toyotaman
Member
Which one is easier to use or better to use? I buy my PR from US Composites but have never used Aluminite. Where do you get it at and how is the price comparrison. PR is about 50 bucks delivered. How much is a gallon of Aluminite?
PR /vs/ Aluminite
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Brooks803
Member
I get the 2gal kit for about $175 shipped to my door. Buy it direct from Alumilite.com. Yes it's more expensive, but it's also alot easier to cast and turn. I'm a PR guy and always will be, but I also cast alumilite. You pour it just like PR, only you have a limited amount of time to get it under pressure (and yes you MUST use pressure if you want to avoid bubbles). For the clear alumilite it says you have 7min pot life. So you have to have it under pressure BEFORE that time is up. I shoot for 5mins. 6min is cutting it close.
The best advice I can give is to buy a small container and give it a try. It's on sale right now with a birthday bash discount code
arty:. Give it a whirl and decide for yourself if it's something you want to do or not. You'll get all kinds of answers from us...:beat-up:David M
Member
What about shelf life , I have used sim 41 that is around , near one year old with out problems. How long can you keep clear alumilite and it be usable.
Brooks803
Member
That i don't know. I only get the 2gal kits and they're gone in a week or two
BSea
Member
Alumilite definetly has a shorter shelf life. You can put it in a warm water bath to thin it out, but I wouldn't plan on doing that more than 1 or 2 times. Probably around 6 months max for shelf life.
I also thought I read on here somewhere (I'm sure I don't have to mention the huge amount of great info on this site) that alumilite works better for worthless wood infusion stuff (which I'm really interested in). Something about better wood bonding...
Joe
Joe
its_virgil
Member
Not so much about bonding as shrinkage. PR shrinks as it cures and can pull away from the chunks of wood....hmmm..maybe it is about bonding.:biggrin:
Both resins have their place in making pen blanks regardless of cure time, pot life, and other similar characteristics. Worthless wood and other similar blanks are better made with alumilite. Snake skin and other blanks where material is glued to the tube and clear cast are best made with polyester resin. Both seem to do well with solid blanks with colors and swirls. Some practicing is needed to know how to mix colors to get the swirl look that is wanted.
Do a good turn daily!
Don
Both resins have their place in making pen blanks regardless of cure time, pot life, and other similar characteristics. Worthless wood and other similar blanks are better made with alumilite. Snake skin and other blanks where material is glued to the tube and clear cast are best made with polyester resin. Both seem to do well with solid blanks with colors and swirls. Some practicing is needed to know how to mix colors to get the swirl look that is wanted.
Do a good turn daily!
Don
babyblues
Member
Alumilite doesn't have that horrific odor that PR has. For me, that means I can cast worthless wood indoors in the winter if I want.
Moisture is the enemy no matter what you use. Any moisture in your worthless wood will cause alumilite to bubble up or turn cloudy. I've even had alumilite turn cloudy when the humidity level in the air was high. PR won't fully cure if too much moisture is present, at least in my experience.
In my opinion, you can get a better shine with PR than Alumilite. That's not to say you can't polish Alumilite, but I don't think the resulting shine is as bright as with polished PR.
I like the results equally from using both, so if you can find a way to minimize the drawbacks of each product, go for it!
Moisture is the enemy no matter what you use. Any moisture in your worthless wood will cause alumilite to bubble up or turn cloudy. I've even had alumilite turn cloudy when the humidity level in the air was high. PR won't fully cure if too much moisture is present, at least in my experience.
In my opinion, you can get a better shine with PR than Alumilite. That's not to say you can't polish Alumilite, but I don't think the resulting shine is as bright as with polished PR.
I like the results equally from using both, so if you can find a way to minimize the drawbacks of each product, go for it!