Thread: Armor Plated Watch Parts - Pretty in Pink

ummmm..................................... wow thats really cool using your mecha style as well as steampunk

Very nice Mik, and very "Time" consuming hehe, I always cast clear without pressure and have never had bubble problems ,one thing I do apart from only pouring from one end and letting it find its own way ,when the mold is is full to about halfway up the pen ,I stop pouring and then tilt the mold lengthways right and left to get the PR moving and dislodging any trapped air , I then tilt it end to end ,without spilling of course ,then complete the pour ,sometimes I run an icypole stick along the sides as well to stir it a bit more, at which point it goes on the bandsaw table with the motor running for a few minutes to help any other bubbles rise to the top ,seems to work out ok for me . My latest Blue watch pen went on display today and sold to the first person who saw it damn,have to do another one now hehe, cheers ~ John

I really like this one MIK!!

Looks fantastic. The addition of the colours sets it off.

thanks for all your replies guys, it appears you like it as much as i do, i am stoked with this one, more to follow over the coming week

Originally Posted by gawdelpus

Very nice Mik, and very "Time" consuming hehe, I always cast clear without pressure and have never had bubble problems ,one thing I do apart from only pouring from one end and letting it find its own way ,when the mold is is full to about halfway up the pen ,I stop pouring and then tilt the mold lengthways right and left to get the PR moving and dislodging any trapped air , I then tilt it end to end ,without spilling of course ,then complete the pour ,sometimes I run an icypole stick along the sides as well to stir it a bit more, at which point it goes on the bandsaw table with the motor running for a few minutes to help any other bubbles rise to the top ,seems to work out ok for me . My latest Blue watch pen went on display today and sold to the first person who saw it damn,have to do another one now hehe, cheers ~ John

i know where you are coming from John, but you have one advantage in the northern states over us Mexicans, its a damn sight warmer all year round, the resin is so thick due to the cold its the way i like my soup, stand the spoon up in the middle of the bowl and it wont fall over, i am sure the way it smells it wouldn't taste very good though

the temperature was why i was trying to cast under pressure, it cost me a number of blanks, i am still going to try my other molds with the heated resin, if it works well then the only thing i will have to buy is stoppers, i have heaps of conduit laying around, they will use a bit more resin but they will be round to start with, which is always a bonus, that white dust off the disk sander goes everywhere!!!!

the biggest problem i see is the distance bubbles will have to travel to get to the top of the mold, worth a try on some not so time consuming to make blanks i think

i do pour my resin into the molds much the same way, only i pour along one side of the tube and let it run under the tube which i also think should lessen the bubbles trapped under the tube, its all good, i am sure another idea will hit us all at some stage and change the way we think...

i am very happy that your pen sold so fast... now get to it and create another masterpiece, 1 watch parts per night is the best i can manage, i turned 8 of them today so keep an eye out for more, i will show them in the order they came off the lathe

MIK

To avoid bubbles I pour what I need, heat the resin in hot water @ 160F until the resin is as thin as water then add the catalyst.
Heating the resin eliminates doing anything else other than pouring.
Works great for me.

Les

The pen looks really good, I'm sure the ladies will love it.

Originally Posted by Les in Red Deer

To avoid bubbles I pour what I need, heat the resin in hot water @ 160F until the resin is as thin as water then add the catalyst.
Heating the resin eliminates doing anything else other than pouring.
Works great for me.

Les

Originally Posted by Les in Red Deer

To avoid bubbles I pour what I need, heat the resin in hot water @ 160F until the resin is as thin as water then add the catalyst.
Heating the resin eliminates doing anything else other than pouring.
Works great for me.

Les

thats pretty much what i did Les, not sure what temp out water from the tap is but i can't leave my hand under it thats for sure, i also upped the MEKP to 2%, i was using 1% during summer, i just broke a couple of blanks out of their molds and they have no bubbles either.

Do you use horizontal or vertical molds, i don't see why the vertical molds wouldn't work, experimentation is the key

Originally Posted by dai sensei

The pen looks really good, I'm sure the ladies will love it.

Thanks Neil, one of my workers tried to acquire it today, she is also one of my best customers, regularly purchasing pens for gifts, from the way she was talking i am sure this one will probably go to her sister

MIK