Thanks Zac for going back to basics. I took good notes and will be ready to give this a try after I send for a few supplies. Very informative and encouraging.
My pleasure Anne! I know I sometimes gloss over the simple things when I'm doing more complex projects, thought it might be useful to brush up on the basics for a change :)
Glad to hear it Joel! as for my pressure pot, yes I have the regulator on all my pots set at 70 PSI so I can just attach the hose and don't have to worry about it
It definitely made a huge difference when I started keeping notes on every pour. I think it really accelerates your progress and keeps you from making the same mistakes over and over again
Just got to where you talk about shop temps. I work in my garage in TX so I assume alumilite wouldnt be good even if its just pen blanks? Which resin would you choose if not alumilite?
It all depends, higher temps mean shorter working times. That's not always a problem depending on how complicated the pours are. High humidity is problematic with Alumilite Clear also, but it's mostly just a problem if you are trying for clear or really transparent blanks, it doesn't affect curing as far as I know. I always recommend trying a few resins out in the beginning to see which works best for you and your shop conditions
Hey Zac, This could be a dum question but I'm not sure if I could use bar top epoxy for pressure casting. Is this possible? I have some leftover Ultra clear epoxy for bartops that I don't want to throw out.
Yeah, it should work fine as long as the epoxy is still good. Pressure doesn't interact with resin in any way other than compressing the air in it, so you can pressurize any resin
hey Zac. I put my 1st layer of apoxy on my table. around 1/2 thickness. it's been around 8hrs. and it's not even tacky anymore. would it be safe to pour that last layer on or should I wait till it's fully cured?
Question, if you have a 1:1 by volume resin, could you not still measure it by weight? For example, if you have 8 ounces each of resin and hardener, and you mixed 4 ounces of each, that's still no different than if you measured it by volume, right? On the other hand, if it was some crazy ratio like 32:1, that wouldn't work.
Enjoy your videos. Havent started casting yet but am thinking about it. If I only cast 10-20 pen blanks a monthhow long do you think the 2# kit would last and how long for the 8# kit?
I'd say a pound will make about 5 square pen blanks about a 7/8x5. That's probably a conservative estimate, but it should give you a rough idea of how far a pound of Alumilite will go
Angi is correct, resins don't work too well in cold environments since they rely on heat to cure. Temperature affects the working time and cure time as well
107 minutes!?!? I can see how much easier it is for YOU to just talk into the camera, with no script or editing. But what you've done is transfer the "work" to the viewer! There are a lot of videos out there on casting, and for me -- even though I have liked some of yours in the past -- there's no way I'm going to spend an hour and three quarters listening to what could have been condensed into maybe twenty minutes of tightly planned and edited video.
Zac personally I stop watching your channel & stream do to your length of videos. Now this subject & others still peak my interest. But I don't have the time to watch these long videos. Anything under then 20min I can do. I tend to watch TH-cam when I'm on break at work. I'm still working, do to this Covid & I'm now working 7 days a week instead of 5 days. My work laid off 95% of our staff. So I'm still busy, now even more. Please consider making some shorter videos.
No problem Brad, but just to let you know I do make regular short form videos as well (stuff not labeled "Replay". I just stream once a week (more right now to provide more content for people stuck at home). I understand if you don't want to look at the length before watching though
Thanks for the reply, can't respond to your message there. The live stream topics are great, but too long for me the watch. Good to know your still doing shorter videos those I have time for.
We listened to all this, and didn't get to see the final result? Wowzer.
It's a live stream replay and castings take hours to cure unfortunately. Wish I could magically make time speed up 😀
Zac, you are an awesome resource man! I love your stuff!!
Thanks so much! I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying it. It's always my hope that people leave with at least one new thing learned :)
Thanks Zac..... good to have a buddy to spend time with in these times
My pleasure Ken! I know I'd be out of my mind if I couldn't escape out to my shop, even better if I can virtually bring you along with me :)
Thanks Zac for going back to basics. I took good notes and will be ready to give this a try after I send for a few supplies. Very informative and encouraging.
My pleasure Anne! I know I sometimes gloss over the simple things when I'm doing more complex projects, thought it might be useful to brush up on the basics for a change :)
I felt like I was in class. Thanks for the great info.
Even though watching on replay, I learned a lot. Thanks!
Glad to hear it Joel! as for my pressure pot, yes I have the regulator on all my pots set at 70 PSI so I can just attach the hose and don't have to worry about it
Job very well done. I always learn something new.
