Casting for kids-PR vs Alumilite?

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DLGunn

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Jul 31, 2009
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285
Location
Paragould, AR
My daughter has been wanting me to get into casting so she can make some blanks. She has a blast making some blanks at BSea's house last fall. But I have been reading and know that PR can be bad to breathe in. I cannot find a good respirator to fit my 10yo daughter. I use a 3M 6500QL for sanding and spraying of finishes. But I don't think even there small size would fit her.

So I considered just going with Alumilite, but wanted to ask here first. What are the pros and cons of each. I will list what I think and let the experts here tell me their opinions on what direction to go.

We can cast outside, or at open end of garage, so we will not be in a confined space in any way.

PR:
Pros
easier to cast?
no pressure pot needed
longer working time-easier for kit to mix
less expensive

Cons
harmful fumes
harder to make worthless wood type castings


Alumilite:
Pros
less harmful fumes?
can cast worthless wood type castings

Cons
need pressure pot
very small working time-harder for kid to mix it
more expensive



I would like to get into casting, for her and for me. I also will be looking to make game call blanks soon, mostly duck call blanks. What do you recommend?



.
 
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I would not expose a child to pr.Alumilite is easy to work with.7 minute pot life is long enough as long as you get the colors you want with part 1 before adding part 2.
 
Read the MSDS and Technical Data Sheet (see "precautions at end") on alumilite. I've linked them for "Clear" below. Just because you can't smell it doesn't mean there isn't a reason to take precautions. You decide if you want to expose your daughter. I would not let mine work with either alumilite or PR without adequate protection (respirator, gloves, goggles).

MSDS


TDS

Ed
 
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Alumilite is very easy to mix. Start with their Clear (not Water Clear, just Clear) and you'll get a couple extra minutes of pot life to give more mixing time.

You can add color to just Part A - BEFORE mixing in Part B. That lets you slowly add color, mica powder, etc to dial in the desired color (go a hair darker than you think you want since adding the Part B will dilute the color effect somewhat).

Right down how many drops of dye you added so that future batches can be made faster/easier. For those, mix A & B, then add the desired number of drops of dye.

Mixing uncolored A with your B is easier to verify when you have it fully mixed (since the mix turns clear when it's fully mixed). But, you can get by with doing that for one sample pour to get a feel for how long you have to stir (it's really not all that long....plenty of pot life remains after normal mixing).

The time hit comes from being slow to add color as you're trying to figure out how dark you want the final results.

It doesn't take much mica powder to turn the Clear resin into non-translucent (unless you turn the resulting blank really thin).

It also doesn't take much dye for the darker colors to lose the translucency. So, no need to fret about using Clear as a starting point. It works great, looks great, turns nicely, polishes nicely...

I did some Alumilite casting with my daughter earlier this year....she's older than yours but nothing we did (other than tightening down the pressure pot's lid) should be beyond a 10 year old's ability.

Whichever way you go, have fun and post photos of the resulting blanks/pens/calls!
 
I wear nitrile gloves while casting and have a box of them in a smaller size when my daughter helps. I've gotten Part A, Part B, and both (after mixing) on my skin with no rashes/burning/etc. But we still wear the gloves (helps speed cleanup and avoids unnecessary contact).

I put a plastic-backed drop cloth down on the table we were working on...caught the drips, spills, etc nicely. I also had one spread on the floor under where we were working (and made sure the pressure pot was sitting on it as well). Spills happen, drips happen, drop cloths are a simple step to contain the potential mess and simplify clean up.
 
And about PR.

The fumes are not something you want your daughter breathing, but it is the MEKP that you especially need to worry about. MEKP on the skin or in the eyes can be really bad news.

Maybe your daughter can provide creative input, but you do all the handling for a couple more years for whatever you end up using? Just a thought.

Ed
 
The 47 year old's non-PC answer. Go with PR. I did a lot of things at age 10 with and without my Dad that ~GASP~ I shouldn't have been exposed to that! My father should have never allowed me to do this and that. Most of it was all in the name of fun. (And there are quite a few great memories from then, too!) I doubt a little exposure to the fumes will prematurely end her life or make her grow a third eye or have her finger nails fall off. But, it may give her some great memories of growing up and doing things with Dad.
 
I cast both PR and Alumilite with my Daughters, a bit of instruction and good ventilation (We did it outside on the porch) and no harm done. Had fun and made some great looking blanks.
 
When I was in college chemistry class, we were not allowed to bring MEKP out from under the fume hood, which had a direct exhaust out of the building. I would NEVER, EVER start a young child out on PR because of the nature of MEKP. There are adults who were on this site who disregarded warnings about PR and cast the material inside their houses. They also reported how sick they became.

In contrast, Alumilite is nearly non-toxic. Here is something not mentioned before. Alumilite also makes a version called White. If you don't need to make translucent blanks, but just want to make colored blanks or swirl blanks, White can be used. The advantage of White is: no pressure pot needed. The blank will be ready, although still very warm, in 7 minutes or so. We have "pour" nights at our local pen club and we use White because its so quick. It is a perfect way to get kids, or adults started. Once you've had some experience, then clear or other types of casting material can be considered, if you feel the need. One note: be sure to wear disposable gloves--the dyes are really tough to get off the skin. I had a hand that was dark blue for 5 days before it started to wash off.
 
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I think it's a fantastic idea, go with the PR, it's cheaper easy to find and if she really likes it then you could go all the way out with better stuff. Just use a mask and work in a well ventilated area, follow all the precautions and just have fun with your daughter. If she really is interested, then you move heaven and earth and help her be the artist she can be! that's what i do with mine.
Joey
 
Oops, I did not know you could cast the Alumilte white with no pressure pot. Do you put it in a mold or use PVC pipes, something else? Any problems with air bubbles?
 
I use a silicone mold that I made myself by buying tubes of silicone from the local hardware store.

PVC pipes do not work as a mold for Alumilite. Alumilite does not shrink once its finished curing, so it would be impossible to remove it from the pipe.

Finally, I have never seen any bubbles in a blank made with Alumilite White, except for a few at the surface, which will all be removed in the turning process. I have never encountered one below the surface of the blank. Incidentally, Alumilite also makes a Black, which just adds black dye for you, and a Regular, which comes out as a light tan, almost bone color. The Regular, unfortunately, requires much more dye to get the color you desire, making White the preferred product in the opaque group.
 
Ok, great, a couple more questions. Is the mold for one pen blank or multiple? Is it like the silicon molds you can buy, or make from a plastic cutting board?
 
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