Casting help -Pressure or Vacuum

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Flynny

Flynny

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Joined
Aug 29, 2011
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Burlington, MA
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I watched a video where the turner mixed resin with cork to make a sleeve for the coffee cup insert. I would like to try that, but alas I have nothing to cast with. If I am casting something with resin do I use a Pressure pot or vacuum system? Are there any pots that are semi cheap?
Is there a steep learning curve to casting?
Thanks for any help.
John
 
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You use a pressure pot for casting and vacuum system for stabilizing wood. Harbor Freight has pressure pots, but I would recommend spending more and buying something that has real quality control. You can cast with no pressure pot but that depends on type of resin and how many bubbles you are okay with in the final product.
 
I reckon you would be OK with any pressure post for under $100 and rated at least 50 to 60 PSI. most folks use less than that when casting, the more pressure the better but there is obviously a cost associated with high-pressure rate pots and accessories. You can buy one of those already made for casting but still on the economic side of things.

Casting is exciting and a great way to be creative, there isn't much that can't be cast/embedded in resin, however, some important preparations are necessary to certain materials you may think in casting.

Resin and colours/dyes are expensive if you aren't too sensitive to Polyester resin smells, this resin is a lot more economical than most Epoxy resins, I also suggest you keep away from dyes for casting and stick with Pearlex powder, you get so much better results.

All resins do not like moisture, remember that.

You can make your own moulds using the regular white kitchen chopping boards or find some takeaway containers that have suitable size and shape for what you want to cast, they can be re-used over and over again.

You have a world of info about casting on our library, go for a cruise on it and search for suitable titles.

Best of luck,

Cheers
George
 
Sadly 'semi cheap' and casting, and turning in general, are not compatible. I used a Harbor Freight pot for several years with out any issues. However the clamps on that style pot dig directly into the edge of the top and that has become worrisome to me. I just ordered a TCP Global Commercial 2.5 Gallon Pressure Pot from Amazon. The system to clamp on the top looks to be much safer, but the pot is more than twice the cost ...
 
Not all resins are alike. There are 3 resins we use for casting: epoxy, urethane, and polyester resin. Epoxy and polyester resins can be cast without a pressure pot. Urethane resins produce carbon dioxide as a byproduct of the curing process. Urethanes need to be cast with pressure. Polyester resin shrinks when curing so using polyester resin for embedded objects may not be the best choice. Urethane resine have s short pot life, i.e. curing time, so that must be taken into consideration. Epoxies take longer to fully cure than the other two. Epoxy resins "harden" after several hours but will take several days to totally cure. Do your homework, do some searching, watch some videos and decide which resin best suits your particular interest in casting. Vacuum is not generally used in casting with resins, at least no by those of us who are home workshop casters.
Do a good turn daily!
Don
 
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