Attempt at Cloth Keychains (in progress)

Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
Todd in PA

Todd in PA

Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2021
Messages
731
Location
Port Matilda, PA
I got a tube-in resin mold (thanks mbroberg) and just started playing around. Will any of these turn out?

42A3D54F-E53F-4769-9276-055EE23EC083.jpeg

A) Fabric ribbon.
B) Chain for a necklace.
C) Actual t-shirt cloth tie dye.
D) (not shown) Thinner pattern printed fabric.

I hit 'em with a hair dryer to warm it up and remove moisture. Will the materials trap air? Will the material be too thick? I saw nothing in search or resources about cloth pens.

Well, they're in the pressure pot now—Shrodingers blanks. Any predictions?
 
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
Yes they will trap air. I hope you are using an epoxy resin. You need a real thin resin to get into things like the chain and even with a pressure pot. Or if using a resin like Silmar 40 you need to warm the resin to really thin it. Have been casting for a long time and a few pointers I learned along the way.These will be all good learning experience for you. Good luck. I had show rope pen blanks I made which a similar to cloth. I found also I needed to use a color preserver to keep the colors vibrant or they become muddy.
 
They are all doable but the thicker material on the first one will definitely give you challenges trying to remove air. I probably wouldn't bet on that one turning out. If your using a slow curing resin your chances will be better. Also, thinner resin would be better than thick. Glad to hear you warmed the material before casting. That will help remove any humidity that may be on them. I've cast fabric before in Silmar 41 polyresin with now issues, but I rubbed them down with resin before pouring the mold full to help get saturation. Also, it was thin material glued on with CA so the fabric wouldn't hold as much air. Good luck… I'll keep my fingers gets crossed and hope for the best for you.
 
Well I feel honored that JohnU weighed in on my experiment. He's a casting pro!

I did keychains to minimize disappointment if it didn't work out. They turned out ok. Several small bubbles, but decent result. I'll post the turned items tomorrow.
 

Attachments

  • 4AB74327-A2F0-4B87-88A2-4FC054E34CBD.jpeg
    4AB74327-A2F0-4B87-88A2-4FC054E34CBD.jpeg
    433.7 KB · Views: 138
Todd in PA said:
Well I feel honored that JohnU weighed in on my experiment. He's a casting pro!

I did keychains to minimize disappointment if it didn't work out. They turned out ok. Several small bubbles, but decent result. I'll post the turned items tomorrow.
Click to expand...
They do look like they came out well. What was the process and what resin did you use? Did you put under pressure and if so how long and what pressure?
 
Todd in PA said:
I got a tube-in resin mold (thanks mbroberg) and just started playing around. Will any of these turn out?

View attachment 339887
A) Fabric ribbon.
B) Chain for a necklace.
C) Actual t-shirt cloth tie dye.
D) (not shown) Thinner pattern printed fabric.

I hit 'em with a hair dryer to warm it up and remove moisture. Will the materials trap air? Will the material be too thick? I saw nothing in search or resources about cloth pens.

Well, they're in the pressure pot now—Shrodingers blanks. Any predictions?
Click to expand...
I predicted the cat will escape before you open the pot but the results look good. I'd be interested in your s9lution to the air bubbles as , despite 50Lb pressure sometimes I still get some in my aluminite blanks.

The swearing doesn't cure them but boy does it make me feel better! Only when family not present anyway
 
I didn't get to this yesterday…they essentially all came out satisfactory (for keychains). I'm not sure I'd try any of these for a pen except the thin cloth one. I would consider trying to make Xmas keychains and possibly tree ornaments using ribbon. That one is kinda 🔥

6967AF1E-ED2D-48D0-8574-F8408B01025C.jpeg
07FF57B6-7886-440E-8D84-4A3C99579FB6.jpeg
1D18A3EE-DF3E-4E45-80A7-9F616C4FC57A.jpeg
69D6ECD2-B0A7-4560-8888-3DABDD4ACBB4.jpeg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom