Epoxy/Resin/Casting General

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To start off the thread: I've been needing to find a good casting material which doesn't require special equipment (respirator, vacuum chamber, etc).

A lot of the materials I've found are meant specifically/only for casting thin jewelry or similar objects. I need a clear epoxy or resin that I can use to make deep casts - 3+ cm deep that won't break the bank. None of the ones I've tried so far have worked well or fast enough. There's always too many bubbles or it takes days to cure. Any suggestions?

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So I'm the same guy who made the blue crystals from the last thread. I got my hands on some East Coast resin from a friend of mine and decided to try it out.

Results: Mildly inconclusive.

I've been using the same kind of mold as I did for the other cast (Silicone I), and it turns out it does not like heat. I put all of these in the oven after I finished cooking something and came back an hour later - quite honestly glad I didn't catch this defect in time, because otherwise I wouldn't have known about it.

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>>1089307
The silicone deformed and is no longer flat on the bottom, but is mostly flat on the casting surface; however, it's still completely unusable now.

The top of the epoxy cured hard and smooth, but the rest has an unimaginable amount of bubbles and has the look and feel of very coarse pumice, but very fragile. I don't know what failed first, the silicone or the cast, but it's obvious that I can't heat-cure this epoxy (at least not at such a high temperature).

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>>1089309
This 'crystal' was clear but not fully cured when I put it in the oven, and the surface was still tacky after ~30 hours of curing (I think, -/-- 5/10).

It's now completely hard, no soft or sticky spots, but has taken on an amber hue. If there were less bubbles it might look better but it's pretty bad as-is. Lighter shown for transparency.

Really hope the new jar I got will work as a pressure chamber, these bubbles are killing me.

>>1089311
It shouldn't take much vacuum to suck those kinds of bubbles out.

Sometimes a quick setoff can be better for casting because its internal temp gets hotter and that's good for curing.

>>1089316
Unfortunately, I don't the tools to make a vacuum chamber - I'm making a very jury-rigged pressure pot, though.

>setoff
Unfamiliar with this term, elaborate?

>>1089269
Dickfarmer checking in.

Highly suggest ez-Flo 60. Shitty work time and gets hot so don't get it on u. But pours like water and sets up fucking quick.

Detail is like non other.

All physical properties as far as I can tell are like buying a perfect store bought plastic replica. Dries bleach white so I guess food coloring would tint and make anything u want.

Done some wax and silicone work. And fiberglass in the past.

Note: non metal thread I know but u can melt lead on your stove.

And pewter.

And wtf ever the real name for unformed Styrofoam beads are can be molded with a former and steam.

>>1089272
Shit. That ez flo 60 is clear then Dries white. Demold soon as it cools.

>>1089272
>I've been needing to find a good casting material which doesn't require special equipment (respirator, vacuum chamber, etc).

I have been down this road already..

If you want quality you will simply have to have the vacuum chamber and or pressure chamber.

Trying to use all of the various methods you will find online will only lead to heartbreak and wasted money.

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>>1089728
>>1089729
>ez-flo 60
On Amazon, I'm only finding results for "easyflo 60"; I'm not quite prepared to drop almost $60 on 4lb of plastic without knowing its properties yet, but I'll keep it in mind. I'm looking for a clear resin, though.

>>1089731
See >>1089319; I have a jar that should work and I'll probably post results by the end of the week. Can't do vacuum yet, but will look into it if I need to. I get "okay" results with no pressure/vacuum so far, but I'd like to get them a little clearer.

>>1089272
>require special equipment (respirator, vacuum chamber, etc).

You don't have a fridge compressor and a pyrex bowl or large mason jar?

Heck you can make a vacuum pump by putting a tube on the air intake of a foot pump.

Anyway I highly recommend looking out for a fridge compressor if you're on a budget.

They can be used as a vacuum and to supply pressure, with the added benefit of being as quiet as fuck.

>>1089731
Nah op. Ez Flo 60 for sure. Quality results but it is pretty high. No tools needed.

If you have not read that yet, have a look at the guerilla guide to CNC, part 4 i think talks about molding polyurethanes into silicon molds.

