Castin' Craft Polyester Resin

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LouisQC

LouisQC

Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2007
Messages
220
Location
Gatineau, QC, Canada.
I'd like to make an experiment, my first casting attempt. I'm not ready into buying vacuum/pressure pots so I was wondering if anyone had used Castin'Craft Polyester Resin.

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can this be used without a pressure pot?
 
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It's basically the same stuff (Silmar 41) I get from Mr. Fiberglass. My first PR was cast using the PR from Micheals, and I have yet to pressure cast any PR, so yes, it will work just fine.
 
yep that will work just fine. The reason most people stop using that is because it is cheaper to buy a gallon from Mr. Fiberglass. I would buy the one from Michaels to test the waters and see if you like casting then look into getting from Mr. Fiberglass
 
as said above, BUT if you plan on casting something inside the PR, then you'll likely get bubbles without vac/pressure. in solid PR the bubbles will usually float out while curing, but with an object in the cast, the bubbles have something to hold onto.
 
I started out with that exact resin and had no problems. I eliminated bubbles by pouring a very small stream from the cup to the mold. If you are making clear clastings, bubbles will show no matter how small, and might be a problem, but if your adding pigment, it will hide bubbles deep in the blank. If your making a solid color blanks, try using oil based art paints that come in tubes. Ive noticed that bubbles dont seem to be a problem with it. Mica and pearX powders however will show more bubbles. The differences Ive found are oil paint makes the blank softer and turns smoother. I use 5 drops per ounce with oil paint to help the oil based resin set. I use 3 drops per ounce with the powders and clear casts to keep the resin from getting brittle and turn with less shards breaking away. Oil paint blanks dont seem to shine as well as pigment powder blanks in my opinion, but it does make for easier color mixing because you can mix the color and brush it on paper before you add the resin. Like above, I only switched to silmar41 because I buy it in 5 gal to save money. Hope this helps. John
 
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CASTING

Mickey
When you start, do you determine the volume of your mold then measure out the clear resin and pour off a small amount for each color and mix along with hardener in each color then put hardner in your base color and pour the colors and swirl with a mixing stick?
Nick
 
Nick said:
Mickey
When you start, do you determine the volume of your mold then measure out the clear resin and pour off a small amount for each color and mix along with hardener in each color then put hardner in your base color and pour the colors and swirl with a mixing stick?
Nick
Click to expand...

What I have done is exactly as you describe. I measure the mold with water then pour that into a cup and mark a line. I would seperate then based on what I was trying to do. Mix the powders or whatever your colorant is well then start adding the hardener. After a few minutes (you will learn when it is time based on the amount you add) you can pour the resin together in the mold and mix or swirl how you see fit. These are a few of the ones I came up with using the basic Pearl-Ex set. I tried other pigments but never had them mix quite as well. I would mix them and then I would pour into the mold at the same time, trying to get them to swirl together while pouring so I wouldn't end up with one color stuck on each side. On a few of the ones I cast, I stuck a toothpick and slightly mixed or swirled. For the mold, Wal-Mart sells or used to see some ice cube trays that make long circular cubes. They have removable bottoms and work perfect for half a pen. I know lots of people here use them or at least used to use them.

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Flying melon, the 40% off coupons are usually found in their sales flyers you get in the sunday paper. Usually good for normal priced stuff. Beware though, the stuff stinks and you will want to do it outside.
 
Mickey
Thank you for your info!! I had already got the ice cube molds that you spoke of. I will give it a try tonight. Again, thank you for sharing!! Your photos and casting are excellent as well
Nick
 
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