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  1. #1
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    Default Beginners guide to casting

    Forgive me if this has already been covered but I have searched high and low and couldn't find anything.

    I am a novice pen maker, only been doing it for 12 months or so, and just buy my blanks through our sponsor. Last night my daughter tagged me through facebook with this video and I am screamingly wanting to get into casting. I have had a look around, there is nothing for the complete beginner in the way of advice of what you need, where to buy it, which is preferable as a brand etc etc. I live in the middle of Western Victoria so even a Bunnings is over an hour away from me. Could someone point me to a link where I can get the advice needed, or if someone has the time if they could post what I need in a reply. I have zero knowledge of the process so if someone could help me, that would be mega appreciated. Be gentle with me!!

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  3. #2
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    try timber bits they have gear for casting and help if required from David[I think]

  4. #3
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    Brendan Stemp does a couple of good vids on casting and goes into the gear he uses.
    Tony
    You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have. ~Oscar Wilde

  5. #4
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    Check my FB page's first pinned post for info on stuff to use and where to get them https://www.facebook.com/pg/DaiSense...=page_internal
    Neil
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    Every day presents an opportunity to learn something new

  6. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by dai sensei View Post
    Check my FB page's first pinned post for info on stuff to use and where to get them https://www.facebook.com/pg/DaiSense...=page_internal
    That is brilliant work if I may say so. I am reading and learning a lot, if you would put yourself if my shoes and not feel like such as dunce as I do typing this - which products if you were the complete starter would YOU buy and from where. Which moulds - I intend to do some pen blanks but not may, probably slim line ones, and also some blocks which I will turn into spheres or display pieces. Which pigments (are there sets?). Instructions. How long should I expect for pours to set? Can I do all of this without a pot or do I need one, if so from where?

    I am starting with 0 knowledge on this and really appreciate any further advice.

  7. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Necromancer View Post
    That is brilliant work if I may say so. I am reading and learning a lot, if you would put yourself if my shoes and not feel like such as dunce as I do typing this - which products if you were the complete starter would YOU buy and from where. Which moulds - I intend to do some pen blanks but not may, probably slim line ones, and also some blocks which I will turn into spheres or display pieces. Which pigments (are there sets?). Instructions. How long should I expect for pours to set? Can I do all of this without a pot or do I need one, if so from where?

    I am starting with 0 knowledge on this and really appreciate any further advice.
    For a beginner I would use the clear casting resin (PR) from your hardware or one of the PRs from Ebay. Colours, Pearlex are the best fun to play with and large sets of lots of colours can be obtained off Enay too. Molds, use some scrap Malemine or thick cutting boards to make a block mold, screw together with silicon on the joints to seal. Then just cut them into blanks. Make sure the resin is warm and rattle to mold to help remove bubbles. If you are trying composite blanks, i.e. with wood seeds etc, make sure they are really dry.

    Once you decide you want to proceed, you can get into other resins/molds/colours/pressure pots etc.
    Neil
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  8. #7
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    Big thing is I don't have a hardware shop in town that carries these items. If I am to do this, I may as well do it with decent stuff. If you were to make a shopping list, what would YOU get? Clear casting (which one), some tint, a few pepper grinder moulds, I would love to attack a dragonball but that is down the road a bit I am thinking.

  9. #8
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    I'm surprised you Mitre10 doesn't have any.

    A pepper grinder blank is a big blank to start with and I would not recommend doing them without the pressure pot. I would start small like pen blanks, or small blocks that could be cut up for one blanks or pendants, even a small sphere etc.

    Since you don't have a pressure pot you could try Liquid Diamonds as it is supposed to be a very low viscosity epoxy resin available from Aldax here Clear Casting Epoxy Resin Aldax Moulds Store They also have pigments, dyes and mica powders (just make sure the non-powdered stuff is suitable for epoxy).

    For molds you can make your own with melamine to start with sealed with silicon, or some plastic containers from the $2 shops (not hard plastic, the milky sort of hard but flexible type), try and get vertical sided ones. Otherwise you can also use soap block molds off Ebay
    Neil
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  10. #9
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    So I dropped in at Barnes in Richmond and grabbed some Clariti ultra clear epoxy resin. For doing pen blanks, is this good? And dyes and pigments.....which ones?

  11. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Necromancer View Post
    So I dropped in at Barnes in Richmond and grabbed some Clariti ultra clear epoxy resin. For doing pen blanks, is this good? And dyes and pigments.....which ones?
    You should have asked Barnes whilst you were there, they have a full range of dyes/pigments/Pearlexes
    Neil
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  12. #11
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    What about Ebay listings? And Barnes were closing when I rocked up.

  13. #12
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    There are plenty of suppliers of pigments on ebay .Just look for mica pigments. They are considerably cheaper than pearelex and in my experience are as good or better . The only problem is they come from China and take a few weeks to get here .You can also mail order pigments from fibreglass suppliers or nautical suppliers such as Whitworths .These are paste pigments with no mica in them .
    Ted

  14. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by turnerted View Post
    There are plenty of suppliers of pigments on ebay .Just look for mica pigments. They are considerably cheaper than pearelex and in my experience are as good or better . The only problem is they come from China and take a few weeks to get here ...
    Try soap manufacturers, they sell mica powders, like here https://wholesalemineralmakeup.com.a...nt=36544859090

    The above link and a heap more are on the fixed post in my Facebook page as noted above in post #4
    Neil
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  15. #14
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    There are plenty of tutorials on utube for casting including some by the turning master Dai Sensei if you watch his video's you will certainly be off to a flying start

    good luck Ian

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