Pots?

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dartman

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Oct 21, 2011
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bay city mi 48708
I have a few questions about pressure/vacuum pots.Is there a way around using them?I'm not stabilizing just making some pen blanks and maybe a bowl blank or two.Can I pour the mold ( I use pvc for pen blanks) and use a vibrating table to get everything to settle down or would that introduce bubbles? I dont have a problem pouring colored molds but would like to add solids to them,beads and things like that.What do you all think.....
 
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Vertical pen casting means a lot of fluid for bubbles to have to travel through. When you introduce objects into the mix, you've got things for the bubbles to catch on. So the short version is, to do it properly you probably want a pressure pot. There will be people along shortly to talk about their success with various slow curing resins and not using one... I'm of the opinion though that its best to have the right equipment for the job to ensure the highest quality end result.

The vacuum chamber is only for stabilizing btw. For vertical casting I'd recommend one of the TCP Global / Grizzly / etc pots. They're priced well for what they are, are easy to convert, and the lid system is very secure. You'll probably need a 2.5 gallon for vertical casting.
 
Your plan will work 95% of the time. Pine cones will give you the most trouble but otherwise a small void can be filled with CA as you turn. Mixing sanding dust into the CA will also hide small voids.
 
The resin you plan to use will determine the answer. There are many who cast with polyester resin and use no pressure pot. Lots of information is available oh how they cast from using warming chambers, vibrating tables and other methods. You may want to rethink casting vertical and not using a pot.

Alumilite™ Clear does require a pressure pot and does not like moisture. That means anything you add needs to be dry. And no, that piece of wood or pine cone that has been on the shelf for two years is not dry but will be in equilibrium with the ambient humidity in your shop.

I have started casting with Liquid Diamonds™ epoxy resin but I do not know how it performs without a pressure pot. Everything I cast is cast in a pressure pot.

Do a good turn daily!
Don
 
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