Also, anybody doing this kind of things in Europe? All the good silicones and PU seem to be sold in the US, and it is very difficult to impossible to find something similar here...

>>1089829
>you don't have a fridge compressor?
Honestly, no, and I'd be surprised if many people just "had" one (that they're not using).
Finding a mason jar has been surprisingly difficult, I was only able to find one that wasn't in a pack of like 50 jars and it's rather squat.

>>1089839
As mentioned above, it's opaque white, not clear.

>>1089992
Someone needs to invent a hand vacuum pump... Am I right OP? Lol like a bicycle pump but backwards...

>>1089269
Look for HVAC vacuum pumps on Craigslist and at auction. Used ones are reasonable. Ensure it has the proper oil which you can get at auto stores or online. Type oil varies with pump, so check manufacturer website.

>>1091035
They already exist, but I don't have $60 to drop on one.

>>1091058
Will take note.

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>>1091181
Forgot pic

>>1091058
harbor freight sells one for 80$ before the 20% off coupon... you do always use the coupon right?

not the best thing for evacuating a split system... but perfect for this..

>>1089992
appliance repair guy here... I have a couple fridge compressors.

look on craigslist for broken fridges... if the compressor starts and runs but the fridge doesn't cool then you've got a 50/50 shot that the compressor is fine and it's just leaked all the refrigerant out through the evaporator... you can hijack the compressor out of one of these....

as long as it's not a fancy linear compressor (that you'd want to steer clear of anyway) then it'll just need a neutral and 110V line to start (provided the start device is still attached) looked into this a while back and if you do try this make a second mason jar chamber with an inlet and outlet hose port on the top... this will help you keep from sucking bubbled up resin into the pump your using (it settles into the bottom of the second jar)

>>1089269
Check the Hapco website. Nice to deal with too.

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I'll post more tomorrow since it's late, but tl;dr my "experiments" worked (for the most part).

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>Best place to buy materials in Australia?

>>1092341
In for detailed update. General question for peeps in this thread:

>I have a medium sized (5"x3"x7") sculpture that I want to make multiple replicas of
>without destroying the original
>what are the steps, processes, and products I would use if I wanted to use resin like OP?
>some kind of silicone pour over the figurine, then cut the mold into multiple shapes? (It's a complex geometry)
>can't really find good EDU's online, but if you have a resource/link I would luv u 5ever

>no one itt recommending corn flour + silicone + some food colouring

Fags.

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>>1091035
>Someone needs to invent a hand vacuum pump

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>>1089269
http://www.hobbylobby.com/Crafts-Hobbies/Clay-Molding-Sculpting/Casting/16-ounces-EasyCast-Clear-Casting-Epoxy/p/27003

>>1092406
This work? I got a gang of that shit. Bout to do some myself.

Wanna turn a 5 foot square foam Halloween skull I found into concrete. Don't some mold making. I failed a lot but it's worth it.

https://youtu.be/Wn4WzCKnYwY

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>>1092514
>2016
>not having life size fire breathing dragons for lawn sculptures.

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>>1092406
>products
I have good results with Smooth-on Oomoo 30 so far.
>steps
DON'T FORGET MOLD RELEASE. Otherwise you WILL have just a solid chunk of useless rubber instead of mold parts. Make sure you have something that is NOT silicone based and specifically mentions that it is for silicone molds, otherwise you're throwing money down the drain.
>complex geometry
How complex? inch overhangs? Millimeter details?

>>1092417
But Anon, that's exactly what I did... eh, in the old thread, apparently. Pic related. tl;dr of it is: one/two drops of food colouring, GE Silicone I caulk (it HAS to be Silicone I, Silicone II just does not work, I have tried and failed), mix thoroughly. Slop it on something if you have a brush or don't really care if it sticks to everything while you're applying. Alternatively, dip in cornstarch, knead, repeat until no longer sticky, and press onto/into your model.

>>1092513
Been considering using this, but the Envirotex Lite I have has been working okay so far and is slightly cheaper. Do you have any firsthand experience with it?

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Right, onto my process for this. Here's the current result. I have a coat of polyurethane on it which I want to sand down and recoat, so that's why there's wavy lines on the left and right edges. As you can see compared to >>1089742, the bubbles are almost non-existent.

