Casting blanks

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GFHWoodWerks

GFHWoodWerks

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I'm curious about blank casting and am wondering what the cost per black is for you? I'm interested in how inexpensively I could either cast myself or have someone cast for me per blank. I would be looking at the simplest one color casting, from a material that will accept threads. Your input would be very appreciated.
 
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Alumilite would be your best bet. If you're only going to do a few it wouldn't be worth it though. Pressure pot and the learning curve would make it not worth your while in my opinion.
 
I agree with Michael (Bean_Counter). It can be somewhat less expensive to cast your own blanks, but the equipment investment ain't cheap. I would estimate a single-color resin blank (3/4" x 3/4" x 5") could be made for about $3.00 using Alumilite clear slow. There are places all over the internet that you can pick up less expensive blanks ($2.50, $3.00, sometimes less, sometimes a lot more). I got into casting because I wanted to make hybrid blanks, and I end up casting almost all of my resin blanks now that I have the proper setup.
 
KMCloonan said:
I agree with Michael (Bean_Counter). It can be somewhat less expensive to cast your own blanks, but the equipment investment ain't cheap. I would estimate a single-color resin blank (3/4" x 3/4" x 5") could be made for about $3.00 using Alumilite clear slow. There are places all over the internet that you can pick up less expensive blanks ($2.50, $3.00, sometimes less, sometimes a lot more). I got into casting because I wanted to make hybrid blanks, and I end up casting almost all of my resin blanks now that I have the proper setup.
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Long term I do want to get into casting, my question was more just edit the economics of doing it sooner than later. I thank you for the response, it gives me a good data point. Thanks both of you @Bean_Counter and @KMCloonan.
 
The expense is the resin and colorants that you want to use. The learning curve will add to the expense. The pressure pot is your cheapest expense but you want a good quality one and stay away from Harbor Freight ones. Once you have the pot it is all about the resins. You can also spend money on molds but I highly suggest you buy one of John Underhill's casting vertical systems and do it that way. So much easier and cheaper in the long run if you were to buy molds. get it at Exotics Blanks. There you are good to go. No one can give you pricing if you are going to do your own. But as mentioned if you are doing a few then buy them.
 
I use Alumilite clear slow. Last time I bought it it was $193.99 for a gallon of each part A and B. So that comes out to about $.76 per ounce. I try to cast a block at a time that's 17.60oz. The mica or dyes can vary a lot depending on what or where you get them. I tend to use mica powders and they cost me about $.23 per gram. 1 gram per oz of resin. When I cast I try to cast a block at a time, the block is 17.60oz. So a one color block would cost me about $13.61. I usually get 5 blanks out of a block. So that comes out to about $2.72 per blank. Now that doesn't take into account things like the release spray, cups and stuff.
 
RDHals said:
I use Alumilite clear slow. Last time I bought it it was $193.99 for a gallon of each part A and B. So that comes out to about $.76 per ounce. I try to cast a block at a time that's 17.60oz. The mica or dyes can vary a lot depending on what or where you get them. I tend to use mica powders and they cost me about $.23 per gram. 1 gram per oz of resin. When I cast I try to cast a block at a time, the block is 17.60oz. So a one color block would cost me about $13.61. I usually get 5 blanks out of a block. So that comes out to about $2.72 per blank. Now that doesn't take into account things like the release spray, cups and stuff.
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I really appreciate you breaking this down for me. I will be buying blanks for awhile, but one day I'll look into casting, I'm not going to rush into it though.
 
I usually figure about $3 per blank depending on the material being embedded or clear cast. With that said, I can assure you that you won't save money casting your own blanks. If that's your only reason, I would suggest buying what you like and keeping the rest of your money at hand. Everything about casting in a constant investment. The initial set up is the worst… pressure pot, air compressor, resin, molds, mold release, utensils, dyes, micas, etc. them theres the replacement costs as things run out, break or something new comes along you want to try ( resin- mold- colorant…) Color casts leads to embedded objects, then label and clear casts, which is an entirely deeper rabbit hole. New molds and different resins for some castings, then you. Need another pressure pot and more resin. Then there's the storage issue of where to keep it all, and if your lucky- a designated area so your casts don't get contaminated with sawdust or other objects in the shop area- and don't even get me started on the ruined shop clothes. lol. And… none of this even comes close to the cost of learning and how many failures or issues you'll have to work out in your process. How much dye or mica is enough, is the blank transparent, is the resin undermixed, or why didn't this batch turn out…and I won't talk about how many ugly blanks I throw away but they sure looked different in my head. Another issue…time is money. If you like to make and sell pens, the time you spent turning just got shorter because that time is now divided in making blanks. Some blanks take 30 minutes to make while others take 3-7 days. Now if you buy 80lb sets of resin, it's cheaper in volume but you spend $900 on the set to save you money in the long run. It's a savings on paper but it's a huge investment that doesn't come with guarantees.

If you want to enter the world of casting, do it because you want to have total creative control over the pen blanks you use and you want to have some fun experimenting and trying new ideas. Just know… there is NO savings involved and resin never lasts as long as you want it to. Lol

Good luck!
 
