Getting a Head start on next year's Ugliest Pen Contest

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KMCloonan

KMCloonan

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I cast some sweetgum pods (Thanks @JohnU) with a variety of color dyes in Alumilite. Not sure what I was expecting, but when I pulled the blank out of the mold, I was thinking it should just go straight in the garbage. Then I thought, what the heck, I'll get a head start on the Ugliest Pen contest for next year's bash.

But as I turned the blank, and finished it, it sort of grew on me. Kind of like a Bob Ross "Happy little accident"
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I know once I display pics I can't enter it into the Ugliest Pen contest, but I have lots of time to make an uglier pen,

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That blank was a diamond in the rough! I'm glad you decided to turn it. Happy little accident in deed and one to be proud of!
 
JohnU said:
That blank was a diamond in the rough! I'm glad you decided to turn it. Happy little accident indeed and one to be proud of!
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Thanks John - When casting with Sweetgum pods, feel like I am racing against the resin.... You want the resin to be thin enough to flow into the nooks & crannies and minimize voids, but at the same time, when using multiple colors, you want the resin to thicken up to get good color separation. Any suggestions on how to balance the two requirements?
 
KMCloonan said:
Thanks John - When casting with Sweetgum pods, feel like I am racing against the resin.... You want the resin to be thin enough to flow into the nooks & crannies and minimize voids, but at the same time, when using multiple colors, you want the resin to thicken up to get good color separation. Any suggestions on how to balance the two requirements?
Click to expand...
It's a tricky situation you'll find yourself in when casting. I usually start to pour around 90°-95° with sweet gum pods. If I'm casting vertical I'll put one in the mold and pour, when I get 3/4 of the way up that pod I'll put another on top and continue. I usually only pour 3 pods deep. That's enough for any one tube. If I'm pouring a block mold, I pack them in and alternate colors as quick as I can changing directions with each color. I make sure to pour over the top of them and get under pressure (about 50lbs) as soon as possible. I usually stick to around 3 colors. If I find any voids and I just fill them with sanding dust and ca. keep up the good work!
 
JohnU said:
It's a tricky situation you'll find yourself in when casting. I usually start to pour around 90°-95° with sweet gum pods. If I'm casting vertical I'll put one in the mold and pour, when I get 3/4 of the way up that pod I'll put another on top and continue. I usually only pour 3 pods deep. That's enough for any one tube. If I'm pouring a block mold, I pack them in and alternate colors as quick as I can changing directions with each color. I make sure to pour over the top of them and get under pressure (about 50lbs) as soon as possible. I usually stick to around 3 colors. If I find any voids and I just fill them with sanding dust and ca. keep up the good work!
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Thanks for the advice. I will try doing some in vertical tubes. I did this blank in a 1"x1"x6" single blank mold. I was able to wedge the pods in the mold, as they were slightly larger than 1". I tried the block mold before and had a helluva time keeping the pods from floating up - I put netting over them to hold them down, but they were pretty buoyant. It seemed like the blanks I made from that mold only had half a pod, as that was all that remained down in the resin. But blanks & pens made with sweetgum pods are really cool, so I'm gonna keep plugging away at it.

Below is a pen I made with a blank I won from this year's bash. I want to be able to make blanks like this.
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I think it would be a great Halloween pen. I see an evil duck in the first photo and a coming human ghoul face in the fourth… or is just my imagination?
 
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