Casting for the first time today.. Quick questions!

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capcrnch

capcrnch

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Jan 3, 2010
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I'm going to be casting for the first time this afternoon.
I'm 99% sure i'm ready to go, but have 2 doubts in my head that I was hoping for clarification on..

I've read SO many threads as of late and there seems to be 2 different ways of adding the 2nd color..
-The first is to mix up your cup with your resin, color and hardner, then as it gels, add a little extra and "swirl" it in.
-The second is to mix up 1 cup with color 1 and pour into the mold, mix up a 2nd cup with color 2, then "drizzle" the contents of cup 2 into the mold.

Which method is better for defined swirls in the blank?

And the 2nd question
Is there any colors that just don't cast good? ie, any colors I should stay away from because they just don't look right coming out of the mold?

Thanks all!
 
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I've heard that there are some problems with black but I use the recommended colorant from US Composites and, although it seems to take longer to thicken, it comes out fine.

I typically leave it in the pressure pot for about 4-5 hours then take it out of the mold to finish curing because the outside is a little tacky.

I don't have a lot of answers because I haven't been doing it that long but I've had good luck mixing up both colors then, as they start to thicken, pour them simutaneously into the mold.

Post some pics when you get done. I'd love to see what you come up with.

Have fun and good luck.
 
I should mention that I'm not using alumalite or a pressure pot!
Good old-fashioned airdrying of the castin' clear from Michaels!
 
Rich; I thought of this after I had browsed your message. I can't respond to some of your questions as I do not cast my own blanks.

One tip I have seen repeated is when casting blanks, write down the recipe ie. the amount of color dyes, percentage, how mixed, wait times, amount of resins etc so you can reproduce a particular blank if needed.
 
Typically, red takes forever to set.

But then, we have always had Black set really fast.

So, apparently, there are no universal truths. Sorry.
 
If you measure your catalyst with a syringe, at .75% to 1% by volume, many of the curing problems dissapear. Well, as long as one stays within the pigment load recommended for the resin one is using. You also need to have done your experimentation to know your color formulation. Once you have done this you can catalyse the resin first, then add your pigments.

Cross pouring your different color resins or pouring one then the other and then combing them together are both good methods. There are as many ways as the day is long.

Of course all bets on curing time and resin durability are off when and if one uses Testors paints, or house paint, or ...
 
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I still haven't kicked this damn flu, so I decided to hold off until I can breathe without all the chest congestion..

I'll be hopefully trying it this week!
 
Finally casted this past weekend..
Here were my results:

#1, im an idiot.
#1a - My neighbors are a pain in my butt.
#2 - I mixed up in a plastic highball cup, things looked well. Until my neighbor knocked on the door and needed help getting their cat out of the attic. Me to the rescue. Highball cup eaten away. Epoxy leaked on the floor. Ugh! This isn't starting well.
#3 - I mixed up a 2nd batch, using pearl-ex, loved the way it looked right away. My plan was to introduce a 2nd color as it gelled. (this is the part that you see #1).. In a rush, I read the hardner instructions wrong and didn't add enough drops.
I checked on it after a few minutes and it hadn't gelled at all. That's when I realized what I did (or didn't do) with the hardner. So, I added a few drops, gave it a quick stir in the mold and waited.
Well, (see #1 again) I waited too long. Duh. It was already hard and I couldn't introduce the 2nd color into the mix. So, I added it to the top and planned on a layered pen.

Turned out ok. For the most part, i'm happy and I learned a little.

I learned:
-There are 2 thicknesses of the highball cup. Use the thicker of the 2.
-Ignore neighbors when necessary.
-Read the damn instructions. Sometimes twice!
-Don't wait too long. Check your mold often when you're waiting to add a 2nd color!
-Castin' Craft doesn't go as far as you think it will. Buy a bigger size if you plan on doing this regularly.

Even with all the drama, I'm very excited about the possibilities for the future!
 
capcrnch said:
I learned:
-There are 2 thicknesses of the highball cup. Use the thicker of the 2.
-Ignore neighbors when necessary.
-Read the damn instructions. Sometimes twice!
-Don't wait too long. Check your mold often when you're waiting to add a 2nd color!
-Castin' Craft doesn't go as far as you think it will. Buy a bigger size if you plan on doing this regularly.

Even with all the drama, I'm very excited about the possibilities for the future!
Click to expand...

Thats exactly what I learned my first time casting as well. A couple things that could help...I switched from using plastic cups to paper cups (got the idea from butch). no issues with melting, the only thing is you can't stir like a madman bc you can swaf the wax lining into the resin. The other is I stopped using castin craft FAST. Even if you are not planning on casting a ton Silmar 41 is soooooo much better! the viscocity is thinner to begin with and the air bubbles have no trouble dispersing. I gave a casting demo earlier this month and had 1 color gel MUCH faster than the other even with the same catalyst so those things just happen. The blanks turned out kinda cool actually so no big loss. best of luck and lets see what that blank looked like or a finished product (no pic, didn't happen right:confused::tongue:)
 
I'm going to cut the blank tonight, ill take a pic for sure.

You're the 2nd person today that suggested I get rid of Castin Craft and get to Silmar.
I'm going to start shopping for some tonight, thanks!
 
capcrnch said:
I'm going to cut the blank tonight, ill take a pic for sure.

You're the 2nd person today that suggested I get rid of Castin Craft and get to Silmar.
I'm going to start shopping for some tonight, thanks!
Click to expand...


When I was turning my castin craft blanks they would turn like inlace even with 3-4 drops catalyst per oz. with silmar I haven't had 1 blank act like that (knock on resin:tongue:). Here's the site I buy my silmar from www.uscomposites.com. I think if you do try it you'll see what we mean.
 
Terrible pics, but..
The pens are much darker than they appear. They have a real deep "rust" color, with hints of white.

qn7na0.jpg


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I blew out 3 blanks. 2 with my pen mill, 1 on the lathe.
The 2 on the pen mill turned out to be a cracked mill. I didn't realize it till I after the 2nd. I looked at it and saw the cracked metal. I think that happened the other day when I was cleaning the shop.

The 1 from the lathe was my fault, I rushed it and hit it too hard.
 
Rich,
If you try the simlar, let us know on this thread. I'm sure I am not the only one watching with interest!!!
Thanks for taking the time to post your results!!!
 
I'm definitely trying the silmar.
I ordered Wednesday and expect to see it Monday!

I think Tuesday i'll be casting again!
 
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