Color separation with PR

Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
alankulwicki7

alankulwicki7

Member
Joined
Jul 28, 2010
Messages
1,644
Location
Vadnais Heights, MN
Hey all,
So far I've been using PR from Micheal's for all of my casting. Since I'm not doing this on a large scale it has worked fairly well for me.

It seems the only problem I have is when it comes to color separation. When I cast two or three colors, it seems like the colors sort of blend together a fair amount. While there are parts that stay the original color, there are parts that become a mish-mash of all the colors.

I've tried pouring at different times but I still get the mish-mash effect.

Now when you look at Brian's video (aka fool4peppers), you can see how well the color separation turned out.
Three color resin pen blank making - YouTube

Can this be achieved with PR or should I switch to something different? Maybe Alumilite?
 
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
What works for me is to pour the blank in the general pattern I'm trying to get and mixing as little as possible. I'll use a thin bent wire and only pull it through the mold once or twice. The issue I've run into some with PR is when using different pigments some seem to settle to the bottom faster than others. I use testors paint and the white seems to settle to the bottom no matter what you do.
 
How thick is the PR when you pour it? It needs to be karo syrup thick when you pour.

What are you using to dye the PR? I had orange PR using straight PearlEx powder turn yellow when mixing it with black or silver. That stopped when I made orange from liquid dye.

Are you pouring into PVC or into a flat mold?
 
One suggestion, don't buy your PR from Michaels. The Prices is awfully high. I buy mine from Woodnwhimsies.com. Their price is much more reasonable. They also sell PearlEx at a better price as well. Just my .02.
_____________________________________________________
Everyday I'm vertical is a great day
 
PSNCO said:
How thick is the PR when you pour it? It needs to be karo syrup thick when you pour.

What are you using to dye the PR? I had orange PR using straight PearlEx powder turn yellow when mixing it with black or silver. That stopped when I made orange from liquid dye.

Are you pouring into PVC or into a flat mold?
Click to expand...

I've tried different thicknesses when pouring. Even when it's thick I still don't get the color separation I'm hoping for. Also, I use PearlEx powders.

turncrazy43 said:
One suggestion, don't buy your PR from Michaels. The Prices is awfully high. I buy mine from Woodnwhimsies.com. Their price is much more reasonable. They also sell PearlEx at a better price as well. Just my .02.
_____________________________________________________
Everyday I'm vertical is a great day
Click to expand...

I buy from Micheal's because they always have 40-50% off coupons. Because I am fairly new to casting and usually only do small pours, this has worked well for me so far...

PSNCO said:
You can get a gallon of Silmar 41 locally for under $50 here: http://www.iasco-tesco.com/images/catalog/iasco2013.pdf
Click to expand...

Does this work better for getting the color separation like in the video?
 
Silmar and The Castin Craft are nearly the same and how they react. To me, the Silmar clumps differently as it's gelling. The Castin Craft just gelled into solid without a lot of warning. I'm just saying that for $50/gallon versus $22/quart after a 40% off coupon, the cost factor is a no brainer. Plus, Silmar 41 is produced in the Twin Cities. The stuff from IASCO is maybe a week or so old. The stuff from Michael's is 2-3 to 6 months old?

I am by no means an expert or near that level on pours, but after 6 gallons of pours, I have the basics down pretty good. I'm more than happy to stop by a night or weekend you're pouring to see how your pouring and help you get a pour to where you'd like it to be. I've also got every Pearl-Ex color on hand and about 24 different mica colors available for you to try.
 
What I do is mix the catalyst and color into the resin, then let it sit for 8-10 minutes depending on air temps. You need to get it just before it starts to kick. I pour and do minimal mixing after the pour - I have gotten pretty good at mixing as I pour. That will help keep the colors separate also.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom