ChrisBcritter Posted November 5, 2017 Share Posted November 5, 2017 I've seen Alumilite has a product called AlumiUV that is a clear UV-cured resin; has anyone had experience with it? Most importantly, does it cure with the same UV light that comes with Bondic, or a UV flashlight? I notice the AlumiUV is around $20 for a 4-ounce bottle which is a way better deal than either Bondic or Lazer Bond by volume. Over to the experts... thanks as always. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisBcritter Posted November 10, 2017 Author Share Posted November 10, 2017 Bump... guess I'll be the guinea pig here; ordered a bottle and we'll see what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclescott58 Posted November 11, 2017 Share Posted November 11, 2017 I for one, will be curious see what you find. I've lost my enthusiasm for Bondic over the last few months. I question how good of a bond am I really getting with the stuff? Once or twice I've had things come apart using Bondic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxer Posted November 11, 2017 Share Posted November 11, 2017 Bondic is falsely named because it does not bond well. What it does do well, for me, is become a cheap, quick casting medium for small parts.Chris, I am curious how AlumiUV compares. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisBcritter Posted November 12, 2017 Author Share Posted November 12, 2017 The AlumiUV arrived today, so I dabbed some into a mold, hit it with the little UV light from the Bondic, and... and... (insert six minutes of commercials here ) ...Works like a charm! Solidified nice and clear in a few seconds. To me, it might have a slightly thicker viscosity than Bondic, but not by much. Looks like this may be just the ticket for casting up a lot of small parts for a way better price per ounce than Bondic or LazerBond. It should work with the Alumilite red and orange dye, since the Bondic did. Happy modeling! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteski Posted November 14, 2017 Share Posted November 14, 2017 I for one, will be curious see what you find. I've lost my enthusiasm for Bondic over the last few months. I question how good of a bond am I really getting with the stuff? Once or twice I've had things come apart using Bondic. That is because it is not a glue. Its website is https://notaglue.com . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Modelbuilder Mark Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 For the price, curiosity is peaked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisBcritter Posted November 16, 2017 Author Share Posted November 16, 2017 A step forward, a step back - it solidified fine clear, but I added two drops of red dye to a small amount (maybe 1/4 tsp.) of AlumiUV and it's a lot tougher getting it to harden. (One drop might have been OK.) Thin layers seem to work better; also I'm getting a multi-LED UV flashlight to see if that helps - but it's been bouncing around the USPS in Chicago for the last few days, and the eBay seller sent me this whiny email about why I haven't sent feedback yet... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisBcritter Posted November 17, 2017 Author Share Posted November 17, 2017 Got the flashlight today; seems to work a bit better - I'm giving the layers about 30 seconds each of steady light and it's solidifying harder. Trying to cast '58 Ford taillight units and each try comes out better. I think headlight lenses should work OK; still trying with the red-dyed stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisBcritter Posted November 17, 2017 Author Share Posted November 17, 2017 (edited) After some more trial and error, late last night I came up with ONE perfect non-sticky, non-mushy little transparent red '58 Ford taillight lens. I did it by curing thin layers, a couple drops at a time, about a minute of UV light per layer. One down, three to go. Edited November 17, 2017 by ChrisBcritter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisBcritter Posted November 18, 2017 Author Share Posted November 18, 2017 Four lenses done. It's a slow process but it seems to work - and it should be a big help for models that have chrome taillights you want to replace with red ('65 Belvedere, '60 Ranchero). I also dabbed a couple Monogram '40 Ford pickup chrome taillights on their lens areas - two thin coats applied with a straight pin - and they came out nice. (I'll add photos soon.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxer Posted November 18, 2017 Share Posted November 18, 2017 I appreciate the updates on how the red lenses.Is the stickyness present on clear pieces, or due to the red tint added? Bondic is sticky too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisBcritter Posted December 16, 2017 Author Share Posted December 16, 2017 The experiment continues. I bought a small plug-in HouLight 10-watt LED UV light on Amazon for a little over $20 shipped. So far, here's the scoop: Clear parts are now cured solid, no stickyness, with about 1- or 1 1/2-minute exposure (I just put the light on top of the mold or slightly above it). I attempted to make some larger parts - wheelcovers - and it does work, although regular 2-part resin seems to work a little better. There's a small surface tension issue with the clear that the two-part doesn't have - sometimes it pulls away from the mold slightly as it's curing. Small pieces work well - I'm turning out headlight lenses easily. As for the red lenses, it's still tricky, and I still have to use thin layers, but they're curing a bit better. One new wrinkle: I tried curing some taillight lenses for 3-4 minutes with the surprise result that the red dye faded away a lot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteski Posted December 18, 2017 Share Posted December 18, 2017 Be careful when using a higher power UV light sources - don't look at them and even better, protect your eyes. These lamps are not like the old fashion black-light bulbs which are fairly safe (as any '70s hippie can attest to). Wear UV-filtering glasses. Safest would probably be the eye protection used in tanning booths. Those "glasses" use very dark green lenses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisBcritter Posted December 18, 2017 Author Share Posted December 18, 2017 (edited) Oh yes, I keep it pointed away from me and toward the mold - and then plug it in. Another successful experiment on the '58 Ford: Took the mold for the taillights, first added clear resin over the backup lights and cured it. Then did the lenses a layer at a time like usual. Once they were cured, I poured regular two-part Alumilite white resin in the mold to make the bezels. Once that was cured, I was able to pull the complete units from the mold (what a relief!). Now to figure out those backup lenses with the tiny red reflectors for the '64 Chevelle... Edited December 18, 2017 by ChrisBcritter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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