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>>1092685
This is what I tried to use as a pressure chamber at first - it didn't work. Before I could get any sort of reasonable pressure, it always started leaking and nothing I could do to it would stop the leak. It's kind of hard to see, but note the lid here is one of the flanged ones which doesn't actually have a thread on it - just bumps to catch onto the thread on the jar. The jar itself is just a fruit preserve jar.

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>>1092688
This is the new, sort of working jar. It can take a pressure up to about 10psi - I don't know exactly how much, because the pressure is lower than what registers on the pump gauge. It doesn't go any higher than ~10psi without leaking - I think this is because the dents on the lid pry up the edges of the lid and break the seal. The brass fitting is just a ball valve so I can disconnect the pump and have the jar by itself.

Into the top, I "glued" what I think is a Schrader adapter which came with the pump - it doesn't really matter what it is, it just needs to provide a seal to the pump. You could feasibly use a regular bike tire nipple, I think, but this is what I had on hand. It's secured in place with the mixture mentioned above - Silicone I, food coloring, and cornstarch.

Note that the lid is a different design; it's kind of hard to see here, but the lid actually has threads and screws onto the jar instead of just holding there. I think this is what makes a huge difference.

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>>1092692
Here's a bottom view of the lid. I drilled a slightly smaller than 1/2" hole into the lid, covered the threads in teflon, and screwed the ball valve in. After screwing it in, I coated it in a silicone/dye mixture - NO cornstarch. I've found that without it, the silicone is much more gummy and soft and so fills small cracks better (and sticks to itself easier), but is harder to work with as you can see from how messy it is. You can also see a little bit of the threaded lid to the left.

So, that's my process. Total cost, not including time:

Bike pump: $20 (you can probably find cheaper ones)
Mason jar: $3 (packs of 4 for $6 or so at Target, I didn't see them until after I had already disfigured this one)
GE Silicone I: ~5.50.
Food coloring / corn starch: $??? (I had them lying around)

End result: almost bubble-free castings.

I'm sure I could improve the process by using a larger jar with a more solid lid or by gluing a solid sheet of metal to the top of this lid, but it works as is and I'm fairly pleased with the result.

I'll be buying some more alcohol inks tomorrow as well as printing/molding/casting some more crystals over the weekend, so stay tuned.

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>>1092688
How wide is the opening on the jar.

If it's small you could look at weed sprayers. They'll go up to 35 psi (even though they're marked 25 psi). They even have their own pump and release valve.

Plus it's easy to screw brass fittings and a PSI gauge to the HDPE body, you just drill a hole in it then screw them on, you don't even have to tap threading.

The main drawback is the size of the lid though.

>>1089992
Go to a thrift store and buy a used pressure cooker, it shouldn't be too hard to modify I to a vacuum/pressure chamber

>>1092834
The mouth of the jar is ~7cm wide. I'll consider one of those if I find it for cheap enough.

>>1093510
Will look into this as well.

I set up an other pour just now, it should be finished +8hrs or so. Will post pictures when it's cured.

Well, shit.

The cast didn't come out how I wanted it to, and I've discovered my 2-part RTV silicone may have expired - most of the bottle. $25 gone.

I'm fairly upset. Will post pictures tomorrow.

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>>1093531
If you go for a Pressure Cooker then try to get one were the lid is on the inside, pic related.

That way the pressure on the gasket is helping force the lid closed, rather than trying to push the lid off.

You'll get a much more dangerous/professional seal.

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>>1089269

Honestly, the only scenarios you will need a pressure chamber is if you are doing extremely large casts or plan on making stock for a lathe.

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>>1094230
Still working on this one.

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>>1094231

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>>1094232

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>>1094234

>>1094230
>>1094231
>>1094232
>>1094234
>>1094235
These all look very nice - and you're not using a pressure chamber?

However, they all seem to be ~1cm deep/thick, and my casts are all at least 1.5cm wide/thick is the issue. Bubbles can't rise to the surface fast enough before the resin starts curing.

What material are you using? It seems nice and clear, and judging by >>1094235 machinable. Also - how did you get that break in wood? I'm unable to get more than short, stubby splinters and I thought that was due to the density of the wood but am unsure.

