My first alumilite

Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
jeweler53

jeweler53

Member
Joined
Nov 24, 2011
Messages
494
Location
4240 Wellington Loop SE, Lacey, WA, 98503
So I finally get my first batch of Alumilite. Have my home made mold (from the library and I am excited to cast my first blanks. I fill up the mold with some bone dry worthless wood, mix my resin and add a couple of drops of red an blue dye (not from alumalite) and some blue interference earl Ex powder. Looks really pretty.

Pour it in the molds, still looks pretty nice. Then foam!!!!

The dye was from Michaels. Is it not compatible?

The Pearl Ex powder was Jacquard Products

Anybody know what I did wrong?
 
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
Same with me -- a couple weeks ago (new to Alumite).

My mica powder must have had moisture in it.
Alumite HATES any water, period. It will foam like 3x its size if there is water.

When I did a test run of just Alumite w/o any colorant or mica powder: no foam.
 
Last edited:
In my experience, dyes made for PR or epoxy resin are incompatible with Alumilite (which is urethane resin). Likewise, Alumilite's dyes don't work right with PR. Mica powder, however, works well with both.

I hope that helps,
Eric.
 
Foam in an alumilite pour is from moisture/water.

Either wood had high moisture content.,... or more likely dye was water based.
 
You have to use the correct colorant for the type of resin, Alumilite use a reactant type dye. There are any number of dyes and colorants sold at Micheal's it could be a water based dye that you got. which would cause a problem. If adding mica powders, or other pearls etc. They must be dry. All so understand that most of the coastal scents, pearl powders and glitters are really made out of polyester film, the effect is dependnt on the size of the squares of the film. Check the MSDS to see what it really is.

The biggest thing is the epoxies, the fiberglassing poly resins are more forgiving when you use other coloring agents. The wood stain dyes if mixed with a solvent other than water, generally work unless the PH is to far off.

It is far cheaper in the long run to use the correct dye colorant for the type of resin. They are cheap and last a good while, and you know it will work.

Using water paints powder art paint that are formulated to mix smoothly with water, will not mix with other solvents. There are sufficants added to the paint to make the water wetter and the paint mix smoother. Unless it is clearly marked a Universal tinting color.

If you have a hobby Lobby near you, they sell the color dyes for both the poly resins and in the model section for Alumilite. With the coupon for Hobby Lobby 40% off they are in the Sunday newspapers living sections or from their web site In-Store Coupon : Weekly In-Store Specials : Hobby Lobby - Hobby Lobby I print a couple out and when I am driving by the store I stop in each direction. It is almost $2.00 off the dye for either resin.
:clown:
 
My bet is on the dye...

Hello,

Binary urethane systems like Alumilite do not like moisture as others here have pointed out... Why your pour foamed is a guess at this point, but it probably came down to one of these three culprits:

1.) Dye was incompatible with Alumilite. This is the probably cause of your foaming. You want to use compatible dyes with urethanes. Alumilite sells a Reactint system that is very superb for colouring and is available in small (1oz.) bottles for hobby use. It is transparent in nature and is easy to adjust to your needs. Other products can also be used to colour Alumilite, but you have to ensure compatibility.

2.) There could have been moisture in your PearlEx powder. This is doubtful if you just purchased some, but if they have been laying around your shop for some time, especially with the lid left off, it *might* have absorbed enough moisture vapor to cause a problem. PearlEx powders blend amazingly well into Alumilite and are one of my top choices for mica based enhancers.

3.) Your wood may have not been dry enough... Did you bake the wood prior to pouring, or check it with a moisture meter? If the wood still had excessive moisture content, it could make the pour foam. From what you said however, this was not the case and your wood was dry enough for your pour.

My bet is on number one... Here are a few things you can do to ensure success with Alumilite and PearlEx Powders:

A. If you have the tiny jars of PearlEx powder, obtain a larger plastic or glass jar with a tight fitting lid and fit your samples inside the container. Use several desiccant packets to absorb any residual moisture in the master container when you store your powders. If you leave the lids on your powders slightly loose inside the jar, the powder will also be kept dry. Another option if you have a vacuum pump is to pull a vacuum on the storage jar that contains your mica powders.

If you have larger containers of PearlEx (I buy mine by the 1 pound, or 5 pound packages) place desiccants inside the container of each powder. I hot melt glue a small desiccant pack on the underside of each lid. Works a treat! You can get the desiccants many places, or steal a few from your vitamin containers for an el-cheapo option. I have 25 pounds of various micas in my studio now and all of them are stored with desiccants in their primary and secondary storage containers.

B. When using and storing Alumilite, it's best to use an inert gas blanket in the container when it's not in use. Moisture vapour in the air can degrade unused components of Alumilite, so moisture vapour discipline is advisable. Since you are probably doing small pours with quarts or gallons, a good product to use if Bloxygen. Squirt a little in the container after each use and the inert gasses will create a barrier layer in the container keeping the ambient air away from the resin during storage.

