combos? Successful and failed combos? I myself have a color recipe spreadsheet that I keep with 90 color combos in it, and a log for...

Please remove thread!

Hello fellow IAP members. As I have been enjoy the hobby more and more, looking for means to expand into it, I have begun perusing the art of casting, I have purchased items from Turners Warehouse in the past, and am checking there site for casting epoxy and dyes. They sell dyes from Alluminite...

From time to time you just have to share some of life’s simple secrets. This is a kit to sew your turkey shut for cooking. They always go on clearance after Thanksgiving, Christmas and/or Easter. Typically for 5 to 10 cents a pack at places Walmart or a dollar store, as expensive as a quarter...

Where does one find clear tubes for casting pens blanks? I have been using Ptown subbie silicone molds and pvc, but I have seen clear tubes on some videos.

My is starting to do a lot of resin work in her craft and jewelry line. Initially we bought her a small butane torch from Lowe’s to help her with bubbles and such in her resin. Obviously the flame of even a small torch gets quite hot, so she suggested a heat gun may work better for her. After...

Here’s a link to what I’ve been calling “Pen Blank Hype Videos”. It shows a little bit of my process and I find them kind of mesmerizing to watch as the colors layer. Check it out if you get the chance! Abstraction Pen Blank Pour

Here is my latest project. Maple burl and Alumilite cast hybrid sphere. Enjoy!

I am doing my first block of pen blanks with Alumilite and what is the average time before you guys cut your blanks? The cast works out to cover 4 Slim Lines and 4 Gatsby blanks. I don't want to cut and drill too soon. Thanks in advance for the help.

I am looking to purchase a pressure pot for resin casting, but I only want to do it once...okay, once more. :-) What pot do you use and would you recommend it, or a different one? Thank you.

Hey everyone! I just added a new video to my YouTube on casting ribbon pen blanks. While it's not a complete "step by step" tutorial you should be able to grasp the basic process through the video. If you have any questions don't hesitate to comment on the video and I'll be sure to...

I gave this pen away as a promotion for my instagram page (@The_Pensmiths). The Tiny Giant kit pen kit is dressed in one of my alumilite pours. I am really happy with how this one turned out. Thanks for looking! :turtle:

These "turned" out way better than I thought. They are all hybrids with stabilized red box elder (thanks to cactus juice) and alumilite. The blue silver one is clear alumilite with blue dye with blue pearlex and clear alumilite with antique silver pearlex - approximately 80%/20% mix...

I'm looking for molds, with cork ends, for PSI dragon twist pen. Anyone have instructions on how to make the molds? Can I buy them anywhere?

I am looking at casting wood. I am not making pen blanks but something larger. Will polyester resin adhere to the wood or should I go with alumilite or epoxy resin instead?

I have a Celtic pen tube and some stamps that I need affixed to the tube and cast in clear. Who has the the ability and experience to do this correctly? This will be a personal pen. What would be the cost? Thanks guys.

Hello everyone! I'm new to this site but I've been turning pens for almost 15 years now. I like to use unique woods and materials for my projects. I turn key rings, pepper mills, salt shakers and just about any other thing that gets my attention. For the last 2 years I've worked with poly...