Some blanks made today from alumilite

[jas46]

So the Alumilite has been going very well now so i just chalked the first one up to a bad pour on my part..
Finally got round to making a new blank mold so thought id test it out and came out with these, I am still getting used to the curing of the alumilite it is different to the opticast....
Let me know what you Guys and Gals think
1 of each will be made into pens when i get the kits in lol

 

[fortress]

Looking good Jason, well done, they'll be some awesome pens from that collection.

 

[Penpal]

Sure is a change in respect of Aluminite,very impressive Jason.

Peter.

 

[jas46]

Peter, yes mate I still haven't figured out what went wrong with the first pour but can only asume it was my fault as the rest have been fine, there is a big difference between the turning of alumilite and opticast100 but with nice sharp tools it cuts like butter and polishes much better
I think the oddest thing I've found with the alumilite compared to opticast is the gelling/curing the opticast takes about 13mins then gels rapidly but the alumilite starts gels in about 7 min's but is a lot slower in the gelation, this is what's throwing my off with the color mixing as my mindset is still opticast but it's all good fun
Jas

 

[21William]

Those castings look good, nice colour mixing.

 

[Jim]

Some good looking blanks there Jason .. :wink:

 

[Phil Dart]

Seems more successful this time Jason. Looking forward to seeing the finished pens.

 

[Bucks]

Great looking blanks Jason

 

[wm460]

Great looking blanks Jason, looking forwards to seeing the green ones turned.

 

[Goggomobile]

Jas,
Great to see the good results. I did some experiments on the Alumilite on the week end ... I managed to get brittle and soft by playing with mixes and room temperature ( pressure pot 50 psi) ... room temperature seems to make the biggest difference. I didnt do any post temp curing .. let them cure naturally ... explains why I get more problems in the summer here when it's 40c in my tin shed... humidity doesn't help either ... best I stick to the 22-24 on the spec sheet.

I also trialled different mixing methods and had some issues with small soft bits the size of pin Heads .... poor mixing ...good mixing is really important ..

I had more problems with small batches e.g 75g ... softer ... not sure might be the accuracy of my scales ...

Just my view ....for pens - .. I read a lot on mechanical properties of the different resins ... Shore D hardness, elongation .. etc .. its funny when polyester resins are compared to epoxies and Polyuethanes ... they should be about the same shineyness.. but they aren't ... I've decided the only way to know is to get small lots ..test ....

Machinability is a different story ... right tools and sharp as you say ..

Regards, Randal

 

[jas46]

Randel
Cheers mate, I never noted the temp i first poured the bad blank in to be fair but knowing the good old British weather id say it was around the 20 mark, i do use a oil heater in the shed to warm things up and so i can cure the resin in the cup so i can re use them lol the last few batches ive poured have been at the 24/25 mark.
So i think you may be onto something there stuff 40c mate its bad enough for me when mine hits 32c

I agree with the smaller pour amounts, i now only pour in 400g blanks so its more forgiving.

I have had to back off on my pressure as i am loosing the edges in the molds at 50/60psi any lower that 50psi and im getting bubbles but still loosing the edges of the block...
I think i only rate resins on shineyness as its one of the biggest factors for pens the shinyier the better

I'm still finding the Alumilte can be very brittle at times but that's not the Alumilte fault its mine....if my hand skips or if i've not taken a burr of the chisel edge then it digs in and chips the blank, but i am loving the depth i can can cut with it cuts so easy and smooth, tools must be sharp and honed properly or it could chip the blank.

All in all i agree with what most people say on here ...each resin has its advantages and disadvantages and each has its best uses

But its the fun of trying these things that keeps us all pouring i mean i've hardly sold any pens but i just keep pouring blanks hahaha it is too dam addictive

Jas