If you're a high volume user like me, a supplemental Nitrogen tank is the method of choice. I have a 125cuft. compressed Nitrogen tank that I use for creating an inert gas blanket in my stored 55 gallon drums of Alumilite. After I dispense from the drum, I dispense 10 - 20 seconds of Nitrogen into the barrel through the upper bung hole and then reseal it. Nitrogen is heavier than air, so it settles down on the surface of the resin and creates a barrier layer between the ambient air and the inert gas. Refill on the Nitrogen tank is about $13.00, so it's a very cost effective option for a volume user. The 2,200psi Nitrogen tank cost about $250.00 new (125cuft.)

Good luck to you on your future pours and take care!

Alumilite Rocks!
 
Last edited:
Duh, not what I meant to say...

SteveRussell said:
Hello,

Nitrogen is heavier than air, so it settles down on the surface of the resin and creates a barrier layer between the ambient air and the inert gas.
Alumilite Rocks!
Click to expand...

Duh... I meant to say that Nitrogen is denser than air, not heavier... DOH! I'm on my third round of antibiotics for a nasty respiratory infection and the Codeien in the cough syrup does a trip on you... :-O When dispensed in sufficient quantities into a closed container, it basically displaces the air and replaces it with nitrogen. Apologies for the confusion.
 
With all due respect, Steve, I will have to disagree with you on your item B above for use mere mortals:) using gallon or even 5 gallon size containers, which I would guess covers 99.99999% of us. The inert gas is great I am sure for 55 gallon drums and a necessity but is just not necessary in the size containers most of us use.

I have been using Alumilite for pen blank casting longer than just about anyone on this forum and have used every single formulation they make. I have also had Alumilite that has been opened and sitting on the shelf for 8-10 months without any inert gas and it worked just fine. As a matter of fact, I still have some of the original "Crystal Clear" (now just called Clear) test resin from when we were testing it still in my shop that has been opened. I actually used some of it a few weeks ago without any ill effects and it is at least 2 years old with no gas.

Sure, Bloxygen is not a bad thing to do but is certainly not necessary for successful use of Alumilite.
 
Hello Curtis,

With all due respect as well, I prefer to take a more proactive stance with the stored resins in my studio and I stand by my statement.. It's *best* to use an inert gas purge/blanket on opened/stored containers of Alumilite. I too have many years of experience with Alumilite, as well as other resins and I think it adds an extra layer of protection to store opened resin in containers with inert gas.

Having said that, there is nothing that says you *must* store unused resin under inert gas, but I believe if you do you are providing a higher level of protection than leaving the ambient air inside the container. I prefer to eliminate as many of the potential unwanted variables in the system as possible, storing unused opened resin under inert gas eliminates one of those potential unwanted variables.

If your dispensing protocol is working for you, then great.. keep it up! My protocol also works and offers a higher level of protection for unused opened resin in storage, whether it be in 55 gallon drums, 5 gallon containers, 1 gallon containers or quarts. I prefer to go the extra mile on things like this and that works for me. Take care and best wishes to you and yours!
 
Last edited:
Steve, I do agree that using the gas may be a good idea. I just don't want anyone to get the idea that it is necessary for the successful use of Alumilite.
 
I've just started casting with Alumilite (and so far, it's much easier to work with than PR) so I haven't used any inert gas to displace humidity in the storage containers. Right now, my B-side Clear is thickening, so I suspect I'm reaching shelf-life for other reasons first.

That said, if I begin buying in larger than gallon quantities, I'll probably start using a nitrogen blanket. A couple of weeks ago, I was mixing and pouring white and black resins and I inadvertently dispensed some clear (instead of white). I realized the mistake before mixing the parts, so I just set it aside. I left the resin in plastic cups covered with a paper towel (to keep dust out) until the next day before I colored, mixed, and poured. Result: big-time foam. Apparently, the resin had absorbed too much water just by sitting out overnight.

One bad batch is a small loss - but I'd hate to ruin a 5 gallon or especially a 55 gallon kit just because I live in a humid area.

Regards,
Eric
 
I won a small package of Alumilite in the birthday bash. I have poured it on 4 occasions.
On #1 is tried to do a worthless wood blank. It foamed. maybe the wood was not dry enough. I also used the "wrong" dye.
On #2 I made sure that I used the correct dye and that the wood was dry (It was baked at 250 f. for 4 hours). It foamed. I assumed that it was the Pearl Ex powder.
On #3 I tried to do a "swirl" and waited to long.
On #4 I stabilized the WW with Cactus Juice, baked it for 2 hours at 250 f. and poured with only the Pearl Ex. (no colorant at all) It foamed. :mad::mad:

Now the remaining part "B" is very thick and syrupy. Is it still good?

I am very frustrated. I have purchased a larger supply of Alumilite and Cactus Juice. I have yet to even come close to success.
 
Bringing this post back from the dead. I'm thinking of getting some Alumilite, so Jeweler53 what did you find or did you give up?
 
My understanding from reading the instructions on the alumilite site are that part b can thicken over time sometimes but that it is fine and they say to warm it up and it will thin right down. I just bought a couple gallons of this stuff and while I have cast with PR for years I'm new to alumilite. So I may be reading this wrong.
 
jeweler53 said:
Now the remaining part "B" is very thick and syrupy. Is it still good?
Click to expand...
You can put the part B in a water bath, or outside (not in the sun) to warm it up. It will pout & mix easier, but give you a shorter working time. But with most pours, that shouldn't be an issue.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom