Alumilite questions

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PTJeff

PTJeff

Member
Joined
Jun 13, 2007
Messages
228
Location
Berea, Ohio, USA.
This is for anybody who has used Alumilite.

Do you have the "dissolving cup" issue when you are mixing?

Has anybody ever poured Alumilite over PR? Do they bond in the pour?

When you mix the colors in part A, then add part B, does it dilute the color? If it does do you then double the colorant (powder or drops) to compensate for the part B volume?

Thanks to anybody who can help
 
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I have had cup melting issues, especially if you leave it too long. I've been using
some hard plastic cups (clear) that are working out well. They have a #6 on the
bottom, but I've also had some of the #6 get 'tacky' on the bottom when I stir, so
I'm not sure if it was the particular cups or not. I've noticed that white plastic cups
can leach out color into the mix and leave a hazy swirl in the pour.

I typically mix color with part A till I'm happy and then double that amount before
adding the part B because it will dilute.

I've poured Alumilite over PR that is already cured but I haven't turned it, it is just
the leftovers I poured into a cup. The alumilite seemed to pull a bit of the color out
of the cured PR, but I'm not 100% sure if that wasn't just residue on the sides of the
cup or not. It was just a slight tint.

But I haven't poured all that much, I'm still new at this.
 
I have had some cups that have turned a bit soft while mixing but have NEVER melted through.

"When you mix the colors in part A, then add part B, does it dilute the color? If it does do you then double the colorant (powder or drops) to compensate for the part B volume?"

It depends; with the clear Alumilite the color you see while mixing is pretty much what you get. When using the RC3 (tan) or the white resin however the liquid mix looks one color while you mix it BUT once set it is much, much lighter that what it looked like when still liquid. So you have to play withg the colors until you find a formula that works for you.
 
One bit of advice...don't add the color to part A. I know the directions on the dye says to do so but Mike at Alumilite is about to change that. Getting A & B mixed together properly is so important. When you add A and B together without dye, you can see it turn cloudy. Once it is COMPLETELY mixed, there will no longer be any cloudiness or swirls. That is when you know it is properly mixed. Then add your color, mix and pour.

The reason they say to add it to part A is because the dye is part A based and could skew your ratio if you use a LOT of dye. If do it my way and pour 3 ounces of A and 3 ounces of B and then add 1 ounce of Dye, you would effectively be at 4 ounces of A and 3 ounces of B which would not work out. However, their dye is so concentrated that you should never need that much dye.

I transfer my dye to empty CA bottles and use the tip as a dropper. You can buy empty eye droppers from a pharmacy and use that. I use 1 drop per mixed ounce and have great color. That is such a small amount that it does not skew the ratio at all.

Like I said, Alumilite will be changing their instruction shortly to reflect my advice above. It is so much more important to get it mixed properly. Alumilite give out my phone number to pen casters when they have a problem. I have helped right at 15 people so far and with 98% of them, their problem was not getting the resin mixed completely. Take your time and don't rush. 5 minutes is a lot longer than you think!

I timed it one time and from the time I started mixing to when I had it fully pressured was right at 3 minutes. That was 18 ounces mixed and included me having to walk across the shop to get my air hose because I forget it until I had the resin in the pot!

OH yeah, I have never had a cup melting issue. If you really want the easiest results, go to Sam's Club and buy some clear plastic cups. They will allow you to see through the cup and see the swirls and cloudiness I mention above better.
 
Thanks to all who have responded today.
It's always good to get input from experienced craftsmen, that is why i always come to the IAP for help.

Now here's a process question for the Alumilite cheerleader ;)
i am going to cast a blank that will have a colored clear portion and a colored pearl portion. My thought was to mix 4 oz of part A with the desired color, then divide this into (2) 2 oz portions. add pearl to one. now i have 2 part A's with the same color. Add part B and mix-n-pour. Given your suggestion for mixing A and B then adding color, do you think there is enough open time to mix color and then pearl before it starts thickening?
my main goal is to have both the clear colored and the pearl colored be a matched color.
 
