Experiments in Label Casting

**BoomerangInfo** · 20th October 2008, 12:59 PM

Alrighty, here's my first efforts in Label Casting.

Note no actual "label" was used, it was Photo Gloss inkjet paper + various glues. Pictures are an Aussie flag warped & backgrounded in Photoshop, and a Hubble image, which I will definitely be doing more of. I wrecked all my Saturn images before I got something to stick, hence the couple of galaxies I ended up with.

First the Lessons learned

1. Spray adhesive doesn't work, it separates from the paper after casting
2. Trying to turn an 8mm dowel into a 6.5mm plug on a sander doesn't work. End result - a tube full of resin.
3. If the chances are you WILL end up with a tube full of resin - DON'T fill the tube with nails - makes it hard to drill out afterwards
4. Drilling out anything clogging up the tube is likely to wreck your tube to one degree or other.
5. Re-gluing the tube after it comes out is a PITA, as the residue on the back of the label makes it hard to get the tube in again
6. Colouring in the seam with a sharpie is worse than leaving the seam as it is
7. The clip ALMOST hides the seam...
8. Everything has to be perfect, any flaws are magnified by the clear resin
9. Make sure your mould is clean before pouring the resin in - you don't want any floaties.
10. Discovering a leak in your home-made mould after you've poured the resin in is not a good thing.
11. Despite any imperfections, to the non-discerning eye, the impact of label cast pens is quite dramatic.

And just a few other notes.

I realised at the outset that starting with a 7mm tube was making it tough for myself, but my kit supplies are limited at the moment, so I worked with what I have. I'm surprised I actually got an OK result out of it when all was said and done, given the number of attempts I had to glue the pictures on in the first place.

I ended up with a couple of small fractures in the resin. I'm not sure if this occured during the cast, while I was drilling the garbage out of the tube, or during turning. As you can only see it once you've got a final polished surface, there's not much you can do about it.

The seam - the darn seam, how to make it invisible?? No idea yet. The black turned out fairly well, the green is a mess. White would be the best choice to start with, as you don;t have random bits of paper showing through a colour in thatc ase, but I like a challenge

I think I just about got my best finish yet on this pen, for fit to the kit, and smoothness. I found a small buffing wheel and buffing paste in my dremel kit, which I used after the final MM, and it seems to have come out pretty blemish free and clear, although I need to do some work around the ends of the turning it seems.

Finally, there seems to be a flaw on the middle edge of the flag label. It's at the tube interface, so I'm not sure whether something got in, something sepearated, or just a mess from my re-gluing the tube attempt.

Oh, and I got a sample kit of labels from a local company in the mail today. Pretty slick considering I only talked to them on Friday. Just a simgle sheet each of their different label types, but enough to try them out. Now if only I had sprae tubes & kits to try them out on...

Lots of work in this stuff, but lots of fun if the end result turns out well. I'll cerainly be trying more when I can.

Russell.

**joe greiner** · 20th October 2008, 11:11 PM

Good report, Russell.

There's a tonne and a half of adages about the value of failure in achieving success. Google [edison filament experiments] doesn't quite pin down an exact number, but Thomas Edison and his staff seem to have conducted at least 6,000 tests before finding their original optimum.

"We must endeavour to persevere." From an old Clint Eastwood movie IIRC, spoken by Chief WhatsHisName.

Cheers,
Joe

**NewLondon88** · 20th October 2008, 11:55 PM

Great job! At least you got as far as putting a pen together!

Smaller tubes are harder because of the curl. But for the curl and also the
seam, I've been told to use plain white glue. It dries clear and holds the tube
and label well. It should hide the Sharpie mark on the seam, too. Those seem
to work the best for hiding the seam.

I just got a pressure pot yesterday, put it together but it doesn't hold air.
Leaks and hisses all over. Need to find some new fittings and replace
everything before I can try another batch.. Hopefully I'll have as much luck
as you did.

Package in the mail ..

**BoomerangInfo** · 21st October 2008, 06:42 AM

Originally Posted by NewLondon88

I just got a pressure pot yesterday, put it together but it doesn't hold air. Leaks and hisses all over. Need to find some new fittings and replace
everything before I can try another batch.. Hopefully I'll have as much luck
as you did.

Heh, fun isn't it? Makes you wonder how they can call them pressure pots, when they don't hold pressure

I sitll have yet to plug my final leak, just too much fun using the pot to try and repair it, and the results seems to be working out OK with my small pressure loss anyway.

I need to order some tubes to practice on...

Russell.

