I have the feeling PR doesn't really adhere to a blank that has been stabilized with Cactus Juice. This is my second blank and the PR just comes off. Am I doing something wrong? I did not have a problem prior to stabilizing. I am using Vacuum and then Pressure and "Yes" the blank is cooled off overnight prior to casting.
Kind regards
Pedro
Hi Pedro,
I stabilize and cast all the time, I user the cactus juice and PR resin, known not to be the best for wood adherence properties however in most cases the PR does OK to stick to the juice, there are although occasions that the PR isn't stuck sufficiently to the wood, particularly in blanks with a outer area missing so, there is normally one contact surface between these 2 materials.
A simple test can be done to verify its adherence strength by bending the blank enough to see it the resin separates or is separated from the wood that is covered with the cactus juice. That is no problem and easy to rectify by simply dripping some "THIN" CA on to the joint/gap and clamp it gently, it will dry in minutes and the joint is now solid and safe to work with.
While some blanks are worse than others, I suggest you get used to take that extra step to all of them, this is what I have been doing for some time now, regardless of wood, if is stabilized or not, running a line of thin CA on every wood/resin joint through the 4 faces of the blank, will allow the thin CA to penetrate in the finest gaps (5 cup CA recommended for this) bonding the 2 surfaces and be totally invisible, that has resolved the issue once and for all, you can never be 100% sure if the 2 materials are bonded together sufficiently so, as a precautionary step, the extra CA and time required, will pay off in the end...!
Cheers
George
