Do you need to stabilizing resins to make acrylic blanks.I'm interested in making my own acrylic blanks but I've looked at a few videos,one just pouring PR and the other using a cylinder chamber.What's the difference in the two.
Stabilizing resin
- Thread starter Irish Pat
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Tim'sTurnings
Member
You don't NEED to have a pressure pot to make acrylic blanks. I made a lot of PR (Polyresin) blanks without pressure. Using a pressure pot helps reduce the amount of bubbles that may occur when you mix and pour PR resins to make blanks.
The cylinder chambers I have seen are for stabilizing wood blanks and they work on vacuum. You don't use vacuum for acrylic, PR, or aluminite blanks. There will be more people to give you many answers to your questions on here.
Tim.
The cylinder chambers I have seen are for stabilizing wood blanks and they work on vacuum. You don't use vacuum for acrylic, PR, or aluminite blanks. There will be more people to give you many answers to your questions on here.
Tim.
wayneryan65
Member
I hate to say it but, I have cast a few thousand blanks over the past year. I have noticed that when I do straight Alumilite or PR for that matter without pressure I wind up with very tiny air bubbles that can only be seen after you polish the finished blank. Even after wiping the blank down with DNA and micro mesh finish, the tiny bubbles trap in any dust fine particles or even the finishing step of plastic polish. So, I pressure pot everything I cast no matter what. I don't want one of my blanks or pens to show in a photo with air bubbles. Humidity plays a big part in this too. Too much humidity or below 70 degrees in my experience plays a big roll.
plantman
Member
If you are just doing a few blanks, you can put your two parts (A&B) together, stir well but gently so as not to add air bubbles, and set your cup into hot water in an Ultra Sonic Jewely cleaner for a little while. This action will remove any bubbles introduced into your mix. Be sure to weight the cup down as it will float and tip over. This makes the wife very unhappy. As Wayne mentioned above, it's not always the air trapped in the PR mix, sometimes it comes from the pores of the wood itself. Jim S
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In my opinion, if you are looking to do a few acrylic blanks. Buy them from people on this site or exotic blanks or something. If you really want to get into the hobby. Do more research and get the right equipment to do the job right. I am also talking from experience. I am not trying to sway you away from this, but it takes a lot to get a good presentable blank, and trust me, its never the first one!!
That is my two sense
That is my two sense
plantman
Member
One thing we have to keep in mind as we offer advice to people from other countrys, ( Pat is from Ireland) is the fact that they can not just drive down to their local Woodcraft store and check out the items they want to buy or call ED or Dawn to see if they have an item in stock. The call is expensive, the shipping is expensive, the timing is long, and many times Customs gets involved. Also if you should need some small part to complete your purchase or project, there is no Big Box Store down at the end of the street that they can run to. Sites like this and the internet are their only hope of getting information about the items they are interested in, and opinions from others as to what works and what to avoid. Also everyone has a different approach to solving the same problems. We in the States don't realize how spoiled we are with overnight shipping, $5.80 Postal box shipping, FREE shipping. and the vast number of choises we have at are fingertips. These are luxeries in many places on this earth. Try shipping a metal can in a cardboard box or a gallon of PR someplace other than the USA. I learned this by giving advise to a person in England about purchasing an Auto Wax to finish there pens. He didn't have a Home Depot, Auto Zone, or any of the stores we take for granted here in the USA every day. Just passing on a lesson learned. Jim S
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Thank you Jim on your feelings of how people in the other part of the world feel.My main point was that I just wanted to know how blanks are made and how was the process in making them.I have a passion for making pens and would love to start making my own blanks.As you have pointed out,I,live in Ireland where we have to buy in our kits,blanks etc and also shipping is expensive so I had a thought of making my own blanks and may be sell a few to other pen turners here in Ireland.
Pat
Ireland
Pat
Ireland
plantman
Member
Pat; I guess the simple answer to your question was no. Look in the library under blanks or casting to see how it is done. I wish you the luck of the Irish in your quest. Jim S
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beck3906
Member
No matter where you live, the question I ask myself is "Is it cost effective for me to cast my own blanks?" At this time, time is a precious commodity and casting isn't something I want to do. I can buy great products at a reasonable price without me experiencing the learning curve of casting my own.
In your case, my question would be if you could obtain the basic materials at a reasonable cost to make your casting efforts cost effective. I assume you have the time to pursue this. Can you purchase the materials and then begin making blanks for resell where you can make a profit?
Remember the learning curve and how much that cost will add to the up-front expense.
In your case, my question would be if you could obtain the basic materials at a reasonable cost to make your casting efforts cost effective. I assume you have the time to pursue this. Can you purchase the materials and then begin making blanks for resell where you can make a profit?
Remember the learning curve and how much that cost will add to the up-front expense.
steve worcester
Member
What he said, plus stabilizing resins are different than casting resins. Stabilizing resins (simply put in my mind) fill up the cells in a wood product and "stabilize" it so you can turn it without punk, etc, as well as make it so it isn't as susceptible to moisture.
Casting resins (however you want to categorize them) are used to make something a plastic, sort of. If the wood isn't stabilized, the resin is too thick to build up the cell walls and it is a piece of wood surrounded by resin. My $.02