Jeff, Did you ever see the red, white, and blue "Original Cactus Blank"™ that I made and sent to USAFvet98? It was made with white Alumilite which has an open time of 2.5 minutes. I poured a few ounces into 3 different cups. I then added my part B and mixed each. I then added my dye and mixed each and poured. Granted, I had to work like a madman and that is why I don't want to sell them, but I pulled it off.

In your case, I personally would mix up my resin as I described above and then pour 1/2 of it into a different cup. Then add my pearlex and go. Mixing in the pearlex does not take very long at all.

Also remember, Alumilite does not start to gel! One moment it is liquid and the next it is getting hard. If it starts to get hard, don't even waste your time trying to pour it!
 
I have done a few casts with PR and mixing pearl was not difficult but i have heard of others having some issues. I don't want to have lumpy pearl because i didn't have enough time to mix.
another question if you will. is the Alumilite color thick as oil or syrup?
 
PTJeff said:
This is for anybody who has used Alumilite.

Do you have the "dissolving cup" issue when you are mixing?
Click to expand...


Jeff,

I'm an Aluminite newbie, but I'll chime in here. I bought the small plastic cups that Aluminite sells. I've made 5 pours, all using the same cup. At this rate, I'm set for cups for the next 50 years.

Once the pour is made, I invert the cup on the trash pile. An next time I'm ready to pour, I just squeeze the cup and the remnants of the last pour come out of the cup in one piece!

Gonna do some colors and pearlex next.

HTH
Tom
 
TomW said:
Jeff,

I'm an Aluminite newbie, but I'll chime in here. I bought the small plastic cups that Aluminite sells. I've made 5 pours, all using the same cup. At this rate, I'm set for cups for the next 50 years.

Once the pour is made, I invert the cup on the trash pile. An next time I'm ready to pour, I just squeeze the cup and the remnants of the last pour come out of the cup in one piece!

Gonna do some colors and pearlex next.

HTH
Tom
Click to expand...


I'd bet dimes for doughnuts that if you looked on the bottom of the cups you would find the recyling mark, code 2 HDPE or code 5 PP.


.
 
Everyone always talks about the short setup time with alumilite, but I'm with Curtis, 5 minutes is plenty! I actually mix PR up even faster b/c it stinks so bad I want to get it in the pot like yesterday. With any kind of planning about what colors you're going to use, alumilite shouldn't take any longer than 1 minute to pour, put into the pot and pressurize after mixing. You just can't mix the alumilite, go take a dump and check the IAP before pouring it in your mold!
 
I guess i was more concerned with the ability to mix the resin to the right color, then mix in the pearl. That way i would have the 2 batches with the same color and one with pearl. Curtis then brought up the concern with inadiquate mixing as the primary problem with most failures. With a 7 minute pot life i wasn't much concerned with having enough time to mix, unless the pearl addative wouldn't mix easily.
Your not kidding about the quick mix with PR, I would stir that stuff with a vengence, but basically got thrown out of house with that casting. The fumes would permeate the house for days.
 
PTJeff said:
I guess i was more concerned with the ability to mix the resin to the right color, then mix in the pearl. That way i would have the 2 batches with the same color and one with pearl. Curtis then brought up the concern with inadiquate mixing as the primary problem with most failures. With a 7 minute pot life i wasn't much concerned with having enough time to mix, unless the pearl addative wouldn't mix easily.
Your not kidding about the quick mix with PR, I would stir that stuff with a vengence, but basically got thrown out of house with that casting. The fumes would permeate the house for days.
Click to expand...
Just so you know, pearlex mixes like hot butter. It won't really add any time to your mix. It's very, very fine, and with a few stirs will have a nice, swirly effect.
 
RHunter said:
Ah, now I know where Brian was tonight..... :biggrin:
Click to expand...
Yeah, around 8:20pm I realized that I completely forgot about the meeting!!!!! It's the first time I've ever just completely forgotten about it like that....I even have it on my google calendar with a text reminder to go to the meeting but for some reason I didn't get the text! How did it go? (sorry to jack the thread for just a minute).
 
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