**NewLondon88** · 21st October 2008, 08:03 AM

Originally Posted by BoomerangInfo

Heh, fun isn't it? Makes you wonder how they can call them pressure pots, when they don't hold pressure

Ah .. you misunderstand the name. The Harbor Freight pressure pots work
on your BLOOD pressure..

Originally Posted by BoomerangInfo

I sitll have yet to plug my final leak, just too much fun using the pot to try and repair it, and the results seems to be working out OK with my small pressure loss anyway.
I need to order some tubes to practice on...
Russell.

Yeah.. I just ordered 20 sets of cigars and jr gents. They also have the 'chameleon'
tubes .. white, nickel, black etc. Not a bad price, either. I ordered from CSUSA.

It takes some practice to do these things..

**dj_pnevans** · 22nd October 2008, 12:06 PM

Russell.
Try the soft ear plugs in the tubes.
David

**salty72** · 23rd October 2008, 11:12 AM

I found a potato slice of 6-8mm works well, just stab the brass tube into the potato if forms a plug that can be later removed very easily

**NewLondon88** · 23rd October 2008, 12:35 PM

Originally Posted by BoomerangInfo

Heh, fun isn't it? Makes you wonder how they can call them pressure pots, when they don't hold pressure

I sitll have yet to plug my final leak, just too much fun using the pot to try and repair it, and the results seems to be working out OK with my small pressure loss anyway.

I have taken off every fitting that comes off, used pipe thread tape and tried again.
Went to the hardware store twice to buy more fittings, replaced a few and soaped
everything up. Then I had to start taking off things that don't want to come off!

I think I got it now.. I just need to replace the pressure guage. And the lid. And the pot.

**gawdelpus** · 23rd October 2008, 01:43 PM

Sounds like you would have got on great with my old man! Sunday morning,"what's for breakfast?". Answer " if we had some eggs we could have bacon and eggs, If we had some bacon !!!! " hehe

**BoomerangInfo** · 23rd October 2008, 02:12 PM

Originally Posted by salty72

I found a potato slice of 6-8mm works well, just stab the brass tube into the potato if forms a plug that can be later removed very easily

That's fine for Glueing, doesn't work for casting I'm afraid.

Russell.

**salty72** · 23rd October 2008, 02:30 PM

Oh, Of course, because you end up with resin covering the end of the potato, what if you stab a brass blank 20-30mm into a potato and using a chopstick push the pug back out ...thne feed 1/3 of it into the "labelled blank" repeat for the other end this will give you a very soft plug that will allow drill bits to easily find Centre

**BoomerangInfo** · 23rd October 2008, 02:45 PM

Originally Posted by salty72

Oh, Of course, because you end up with resin covering the end of the potato, what if you stab a brass blank 20-30mm into a potato and using a chopstick push the pug back out ...thne feed 1/3 of it into the "labelled blank" repeat for the other end this will give you a very soft plug that will allow drill bits to easily find Centre

Not only being covered in resin, but when casting under pressure, you need a plug that will not move when under 40+ psi. Fortunately for those who eat them, the humble spud just isn't dense enough for that.

I may have found a short-term local solution. I got a pack of 4 rubber feet for furniture - the type that slide onto the ends of 6 - 8mm wire. It fits nicely into a Sierra tube, U just have to try out my new home-made label mould to see if it all works.

Russell.

**Skew ChiDAMN!!** · 23rd October 2008, 06:06 PM

You got any polished metal rods the same size as the ID of the tube and about 1" longer?

Casting in lengths of electrical conduit, the conduit standing in blobs of wax, the rod dipped in release agent then poked through the tube and pressed into the wax at the bottom of the conduit. (The soft wax from minibel cheeses works well here.

) If necessary, the top can be held in position at the top of the conduit with a bit of fine wire (gar-bag ties) or tape.

Removal is a bit awkward, holding one end in a vice and gently tapping/twisting the blank free. If the same rods are reused frequently, one end tends to become "chewed." Always clamp using this end, so you have a "smooth" end which will easily slide through the tube. Removing the conduit is way more of an effort... it's easier just to turn it away on the lathe.

Some resin still gets into the tube, but it can easily be removed with the shaft of a pen mill.

Obviously, this method is best reserved for label castings and the like where the tube needs to be part of the casting. Otherwise I prefer to just cast slabs.

**munruben** · 24th October 2008, 12:12 PM

Wow , the trouble you guys go to. but great work. Pens look great to me.

Thread: Experiments in Label Casting

Thread Tools

Search Thread

Experiments in Label Casting

Similar Threads

Label casting - Avery 8255 equivalent in Australia?

Label Removal

Stanley 55 experiments

Experiments

more stone pen experiments

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions