5 replies to this topic

[Gray Smith]

look what I decided to try my hand at....




i'm still getting over the fact that i made the parts..lol and boy is it messy..I used waaaaaaaaaaay too much resin for the first time, some parts got a few bubbles in them, but no big deal since i'm using them all..this is the alumilite kit. one question, the resin i've got is a few months old(like 2 or 3) would that cause it to not cure all the way...I didn't heat my mold up and some of the smaller parts took a while to cure and are still slightly soft..is that common with the alumilite resin? either way i'm happy, now i've just gotta find a place in town that sells rtv rubber...i've got a ton more parts that i plan on casting(ford/lotus quad cam indy motor anyone?)

Thanks
Gray

p.s. thanks a bunch Marc for all the info you gave me a while back concerning casting stuff...its fun!

[gowjobs]

Sounds more like maybe you didn't get a homogenous mixture... make sure it's REALLY well mixed. Also note that the thicker the part is, the more quickliy it will cure. This is a catalytic reaction, and small parts retain much less heat than thicker ones do, so they cure more slowly.

[Gray Smith]

yeah I think your right...I think I was in a hurry and I didn't mix it enough(was worried about that 3 minute working time) next time i'll mix it more thorughly(the stuff in the cup was rock hard though..lol)

also dumb question here but I wanna know would it be ok to cut the mold up in smaller pieces so I can make on one or 2 parts at a time?


Gray

[gowjobs]

You could cut it apart, but if it's a one-part open mold, why not just pour the resin only into the cavities you want to fill? I have several open molds that make several parts, in fact, I have a few that are like cubes, and by turning the mold to a different side, you can pour different pieces. (This was all in an effort to conserve expensive rubber, BTW.)

[PatRedmond]

Good job for a first time. Great job actually.


As 'Gow' said above, the mix is important.

Randy at Perry's says when blending his resin, he stirs the mix 50 times clockwise and 50 times counterclockwise before pouring to ensure a thorough blend.

[Zoom Zoom]

Not sure how long you waited before commenting on the smaller parts being softer; but larger parts heat up more and kick a bit faster just because of the volume of resin. Smaller/thinner parts cure a bit slower, so they might seem a bit more flexible. Mixture is very important though; I cast some parts in simple open molds and my results varied greatly but I got enough good parts to make it worthwhile.