Casting questions

[ozhunter]

Hello AGAIN:-

I have decided to have a go at casting. I have lots of questions, and have found answers to some of them, but it'd be good to have all the answers in one place, so here goes....

1. If I use Resin Saver molds, do I need pressure pots and vacuum

2. Shredded money casts....how do you get around the legalities of destroying currency?

3. Where are the better places in Oz to get supplies like resin, powders etc.

4. Can someone point me to a tutorial that describes the process in detail. I have a few articles but none that I can find go in to detail on actually preparing the resin and the use of catalyst (is that the right term) etc

5. Beyond the basics, I get the impression that a lot of it is trial and lots of errors. Is this true for the most part, or can the errors be lessened.

I know I will have other questions, and I will continue to search the forums for tid-bits, but any help or advise would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

oz

[gawdelpus]

Just to get the ball rolling hehe, I mostly do clear casting as I like the idea of embedded objects showing through . I never use a pressure pot for straight out casting ,only for more difficult casts like worthless wood ,which needs a bond between wood and acrylic. You cannot use Aussie currency to shred under any circumstances , (Not sure on Kiwi cash though) :). Canada and the USA have no problem selling off shredded currency ,may need an OS friend to get you some though !, Barnes is a decent supplier of resins and other stuff you may need in time ,colors etc. You can get a small amount to get started at Bunnings stores ,Diggers clear casting ,in about a 500 mill tin. If you work on say one sierra tube cast in a saver mold ,about 25 mm of mix is needed ,in a measuring cup.
You should get successful casts right off ,keep to the suggested amounts of hardener ,more will work but can be brittle ,less works but takes longer to gel and harden , as to mixing colors thats another dept altogether . Stir gently when mixing in hardener ,a paddle pop stick is good ,keep the air out as much as possible remember the mix will shrink slightly when fully set so fill your molds to the top to be sure of enough coverage ,After pouring the material into the mold a few mins of gentle vibrating yo help the bubbles rise, that form sometimes due to the reaction of the catalist .I use my linisher table for this purpose it vibrates quite nicely hehe. It can be a bit messy so make sure you have some paper down and room to work ,all works out in the end ,just be patient ,usually ready to turn next day after casting , I have been in a hurry at times and done them within 4 hrs (very naughty) hehe. Any way go for it its not that hard and can add a whole new dimension to your work ,stainless wire braid ,feathers ,snake ,coffee rice and so on hehe,limited only by imagination .Cheers ~ John

[ozhunter]

Thanks John, it appears I have had a go at casting allready but didn't make the connection. I put some pre-decimal coins in resin as a paper weight for SWMBO, using coins from her year of birth, using Diggers clear casting resin. It was dropped on concrete and ended up in 4 or 5 pieces What reasons are there for using resin other than Diggers which is easy for me to get. I'm assuming cost is one.

Worthless wood is also something I like the look of. Sounds like I might be smart to get the embedding thing down, and then build the skill set as I go along.

Can most things be secured to the tube with CA, or there better/other options?

oz

[gawdelpus]

The only reason to use other resins is as you guessed volume and price , for pens 500 mills goes a long way :). For painting tubes use an acrylic paint as it won't react to the resin . CA is ok but allow plenty of time to dry properly .next day is best as it will be still giving off gases before then ,and can cause whiteness to appear in your casting . Some kits have a very small amount of material so be wary of how thick you go with embedding . Cigars are mostly ok, as is the Elegant beauties .sierra vista is ok as well , Start small and see how it goes, I started with glitter from the craft shops . Good luck with it all. cheers ~ John :D