>>1094239

No pressure chamber.

All of these start off much much much thicker. ~ 3cm and then I belt sand them down. I do this because nobody wants to wear a 3cm thick necklace haha.

I'm using two different kinds. Castin' Craft polyester resin, which is used in all of the pictures you see. And west system 105 epoxy resin with 206 hardener. I have to say, while Castin craft smells awful (similar to pain thinner) it seems harder, and more like glass than the West systems epoxy resin. Also, West Systems becomes very hot which sometimes steams the wood creating bubbles.

To get rid of bubbles, use a heat gun. A hair dryer can work, but it sends out way to much air and might splatter your cast. Simply apply the heat gun over the resin and watch the bubbles rise and pop : )

As for getting nice splinters, it depends on the type of wood of course. But you can use a vice and wedge the wood in between 3 smaller strips of wood. Look up "Peter Brown Secret Wood" on youtube.

I've been doing this a few months, so let me know any other questions. I'm happy to answer them.

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>>1094242
Is what you're using pic related? I've been kind of on the fence about getting it when I can afford it. The main things I've heard about it is that it's toxic and requires ventilation/to be outside, and that the catalyst required for different depths is inconsistent (and the instructions don't say what to do for >1", I think).

I'll look into the heat gun thing when I can use one again.

>Peter brown secret wood
That's actually exactly what sent me down this path. I just don't think I have any vices that can withstand those forces without catastrophic failure.

Only other question I can think of at the moment is how do you finish your pieces? They're very clear, which I wouldn't expect from a belt sander. What I did with >>1092685 and >>1089742 was use up to 2000 grit sandpaper to remove imperfections, then coat it in a polyurethane spray to get it clear again.

Castin craft is great because it doesn't get too hot. But be sure to do it outside and don't get it on your fingers or anything you want to keep. The catalyst works fine. The more you put in, the faster it cures.


Without a vice... hmm. I would try placing the wood on top of two bricks with a space between it. Then drop a very heavy rock from on top until it cracks. You may need longer pieces of wood for this. Also try to sand the wood down to be more thin.

I'm not just using the belt sander. I'm going from 200 all the way up to 12000. Yes 3 zeros. Look up sanding mesh. Then to bring it up to 11, I buff on some polishing compound using a dremel.

>>1094286
Noted. I guess I'll order some of the mesh from Amazon or something.

>the more you put in, the faster it cures
Any downside to more catalyst? 1:1 mixtures usually end up gummy/sticky if you get the amounts wrong, but I've never tried "uneven" mixture compounds.

>>1094288

No downside. It's much easier in my opinion.

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Two days later, finally posting the casts I made.

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>>1095095
This is the cast from the mold made of caulk. The edges of the intersection of the three columns is very poorly defined and looks pretty bad in person.

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>>1095098
This the cast made from (expired) Oomoo 30. Despite it being expired, I managed to (with great difficulty) mix it so that it cured properly and seemed to have the same results as if it had been fresh.

The major downside to this is that it basically didn't flow at all. It was the consistency of discarded chewing gum on a hot sidewalk. In addition, it had a lot of bubbles - as you can see by the protrusions on the top and sides of the columns, when I pressurized the cast, it had the inadvertent effect of compressing the bubbles in the silicone and deforming the cast.

I'm not sure why this cast came out so foggy; I think it's either due to the texture of the master (a sanded 3D printed object) or some chemical reaction with the silicone/resin. The top (bottom here) where it didn't touch the silicone while curing is clear.

>>1095102
>>1095098
>>1095095
These images are fairly large, so you can open in a new tab and zoom if you're interested in the detail. The colours were supposed to be red, green, and blue, in order of height.

I'm planning to get some Composimold reusable casting material next week to see how that works. I can't find it locally.

This thread will probably, but hopefully not, die within the next week. Feel free to discuss other stuff. I just wanted to post my projects somewhere for now.

My girlfriend's silicone bracelet snapped. Any way to mend it? Hot glue is too shitty but I haven't tried anything else yet. I have RTF or whichever which I use to make gaskets but I'm not sure it would actually adhere

>>1095127
Silicone should stick to silicone. You can try it, but it might not be as strong as it was before.