Making Fordite?

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randyrls

randyrls

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I've seen some great looking pens made from automotive paint (Fordite). Would it be possible to make Fordite from acrylic resin by layering different colors? I'm thinking of mixing a batch of resin, separating it into many (6-8) small cups and then dying it different colors, and pouring each layer into a mold.

Alternative; make layers of touchup paint?
 
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you should be able to do it depending on the resin you choose. Silmar will bond well to itself. Epoxies should work well also. Alumilite maybe. If you were to pour a layer let it gel or start to set and then pour the next layer so they dont mix as you pour would give you the best results but that thin of a layer may need a heat source to set.
 
I did it with polyester resin a couple of years ago. I used Silmar 249 which will cure in thin layers (and shouldn't be cast in thick blocks because it will overheat). 249 gels pretty quick (really quick in the cup, work fast) so you can lay down a lot of thin layers in a day. You could do it with Silmar 41, but it would take a lot longer and you might have to heat each layer to get it to gel if you are working in a cool shop.

Because of the shrinkage I found that the cast started to curve up at the edges as I added more and more layers giving me curved layers in the blank. This may (or may not) be a good outcome for you.

I used a dozen different colors and think it might have looked a lot better with fewer colors.

Ed
 
Yes, it can be done. I've made them with left-overs from pours so, there wasn't an intentional pattern or design.

If you would like to do an intentional pour, I recommend using lay-up resin as opposed to casting resin. It's meant to cure in thin layers i.e. surf boards, table tops, etc.

Another approach would be to make Micarta using colored materials.
We done this for pistol grips, along with some other items.
 
Somehow I always thought that "fordite" meant it was automotive paint from the automotive industry. The appeal always seemed to be that it was from the factory that made "xwz" car.

Which does not preclude that you can make beautiful layered blanks otherwise.






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The Fordite has its appeal because it is natural. Epoxy mixes will have their own appeal but once the thickness barrier of spray paint layers is crossed, it will take on its own characteristics. While that can be beautiful in and of itself, it will cease to look like natural Fordite, and probably cease to be appreciated as such. Having said that, somewhat thicker layers or epoxy it will probably open up a whole new category of colorful pen blanks.

One natural aspect of Fordite is how much grey (gray) :biggrin: primer is interspersed with the colors - as close to every other or at least every third color being primer.
 
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