Thread: Making colours

not sure mate, from what i have read colors do change gel time regardless of what is used

but i will stand corrected if someone tells us different

MIK

I am just hoping somthing makes this Damm job easier. I dont mind having some stuff ups because I have a few mighty fine looking stuffups. But I am looking at trying to get this swirl bit down pat but would like to get some swirls not just a mix between 2 colours.

Ian

Different colors gel at different rates. The ingredients that make the color also affect it. Work with your colors and keep track of everything.

Ian the best bet is to write evey thing down as you do it.
David

I am trying to keep track of what I do and will keep it all as a log. I am not happy with how brittle the blanks are comming out the are very very Brittle. I am using Barnes clear casting resin and as previously mentioned to me I am using 9 drops per 25 ml (22 drops per blank). Is there a way that I can make these blanks less brittle or am I better with a different product (open for suggestion) that I can use. I have blown out more blanks that I have label casted by chatter because of them being brittle than I have managed to finish.
As I have said in earlier threads I am using a resin pigments (as per surfboards) and mixed those with some micca.

Thanks Everyone
Ian

Ian are they chipping out or just blowing apart?
David

Mainly Chipping and it doesnt seem what I do I cannot get what you call a ribbon comming off the the blank. the ends have blown out (cracked) on several occasions now and no matter what i do i have what can be described as pit type holes all over the blank and have to sand and sand and more bloody sanding before I can get them smooth and even then I fail to get all the marks out.

Cheers Ian

I had this happen to me some time ago all I did was use less then sharp tools, you may want to look at the ends of your tools to make sure that they are smooth.
David

Try using a few drops less activater time is not of the essence in this exersize, {) try turning at a faster speed and use smaller tools to reduce the area in contact that can cause chatter such as a scraping tool . I have found the skew is the best for these blanks as long as you don,t try for too big a cut , another thing I do which helps a lot with the ends is to gently take the ends down to near the bushes at a fairly steep angle .about 60degrees .do this at both ends then finish your turning without having to worry about chunks flying off the ends . Cheers ~ John

I haven't used that brand of resin, but...
reduce your catalyst. 22 drops per blank is extreme. Those should be cured in no time, almost pour it right onto the spinning lathe.

i just got some of the Barnes clear casting resin

my first and only batch so far i used 1% i.e. 250ml resin 2.5ml MEKP

i found these to be briittle, but they did turn fine with a skew chisel

my next batch (hopefully this weekend) i am planing to drop down to 0.75%, i think on the can they recomend 0.75-1.25% - don't quote me on this only working on memory

that last lot i did seemed to gel within 25 minutes, not sure if that is fast or not but it seemed fast to me

MIK

Originally Posted by Dorno

Mainly Chipping and it doesnt seem what I do I cannot get what you call a ribbon comming off the the blank. the ends have blown out (cracked) on several occasions now and no matter what i do i have what can be described as pit type holes all over the blank and have to sand and sand and more bloody sanding before I can get them smooth and even then I fail to get all the marks out.

Cheers Ian

were you using a skew, i have found that scrapers and even the gouges will cause pitting/chipping

MIK

That resin sounds a lot like some resin I used to get call Castin' Craft. It didn't matter how it was mixed, it was always brittle to some degree. I was able to compensate with sharp tools and delicate operation of said tool.
I now use Silmar and can't get a brittle blank no matter what. Perhaps you have a similar brand available to you??
With the brittle blanks, spin the lathe at top speed, use sharp tools, and start with light shear cuts until you get the feel for them.

I used to do the measure how much I used but now that will do.
David