Post by cubkid on May 24, 2020 8:45:48 GMT -5
Believe it or not, Ive kept all my now teenaged boy’s baby teeth when they fell out years ago. Kept them in a plastic specimen bottle stashed away in a bathroom cabinet. He wanted to hold onto them so we’d wash them and drop them in one at a time as they came out. Used to be have alcohol in the vial to cover them but either it’s evaporated or maybe poured out at some point. At any rate, they’re clean and have no “meat” on them. 😇. Not all of them came out whole, some are broken little pieces. All told there are quite a few. Maybe 15? Plus bits. They have smooth surfaces, but some are jagged and the bigger ones, like molars, have an indent underneath making them look sorta like a little cap or helmet.
I got a 16oz pack of Alumilite Amazing Clear cast epoxy resin and have been experimenting on inconsequential little objects on a smaller scale while I hone my standard techniques just to get a feel for it. I’ve been practicing and learning the lessons of mixing slow, for at least 3 minutes to minimize bubbles, measuring only by volume, not weight, letting the first pour set enough until it gels before embedding objects so the won’t sink, etc
Been building up to the teeth project and want to feel completely confident before I pour that one since I’ve got just one chance to get it right. So here are my questions and any advice would be welcome:
It appears to me that each layer takes about 2 hrs to set up enough to keep objects I’ve been practicing with of similar weights from sinking. Does that sound about right?
But before I pour another layer, I’m concerned about trapping air around the irregular shapes and especially the tiny indented or hollow parts. I’ve heard of some suggestions to “pre-dip” them into some standby resin before embedment. Does that sound necessary or advised? Is there another more advises or technique?
Should I push them in a bit as I lay them down on that layer?
Obviously when I do the covering later, I’ll pour slowly over them to fill in what’s visible. Anything else I should watch for at that point?
I’m using a 2.5” silicone cube mold so I figure 5 layers of ½” each I suppose. It’s an open mold so I realize I’ll be working upside down. But does it need to have some sort of cap to make the bottom surface smooth? Or is that a sanding thing?
Luckily I’m not going to even try any sort of pattern as I can’t tell which teeth are from where. Random placements will be fine. Demolding time will of course commence after the last pour.
Is there anything I’ve got wrong in my plan or is there any advice that comes to mind you can offer before I get started? I will continue practicing for a while, maybe a week or 10 days, so there’s there’s no rush. Just wanna get it right so he has this keepsake paperweight that he can hold onto for a while. Maybe even show his own kids one day.
Thanks for any help
I got a 16oz pack of Alumilite Amazing Clear cast epoxy resin and have been experimenting on inconsequential little objects on a smaller scale while I hone my standard techniques just to get a feel for it. I’ve been practicing and learning the lessons of mixing slow, for at least 3 minutes to minimize bubbles, measuring only by volume, not weight, letting the first pour set enough until it gels before embedding objects so the won’t sink, etc
Been building up to the teeth project and want to feel completely confident before I pour that one since I’ve got just one chance to get it right. So here are my questions and any advice would be welcome:
It appears to me that each layer takes about 2 hrs to set up enough to keep objects I’ve been practicing with of similar weights from sinking. Does that sound about right?
But before I pour another layer, I’m concerned about trapping air around the irregular shapes and especially the tiny indented or hollow parts. I’ve heard of some suggestions to “pre-dip” them into some standby resin before embedment. Does that sound necessary or advised? Is there another more advises or technique?
Should I push them in a bit as I lay them down on that layer?
Obviously when I do the covering later, I’ll pour slowly over them to fill in what’s visible. Anything else I should watch for at that point?
I’m using a 2.5” silicone cube mold so I figure 5 layers of ½” each I suppose. It’s an open mold so I realize I’ll be working upside down. But does it need to have some sort of cap to make the bottom surface smooth? Or is that a sanding thing?
Luckily I’m not going to even try any sort of pattern as I can’t tell which teeth are from where. Random placements will be fine. Demolding time will of course commence after the last pour.
Is there anything I’ve got wrong in my plan or is there any advice that comes to mind you can offer before I get started? I will continue practicing for a while, maybe a week or 10 days, so there’s there’s no rush. Just wanna get it right so he has this keepsake paperweight that he can hold onto for a while. Maybe even show his own kids one day.
Thanks for any help