JohnU said:
I usually figure about $3 per blank depending on the material being embedded or clear cast. With that said, I can assure you that you won't save money casting your own blanks. If that's your only reason, I would suggest buying what you like and keeping the rest of your money at hand. Everything about casting in a constant investment. The initial set up is the worst… pressure pot, air compressor, resin, molds, mold release, utensils, dyes, micas, etc. them theres the replacement costs as things run out, break or something new comes along you want to try ( resin- mold- colorant…) Color casts leads to embedded objects, then label and clear casts, which is an entirely deeper rabbit hole. New molds and different resins for some castings, then you. Need another pressure pot and more resin. Then there's the storage issue of where to keep it all, and if your lucky- a designated area so your casts don't get contaminated with sawdust or other objects in the shop area- and don't even get me started on the ruined shop clothes. lol. And… none of this even comes close to the cost of learning and how many failures or issues you'll have to work out in your process. How much dye or mica is enough, is the blank transparent, is the resin undermixed, or why didn't this batch turn out…and I won't talk about how many ugly blanks I throw away but they sure looked different in my head. Another issue…time is money. If you like to make and sell pens, the time you spent turning just got shorter because that time is now divided in making blanks. Some blanks take 30 minutes to make while others take 3-7 days. Now if you buy 80lb sets of resin, it's cheaper in volume but you spend $900 on the set to save you money in the long run. It's a savings on paper but it's a huge investment that doesn't come with guarantees.

If you want to enter the world of casting, do it because you want to have total creative control over the pen blanks you use and you want to have some fun experimenting and trying new ideas. Just know… there is NO savings involved and resin never lasts as long as you want it to. Lol

Good luck!
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My question comes from two perspectives. The first was cost, I wanted to understand if it was the cheapest way to get resin blanks. This thread has made it abundantly clear that is not the case.

My second is to have the ability to cast exactly what I want. I realize that it's a big investment (initial) and ongoing as new "recipes" are created. Getting exactly what you want in a blank could be a one pitch home run, but doubtful from what I've seen. Now after casting for years I bet the iterations are fewer to get that win.

Thanks for adding your input on thias topic. Your experience is well taken and when I get around to actually casting I'll revisit the question. There are many blanks under $2.50 to choose from at this stage in my pen making journey.
 
The one thing not mentioned is you can always go into the business of selling blanks. I will say this again and again and have over the years, you can make more money selling blanks than selling pens. So keep that in mind. Many people here have gone down this path.
 
Why not try the cheap way first? Buy a small bottle of two part epoxy, use a suitable container to make a block ( i used an empty margarine container) that you can dye with food colouring or mica. Cut it into blanks and make a couple pens and see what happens. If you are patient and use a small torch to pop the bubbles ( or if u use deep pour epoxy) you are pretty much ok.
Just saying, cheers
 
After a couple of years using Clear Slow, I decided to give Mckenzie's urethane resin a try.
www.mckenziepenworks.com

Thermoset Urethane Clear Casting Resin

The fine folks at Thermoset Solutions have worked with us to develop custom resins we used in all of our products. We're happy to now be able to offer one of these high performance resins to our customers. CSD2078 is the clear urethane resin we use for all our DiamondCast blanks. It cures water...
www.mckenziepenworks.com www.mckenziepenworks.com

I think it gets harder than Alumilite, though it may be that my resin went past the expiration. I also think the extra open time is valuable.

If I'm not casting material and just mixing color, I use 3/4" pvc. This gives me a rod dimension of .675 You have to be good at drilling right down the center with a Jr. size cap of .567. But theres a lot less waste and I can make blanks for $1.75 in this dimension.

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A pressure pot is required. Even more so than Alumilite. There's also an extra do-dad I had to buy and attach to my pressure pot to filter moisture. It foams badly at ambient pressure and humidity.

What I didn't mention before is HOW MUCH FUN it is to make your own blanks. Making color choices and experimenting is exciting. Of course there are also a lot of blanks that turned out ugly which I'll probably never use. I'd be overjoyed to sell those for $1.75! 😂

But let's be honest: There are very very few people able to take pen turning into the black. If it's about finances, you're probably going to progress toward frustration. I do it because I enjoy it.

Here are some self made blanks that I'm proud of from last weekend.
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Here's my 2 cents. I agree with the above responses 99%. The 1% is selling blanks. Not that it's not possible but it depends on you being a sales person which I'm definitely not. The best scenario I can give is compare it to turning a pen. If you just want a couple of pens it's cheaper to buy them. If you want to turn them then there's the equipment to do so. Casting is a hobby in itself. A whole new rabbit hole to spend money and time. I do it because I enjoy being able to make the blanks I want and to add to my pen turning hobby. Good luck if you decide to take the plunge.
 
Todd in PA said:
A pressure pot is required. Even more so than Alumilite. There's also an extra do-dad I had to buy and attach to my pressure pot to filter moisture. It foams badly at ambient pressure and humidity.

