pgum
New Member
Posts: 1
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Post by pgum on Oct 2, 2021 18:54:24 GMT -5
Hello all! I've been learning about resin casting with the end goal of casting my own cartridges for old game consoles (gameboy color, nes, etc) - very thin parts that need to be rigif. I recently made a two part mold of the top half of a GBC cartridge's shell with Alumilite's Amazing Mold Maker and I must say it came out much better than expected. I then used some resin that I found at a crafts store and that came out better than expected as well! The only issue is that even after curing for 48 hours, the piece is very easy to bend and flex, I think malleable would be a good word, it seems like maybe this resin is supposed to be used for thicker pieces than this.
Would Alumilite's Amazing Clear Cast cure more rigid than this with such a thin piece? If not, which resin should I use? Ideally it'd be clear when it cured.
On a side note, I'm also trying to encase a dried mushroom that a friend gave me in some resin. I figure I need to seal it before pouring resin over it (but maybe I'm wrong about that?). Would Alumilite's Amazing Sealer work to seal the mushroom?
Thanks to anyone who takes the time to help this newbie out 
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Post by Cobra on Apr 20, 2022 0:40:49 GMT -5
There is a resin that I know of that would work. However you're not going to be able to get it in a clear. It will cure in a white color. Look up a resin called task 4. It's made by a different company so I'm not going to name that company. You will have to do your research. It is formulated to cast extremely hard thin parts. It's often used in prototyping. It's very high on the D scale. You will find that every company has different formulations of resins Etc. Trial sizes are your friend. Take your time get to know your materials. I hope this helps you good luck with your project.
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Post by notoes on Apr 23, 2022 7:31:05 GMT -5
I use Amazing Clear Cast on sealing my mold box bottoms and just had to break the seal on two mold boxes to remove the castings and while they did flex a little, I had the hardest time breaking the Clear bottoms. But for cartridges, I'm not sure resin would be the best thing to use - don't the cartridges get a little hot? Also the Clears have a long open time and full cure doesn't hit until 7 days later so it may get harder in a couple more days.
On the Amazing Sealer, it is supposed to be for sealing porous items so that should work fine for you. Though I haven't tried it yet myself so I can't personally vouch for it.
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Post by Audrey Warren on Aug 14, 2022 11:48:16 GMT -5
I am wanted to make dinner plates, bowls and saucers. I need an epoxy that has no strong odor (my husband has copd) and we live in North Carolina and I need to work indoors (a 37ft motorhome) when the temperature drops below 60 degrees. So I need help deciding which product I need. I have Amazing Clear Cast Epoxy and the odor is way too strong so it cant be used indoors. I also need a complete cure time (for sales purposes) that is no more than 24hr. I am not using any mold because my work is free handed so it will be between 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Thanks for the help!!
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Post by notoes on Aug 15, 2022 13:44:31 GMT -5
The Amazing Clear Cast is what you should be using for anything FDA compliant but yes unfortunately it does have a little smell. I work in my small kitchen but normally I have fans running 24/7 anyway and it's not so bad for me as it's well ventilated. You have a smaller area to work with than I do but I've got some things you can do to work around that.
First you're going to need to set up a work room outside so that you don't have the fumes inside with your husband. A small shed will work if you can get one. Or even an old one converted to a work room will work too as (depending on what you're doing and how big you want to go) even a small 6x6 would be good. The biggest thing is it needs to have power to it and you're going to need to insulate it (walls and ceiling) so that it stays cool in the summer and warm in the winter. If it has a window, you might want to invest in a window AC as that will bring in a bit of fresh air. You'll need fans to be sure the air is moving around. If possible you might want to also invest in a small air purifier with a Hepa filter - you absolutely need that special filter to keep fumes down when you work in a small area that isn't well ventilated.
Then if you're going to keep it heated/cooled 24/7 then storing the ACC in there is fine but if you turn that off when you're done for the day, you'll need to bring it inside with you overnight - it shouldn't smell as long as you have the bottles tightly closed. You could always put it on a little cart that you can easily roll inside/outside for storing. Also the cure time for ACC can be "hurried up" with a little heat, just don't try to bake it too long or too high or you might mess it up. Just raising the environment temperature a little will help a lot. And a "dry" heat works better than a wet one and in NC that might mean having a heat lamp or even a regular lamp over top of them to keep it a bit dry. With the heat right now, you shouldn't have too much trouble if you let them cure outside for a bit as long as it's not raining. But once it gets cold you'll be better off not having them too close to your heater (the one heating the work area) if you have to be within two feet of them while they cure. Once the first 24 hours are up then if you have an oven (not the one you use for cooking food!) you could always hurry the rest of the cure along by baking at a low temp for about 15 minutes at a time - always do a short baking time so that you don't burn them or they soften up and become misshapen instead of curing. Then be sure to let them air out and cool before going through another 15 minute cycle.
These should get you started, I hope they help and if you need more feel free to speak up.
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