Thread: Creation of resin-impregnated, compacted cloth layers (aka "Micarta") - WIP kinda...

Good to hear from you again!

Correct me if I'm wrong... but you don't need a shed to make up castings. Just think of the stockpile of blanks you could have cured & ready for working by the time you're tooled up again.

Great to hear from you again, Cameron.
Good luck with shed activities? Does you apartment have a LUG? If so, you have a workshop (unless you are driving a Humvee) if you can leave 4 feet free at the end for a bench.

Cheers

Jeremy

The best method for making resin-thing laminations is to use vacuum. Cover cloth pads with plastic foil. Glue edges of plastic foil to base of "tool". Than you pick up one tube and insert it under plastic foil at one corner. Another plastic tube is put in corner oposit of first one. Than you use vacuum pump to suck out all air. After that you open second tube that have been sink in resin and continue to suck air until all under plastic foil have been filled up.

I saw this method on one french bow-building forum.

Thanks Cameron for this thread. Making your own medium is smart, clever, ingenious, fun, etc., - to offer it to others is grand.

I do have a question: Could the 'pad' be put together is stages? That is, say, 20 pieces today and another 20 next week, and the reason I ask is I move VERY slowly so suspect the first layers of resin would cure before I got to the 60th.

I like this multi-quote thingy...

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

Good to hear from you again!

Correct me if I'm wrong... but you don't need a shed to make up castings. Just think of the stockpile of blanks you could have cured & ready for working by the time you're tooled up again.

True, but I did that just before I left... I have a big pile of blanks - luckily I have an offer to borrow someone else's lathe now. It is a long drive, but it will be worth it when I find the time!

However, my first task (while I am finding a convenient time to get in some shed time) will be to make a copper and nickel chess set by cutting and crossing two bits of sheet metal.

Although I may make some more blanks - it isn't a bad idea at all.

Originally Posted by jmk89

Great to hear from you again, Cameron.
Good luck with shed activities? Does you apartment have a LUG? If so, you have a workshop (unless you are driving a Humvee) if you can leave 4 feet free at the end for a bench.

Cheers

Jeremy

Yeah, I don't have a lock up garage. I wish I did - I even looked into finding some kind of storage, but nothing was appropriate - and tools here are so cheap too!!

Originally Posted by masoth

Thanks Cameron for this thread. Making your own medium is smart, clever, ingenious, fun, etc., - to offer it to others is grand.

I do have a question: Could the 'pad' be put together is stages? That is, say, 20 pieces today and another 20 next week, and the reason I ask is I move VERY slowly so suspect the first layers of resin would cure before I got to the 60th.

It is not really my own idea, I just use it slightly differently.
The "pad" really needs to be done all at once. The reason is that the way that resin hardens has a process called cross-linking. The idea is to get cross linking through each layer of cloth.

However, there are ways to increase the rapidity of the process:
1. Don't paint the resin on, dunk the cloth.
2. Use thicker cloth (although you still need to really wet each piece)
3. Call a mate over and have a dunker person and a lay-up person.

Also, to slow it from drying to fast:
1. Do it in cool weather if possible (such as night-time maybe) - often not a problem if you are in Tassie (where I was).
2. DON'T do it in a breeze.
3. DON'T do it in direct sunlight
4. Add slightly less catalyst - this is a little tricky to get quite right - the key is the word slightly.
5. Do not try to make up all of the resin at the start. Making resin is fast, but the resin itself will start to gel up fairly quickly, I can remake the resin as many as ten time in a single lay-up.

I hope this helps.

Finally, if you are still having trouble getting it done, make thinner blanks by all means BUT it won't work as well and make sure that you rough up the hardened blank before trying to glue the next layers on top (and I would do it that way rather than making several blanks) - although really that is just supposition.

Cam

Cameron, another question regarding this use, if you don't mind. How much resin would you set-up with before starting the process? I ask because 500g is the largest container I found at Bunnings, and the 'flood' suggestion you offered seems to need more (I've cut some scrap steel to about 300x200)

soth

Originally Posted by masoth

Cameron, another question regarding this use, if you don't mind. How much resin would you set-up with before starting the process? I ask because 500g is the largest container I found at Bunnings, and the 'flood' suggestion you offered seems to need more (I've cut some scrap steel to about 300x200)

soth

Of course, I never mind questions... My answers aren't always good though!

500g is heaps, I usually made mine in 200g batches (I think). I put it in a small icecream bucket then kind of just slopped the cloth around in that - then squeeze it out with your hands (WEARING DISPOSABLE GLOVES, i.e. latex gloves). There are two reasons to do this:

1. It actually squeezes the resin through the cloth more thoroughly.
2. You don't have too much resin (that will later just be squeezed out the sides of the blank).

I am excited that you are going to give it a go. Make sure you post your results here.

Don't rush getting it out of the mould though and make absolutely sure that it is dry all the way through before playing with it - I have wrecked many blanks by rushing them. . Still, that is what I am here for...

Cam

Originally Posted by CameronPotter

......... However, my first task (while I am finding a convenient time to get in some shed time) will be to make a copper and nickel chess set by cutting and crossing two bits of sheet metal. .......... Cam

I hope we get a couple of pictures of this (hint).

I have clamped-up, using your method, some pure cotton material and it will stay clamped till I recover from a touch of surgery next Wednesday. I hope over clamping/drying is not an error. I had the opportunity to buy towling at very cheaply - boy, does that soak in the resin.

soth

Hi,

I hope your surgery went well!

I am looking forward to seeing how your lay-up went.

I will certainly post some piccies of my chess pieces when I get around to doing them - I need to find time to get some sheet metal first though and I am just insanely busy at work right now...

Cam