geno
New Member
Posts: 1 
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Post by geno on Oct 29, 2016 10:16:57 GMT -5
I've been watching lots of videos and tutorials on casting worthless wood. I finally got a pressure pot, the alumilite and some Jacquard mica dust for the colors. I left my mold in the pressure pot for about 5 hours at 55 PSI and it does not appear to be curing properly where it adheres to the actual wood. Its bubbly and if it isn't bubbly, its white/clear. This is my third casting with the exact same results. I'm measuring out the parts with a scale that is accurate to .01 gram. I am doing this in my garage and it has been around 40-50 degrees these last few days. Could that be causing the issue? I only have enough resin left for one more casting out of the 2 pound kit and so far have nothing to show for it....very expensive experiments  |
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Post by carol - Alumilite Corp on Nov 8, 2016 14:24:01 GMT -5
Geno,
Bubbly typically represents moisture from somewhere the wood or the resin (there is a 3 month shelf life on the clear). Wispy white is off ratio or not mixed/blended well. First thing I would try is shorting the A side just a gram or two to see if that helps.
Moisture can create problems especially in older material or material that has been opened and shut a bunch of times.
Second thing I would try ... warming the material (in the bottles with caps on tight) to 130-140F, then shake it well, letting it settle for just a few minutes before using. This can sometimes revive and help the resin to it's original viscosity. If it has been cold, or sitting for a while and has not been used this does help.
Regards,
Carol
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Post by stretch0069 on Nov 24, 2016 18:51:23 GMT -5
Geno....sounds like your wanting to get resin into the wood. From what I've seen, you need a vacuum chamber and a special resin that you can bake to cure after all the air has been removed from the wood and thus replaced with resin.
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Post by mike on Nov 28, 2016 8:21:17 GMT -5
It is my understanding that to fully dry your wood you need to bake it at 230F for 24 hours. Once you remove it from the oven, you need to protect it from relative humidity or it will start to absorb moisture from the air. Perhaps sealing it in a zip lock bag, tote, or some sealed container until you cast it is highly recommended. Stabilizing the wood prior to casting it is an even better solution as stretch0069 recommended. Using Cactus Juice to stabilize the wood prior to casting is a great way to do this. You can learn about Cactus Juice by visiting ... www.turntex.com/Drying your wood completely is required before casting (and stabilizing). Stabilizing your wood before casting is not required but is probably the "best" way to do it as it will yield the most consistent and cosmetic results. Mike |
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