What I didn't mention before is HOW MUCH FUN it is to make your own blanks. Making color choices and experimenting is exciting. Of course there are also a lot of blanks that turned out ugly which I'll probably never use. I'd be overjoyed to sell those for $1.75! 😂

But let's be honest: There are very very few people able to take pen turning into the black. If it's about finances, you're probably going to progress toward frustration. I do it because I enjoy it.

Here are some self made blanks that I'm proud of from last weekend.
View attachment 378661View attachment 378662View attachment 378663View attachment 378664View attachment 378665
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I'm not looking for profit, I'm looking to reduce costs however (long term). I'm just going to be turning a lot of blanks practicing with no pen ever intended from them. This is why I poses this question. Thanks for the info. Plus I already planned on putting a moisture filter in my air system when I set that up, learned that from my apprentice pattern maker days with air tools.
 
Kenny Durrant said:
Here's my 2 cents. I agree with the above responses 99%. The 1% is selling blanks. Not that it's not possible but it depends on you being a sales person which I'm definitely not. The best scenario I can give is compare it to turning a pen. If you just want a couple of pens it's cheaper to buy them. If you want to turn them then there's the equipment to do so. Casting is a hobby in itself. A whole new rabbit hole to spend money and time. I do it because I enjoy being able to make the blanks I want and to add to my pen turning hobby. Good luck if you decide to take the plunge.
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Thanks, I like the attitude here. It's about doing a hobby and creating what you want out of it.
 
Like Todd (Todd in PA), I use 3/4" inch PVC pipe molds that I made myself for a minimal expense. There is a tutorial in the Resources about my first generation mold called PVC Pipe Vertical Casting Mold. I wrote a somewhat elaborate calculator to predict the amount of resin I would need depending on how many blanks I was going to pour, the cost of the materials, how much waste I was anticipating, etc. Essentially, my calculations started out at somewhere around $1.75 to $2.00 per blank. The blanks were 5.5" inches long and using Schedule 40 PVC (ID = 0.804").

My second mold, I made from Schedule 80 PVC per a suggestion from Michele (Hippie3180). Schedule 80 PVC is 0.742" inches in diameter -- smaller than Schedule 40 by about 12%. It brought my estimated cost down to the $1.50 to $1.75 range.

Of course I'm using Alumilite Clear Slow that I got on sale from Ed at Exotic Blanks. It seems like my major expense as far as consumables go is that I have turned into a collector of powdered pigments. Eye Candy has far too many colors available. :)

As has been commented on already, if you do jump in, I also recommend that you avoid modifying a paint pot, like the Harbor Freight, and get something already set up for resin casting. For example, I bought the 2-1/2 gallon California Air Tools pot that is designed specifically for resin casting -- it was turnkey and worked flawlessly the first time - right out of the box.

I'm in it for the fun. I jumped in after buying some blanks from Turnt Pen Co. - Their blanks are outstanding, so It made me want to make some of my own. Then, this spring at the MPG in Chicago, I went to a session by John Underhill (JohnU) on clear casting - of course I bought his Underhill Casting Vertical Mold System from Exotic Blanks after I got home. Color Casts as well as Clear Casts / Label or embedded object casts can be made in it too.

Dave
 
egnald said:
Like Todd (Todd in PA), I use 3/4" inch PVC pipe molds that I made myself for a minimal expense. There is a tutorial in the Resources about my first generation mold called PVC Pipe Vertical Casting Mold. I wrote a somewhat elaborate calculator to predict the amount of resin I would need depending on how many blanks I was going to pour, the cost of the materials, how much waste I was anticipating, etc. Essentially, my calculations started out at somewhere around $1.75 to $2.00 per blank. The blanks were 5.5" inches long and using Schedule 40 PVC (ID = 0.804").

My second mold, I made from Schedule 80 PVC per a suggestion from Michele (Hippie3180). Schedule 80 PVC is 0.742" inches in diameter -- smaller than Schedule 40 by about 12%. It brought my estimated cost down to the $1.50 to $1.75 range.

Of course I'm using Alumilite Clear Slow that I got on sale from Ed at Exotic Blanks. It seems like my major expense as far as consumables go is that I have turned into a collector of powdered pigments. Eye Candy has far too many colors available. :)

As has been commented on already, if you do jump in, I also recommend that you avoid modifying a paint pot, like the Harbor Freight, and get something already set up for resin casting. For example, I bought the 2-1/2 gallon California Air Tools pot that is designed specifically for resin casting -- it was turnkey and worked flawlessly the first time - right out of the box.

I'm in it for the fun. I jumped in after buying some blanks from Turnt Pen Co. - Their blanks are outstanding, so It made me want to make some of my own. Then, this spring at the MPG in Chicago, I went to a session by John Underhill (JohnU) on clear casting - of course I bought his Underhill Casting Vertical Mold System from Exotic Blanks after I got home. Color Casts as well as Clear Casts / Label or embedded object casts can be made in it too.

Dave
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Thanks Dave. I do know one day down the road I'll be casting. Until then I'll focus on the turning part. I also know that when I do cast I'll take the schedule 80 route, but will cast 9" rods.
 
Been pondering casting my own blanks but this thread has answered a lot of my questions. Many retailers who sell blanks of all kinds- full resin and hybrid. Thanks to all for your questions and answers.
 
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