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New to this, how do I ??

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evoman76

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Hi

I have been making pens for a while now and would like to experiment with making my own blanks. I work in the cardboard packaging industry and wondered if it would be possible to make a blank with cardboard in so you can see the flute(wiggly bit in the middle) Would the resin go around / through this to make it strong enough ?

If so where do I get moulds and clear resin ?

Thanks in advance

David
 
Phil Dart

Phil Dart

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Hi David - Welcome to the Forum

There are lots of blanks makers and casters here, and doubtless some will be along to help you before long.
 
fingwe

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Hmm, I'm not sure, you might be OK if you cast it in a vacuum chamber, or possibly a pressure pot, but otherwise I think the resins are going to be too thick to penetrate the cardboard evenly in the limited curing time. You might have better luck with an epoxy resin, which will generally take around a day to cure, but even then I would expect it to be a bit patchy, without the use of vacuum/pressure - and you'll generate lots of air bubbles. Actually, I think bubbles may end up being your biggest problem....
 
21William

21William

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Some Epoxy resins have a pretty low viscosity but I think Melanie is right about needing a vacuum chamber. Nice idea though, might turn out nice if you can do it.
 
Bucks

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My brain is so fried at the moment with the Christmas rush, but I’m sure that with a little thought & experimentation there will me a way, you could possibly try sealing the cardboard with some form of spray sealer/lacquer, to prevent the cardboard from just becoming a soggy mess from the resin.

As to suppliers of moulds & Resins, I make quality casting moulds available here www.PenBlanksAndMoulds.co.uk.

You can get various resins from places like Easy Composites, East Coast Fiberglass or MB Fibreglass
 
fingwe

fingwe

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I was thinking about sealing it, but then you may prevent the resin soaking through into the holes in the cardboard, leaving voids. The superglue idea that Peter had might work, but it will cost a lot in superglue, and there may still be the problem of voids in the middle of the cardboard.
 
Phil Dart

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Paul hd said:
I will give it a go. What colour resin do you want?
Click to expand...

Bite Paul's hand off David. My guess is that there'll also be a short video to document the experiment, and success or failure, Paul's videos are always worth watching.

(no pressure Paul):wink:
 
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evoman76

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Hi Paul, thanks for the very kind offer, I was thinking a clear resin would be good to show the full shape / style of the cardboard ?
 
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Paul hd

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Phil Dart said:
(no pressure Paul):wink:
Click to expand...
Has to be a little bit of pressure. About 60psi :thumbs:

evoman76 said:
Hi Paul, thanks for the very kind offer, I was thinking a clear resin would be good to show the full shape / style of the cardboard ?
Click to expand...

Hi David,

I will cast one in Clear resin for you.

I did have a go and I made one in Blue which was put in the pressure chamber and one in White which was left to cure without pressure.

My conclusion is that it definitely needs pressure.

It was a good experiment and I really enjoyed doing it. To be continued.......

cardboard - YouTube
 
Phil Dart

Phil Dart

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You certainly don't let the grass grow Paul. Quite apart from the casting aspect, it will be interesting to see how they drill and turn, and above all, take to finishing. Not being a caster myself, I'm assuming that the pressure will have caused the cardboard to have absorbed the resin and therefore platicised - is that right??
 
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Paul hd

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Phil Dart said:
it will be interesting to see how they drill and turn, and above all, take to finishing. Not being a caster myself, I'm assuming that the pressure will have caused the cardboard to have absorbed the resin and therefore platicised - is that right??
Click to expand...

To be honest Phil I do not know. I am hoping the pressure does push the resin into the cardboard as it only takes 8 minutes for the Alumilite to go off.

Today I will drill, turn and polish and get some answers.

Cheers
Paul
 
Phil Dart

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Brilliant. Well done Paul - your willingness to jump straight in there and experiment does you proud. And the result looked looked great too.
 
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