Thread: $300 gets me started ?

You don't need pressure to get started. It's useful for embedding and removing air bubbles but not necessary for colours and effects, and not needed for many forms of clear casting over things done to tubes. Wait until a SuperCheap Auto sale to buy a pressure pot.

If you want to mix colours you can start casting in 20mm elec conduit then later expand to silicone moulds.

I always work with limited funds so put my starting $$ to a range of colouring agents and effects like pearlex, mixing jugs/cups and consumables like pipettes, gloves etc.

$300 will easily get you resin + mekp, a dozen or so solids and transparent dyes in various sizes, some PPE and mixing gear.

Barnes have most of this stuff. FGI have a little less but lots. Several kit sellers sell casting stuff. The videos mention other online sellers too I think.

As you will be using MEKP as a catalyst for the resin it is important that you invest in a good pair of safety glasses that seal around your face - above and below your eyes. Bunnings have them for around $20. One drop of mekp in your eye and you run the real risk of losing your sight in that eye. It is also important that you wear gloves. Bunnings also have nitrite gloves for around $7 from memory. Its also a good idea to do your mixes and pours outdoors to avoid breathing the fumes as it is potent stuff. A few simple safety precautions is all you need to begin casting.

The conduit is good as a mould but resin will stick to it after a couple of uses. You can buy silicone on E-Bay (Mebourne, I think) to make your own moulds. It is not expensive.

Dabbler is right in saying you don't need a pressure pot to begin with for the small pours. However, as he said, Super Cheap Auto is the best price you will get when their pots come on sale - usually under $100. If you take the lid to Trade Tools they will be able to provide the extra bits and pieces you will need fairly cheap. There are also posts on the Forum showing the set up of casting pots. I also bought a compressor from Super Cheap Auto - 2hp, 40 litres. It is big enough to use for other jobs like a nail gun, etc. Wait until they have them on sale.

You will find a video on the forum where dai sensei explains casting in a lot of detail. Also the videos are on here https://www.youtube.com/user/daisensei69


Have fun

agree with whats above.
Supercheap usually have the pots on sale for 99 bucks, so wait for that.
It doesn't take bubbles out it only compresses them to make then smaller, vacuum will make them larger so the rise and pop.
but it will help push the resin into spots when you cast other things in the resin.
You need a few fittings taps that bunnies have, Follow the many listed ways of setting it up.

Conduit works fine, just spray the inside with canola oil from a spray can, you'll find that in the kitchen somewhere.
That said its hard to make those pretty swirls and stuff vertically.
you can make a mould with plasticine, push a square block into it to make a well and use that, it does not stick and easy to pull away.

You can use small amounts of those acylic paints you get in junk shops for 2 bucks for colours.
The mica pigments they use in soap making work as well. Look for a shop somewhere that sell soap making stuff.
If you have a lady bunnings (spotlight) near you they have Pebeo setacolor ink/dyes stuff that also works, just be warned they charge $9.95 for what you can get anywhere for $6.40, like art shops that do paint and paper etc.

Then you get resins, your can go with the polyester resin (used in fibreglassing) at a quarter the price of epoxy resins.
Ignore what they tell you with 3-5% mekp, I just found out that for blocks of resin you only want 2%.
Think I got 4 litres for 60 bucks and that's what they charge for 1 litre of epoxy.
FGI Nuplex in springvale will even sell you 1 litre lot for 20 bucks.

If you come up from latrobe to go to springvale (fgi nuplex is not far from carbies), I'm in dandy if you want any more info.
Peter

I am also only new to this casting addiction. I have only been using the 25mm electrical conduit so far for all my casts, as I have found that to be the cheapest way to get started whilst finding many of the pitfalls when starting out. I got a 4 metre length from Bunnings for about $4.50 and just cut it up into lengths of about 140mm on the SCMS. I just cut off the tips of used nitrile glove fingers (approx 25mm long) and slide them over the bottom end of the tube to seal them up. They are a tight fit so they don't need to be sealed by any other means. I made a stand that holds 12 tubes vertically, which can be placed in the pressure pot if needed. From what I have been told, you only need pressure if you are casting objects such as worthless wood etc inside. If just pouring resin into a mould, ensure all air bubbles have been removed from the liquid before pouring, and allow to cure naturally in the mould.
You also have the costs of resin, dyes, pigments, powders, mixing & measuring containers, etc. You always seem to want more colours to try something different.
If I have any misleading information in the text above, those more experienced, please correct me.

for measuring I use those paper coffee cups, you can get 50 or 100 in the junk shops for a few bucks.
then I can throw them away.
For pen moulds I use the expresso size as it will hold 44 grams which is what I need for 2 sierras.

Saw something on youtube about pouring (might have been brenden), I pour a very thin stream at one end only into the mould.
don't pour fast back and forwards.
The thin stream (like a tap thats just left on) from a height of 12 inches also lets airbubbles get out as your pouring.
and it will flow underneath and fill the spaces properly. going back and forward may cause airpockets.

get yourself one of the small digital scales off ebay like these 2013 Mini Digital Jewelry Pocket Weighing Scale Balance 100G 0 01G C99D Popular | eBay

if you pour 40 grams of resin your only going to want .8 gm of MEKP, so you need scales that go down to .1 gm readings.

Have cut and pasted the above into a document that I will keep and start with.

Thanks

we have a shop in Melbourne (Melton ) and sell all the pearlex colours, resin, MEKP and moulds..

Pearlex is around $10-12 per colour
1ltr is $27 with MEKP
4 Ltr is $65
4man sierra mould is $25
you will need extras like paper cups, pipettes, acetone and paddle pop sticks for stirring

So $300 is a lot to start especially since starting out you don't need a pressure pot or compressor.

Originally Posted by salty72

we have a shop in Melbourne (Melton ) and sell all the pearlex colours, resin, MEKP and moulds..

Pearlex is around $10-12 per colour
1ltr is $27 with MEKP
4 Ltr is $65
4man sierra mould is $25
you will need extras like paper cups, pipettes, acetone and paddle pop sticks for stirring

So $300 is a lot to start especially since starting out you don't need a pressure pot or compressor.

Where do we find the moulds on your site?