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Pressure pot recommendations

steveng91

Full Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2023
Posts
53
Location
Scotland
First Name
Steve
Any recommendations for a cheap pressure pot? Looking to get into casting resin blanks in blocks. I would welcome any input 🙂
 

Phil Dart

Moderator
Executive Member
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Nov 28, 2014
Posts
5,491
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Colebrooke, Devon
First Name
Phil
Looks like all the resin caters are asleep Steve. Someone will pop by and answer your question soon I'm sure. Not a caster myself I'm afraid, so I can't help you.
 

steveng91

Full Member
Joined
Feb 19, 2023
Posts
53
Location
Scotland
First Name
Steve
Looks like all the resin caters are asleep Steve. Someone will pop by and answer your question soon I'm sure. Not a caster myself I'm afraid, so I can't help you.
Thanks Phil. Fancy trying my hand at it. I've been turning loads of acrylic but I'd like to try casting my own.
 

PolishPenTurner

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Joined
Feb 21, 2023
Posts
18
Location
Minnesota
First Name
Jeff
Hey folks....I hope this is the right forum to ask this question.
I'd like to get into casting my own pen blanks with resin (among other resin projects like charcuterie boards, etc). Many of the videos I've been watching show using a pressure pot. I know the purpose of using a pressure pot....but is it really necessary? The only time I've used resin was in a class a few months ago making a charcuterie board with resin board between 2 pieces of black walnut. The pour was less than 1 inch thick and all we used in class was a torch over the top to remove any of the air bubbles on the surface...which I assume is the same thing that the pressure pot does.

The pressure pots aren't super expensive (depending on what you go with I suppose) but they are pricey enough to question whether or not one is necessary. In addition, some of the things I want to do with pouring resins (like making charcuterie/cutting boards)...wouldn't fit in a pressure pot anyway.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Jeff
 

Paul-H

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Joined
Mar 5, 2023
Posts
110
Location
Kent
First Name
Paul
Hi

I am very new to all this resin malarkey but from what I have read and seen it is possible to make bubble free castings without air bubbles.

What is often recommended is to use a deep pour resin which is normally a very thin resin, used in conjunction with a slow setting hardener.

The thin resin allows the bubbles to rise to the surface before the resin sets where they can be popped with a small blow torch or left if there is enough depth in the casing to trim them off after the resin has set.

The only drawback is that the resin takes about a week to set so needs to left somewhere safe and dust free to set.

If it's correct I hope it's been of use.

Paul
 

PolishPenTurner

Full Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2023
Posts
18
Location
Minnesota
First Name
Jeff
Thanks Paul for the info. I neglected to mention that I will be using MAS Deep Pour epoxy resin so I'm assuming the resin is matched up with the hardener (3:1 ratio). Going to try my first pour on a small scale first (pen blank) before I jump into making charcuterie/cutting boards.
Like I always say.....you learn by doing!
 

Michael M.

Full Member
Joined
Nov 26, 2018
Posts
10
Location
Scottish Highland
First Name
Michael
Like Dave, I have a Vevor. Started off with a 10lt capacity pot which was great for doing pen castings but I soon need a larger pot as I became more ambitious with resin and now have a 30lt pot. There are a few YouTube’s on how to convert a paint pressure pot which are much cheaper and I believe just as good, so you could have a look at doing that. Flea bay has the odd used or converted pot for sale every now and again but I don’t think it’s worth the risk of getting something someone else has made. If one of these fails when fully charged, you have a potential missile in your workshop.
 
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