Thanks Von! I always hope that I can provide some new info or maybe at least a different way to look at things :)
Yeah, 2-3 weeks, sure... 2021 still here. But at least I can rewatch your videos all that I have missed) thanks!
Thanks Zac, learned a few things.
Glad to hear it Jim! Mission accomplished =D
As always, Zac good info!!
Thanks brother!! 👊
Also a notebook. I love that you write down everything. Easier to remember what you did when it works!
It definitely made a huge difference when I started keeping notes on every pour. I think it really accelerates your progress and keeps you from making the same mistakes over and over again
Glad you are doing this, ty
My pleasure Dennis! Keep your eyes peeled for more streams and videos coming soon =D
Great video Zac. Can I leave the molds in the pot longer that 4 hours if I forget to take them out? Let's say 5 or 6 hours.
Question on your air setup. Do you have it set to turn off at 70 psi on the regulator?
Is it necessary to have the pressure pot to make resin in molds?
Great vid just ordering my first batch of resin :)
Can I put a 16oz cup of resin in a pressure pot before I put it in my mold? I only have silicone molds. Thanks Zac
Hey zac where can i buy the white stuff to make molds and what is it called ? thank alot.
Just got to where you talk about shop temps. I work in my garage in TX so I assume alumilite wouldnt be good even if its just pen blanks? Which resin would you choose if not alumilite?
It all depends, higher temps mean shorter working times. That's not always a problem depending on how complicated the pours are. High humidity is problematic with Alumilite Clear also, but it's mostly just a problem if you are trying for clear or really transparent blanks, it doesn't affect curing as far as I know. I always recommend trying a few resins out in the beginning to see which works best for you and your shop conditions
Will using a pressure pot eliminate a meniscus on a single piece mold casting?
Hey Zac,
This could be a dum question but I'm not sure if I could use bar top epoxy for pressure casting. Is this possible?
I have some leftover Ultra clear epoxy for bartops that I don't want to throw out.
Yeah, it should work fine as long as the epoxy is still good. Pressure doesn't interact with resin in any way other than compressing the air in it, so you can pressurize any resin
hey Zac. I put my 1st layer of apoxy on my table. around 1/2 thickness. it's been around 8hrs. and it's not even tacky anymore. would it be safe to pour that last layer on or should I wait till it's fully cured?
Purple and Red
Hi Zac, do you have any trouble getting the blank out of the clear plastic tube even with mould release. Cheers from Oz
Hey Grant, no not usually as long as I did a good job applying the mold release
What temp and how long did you leave your mold in the oven? Would you heat up the mold regardless of the material? Episode 48
What about temperature does it make a difference?
It does affect working time and cure times, and super cold temps can cause curing problems
Question, if you have a 1:1 by volume resin, could you not still measure it by weight? For example, if you have 8 ounces each of resin and hardener, and you mixed 4 ounces of each, that's still no different than if you measured it by volume, right? On the other hand, if it was some crazy ratio like 32:1, that wouldn't work.
Enjoy your videos. Havent started casting yet but am thinking about it. If I only cast 10-20 pen blanks a monthhow long do you think the 2# kit would last and how long for the 8# kit?
I'd say a pound will make about 5 square pen blanks about a 7/8x5. That's probably a conservative estimate, but it should give you a rough idea of how far a pound of Alumilite will go
Is shop temperature important
Yes, ambiant temperature is important. You really don't want to try casting when the temperature is below 65*F.
Angi is correct, resins don't work too well in cold environments since they rely on heat to cure. Temperature affects the working time and cure time as well
WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE TO SEE THE END PRODUCT
Kansas City
Red
107 minutes!?!? I can see how much easier it is for YOU to just talk into the camera, with no script or editing. But what you've done is transfer the "work" to the viewer! There are a lot of videos out there on casting, and for me -- even though I have liked some of yours in the past -- there's no way I'm going to spend an hour and three quarters listening to what could have been condensed into maybe twenty minutes of tightly planned and edited video.
Why do you sound exactly like bill nye?
Yeah, a year later and political monsters still have is locked down. Back to resin.
Zac personally I stop watching your channel & stream do to your length of videos.
Now this subject & others still peak my interest. But I don't have the time to watch these long videos. Anything under then 20min I can do. I tend to watch TH-cam when I'm on break at work.
I'm still working, do to this Covid & I'm now working 7 days a week instead of 5 days. My work laid off 95% of our staff. So I'm still busy, now even more. Please consider making some shorter videos.
No problem Brad, but just to let you know I do make regular short form videos as well (stuff not labeled "Replay". I just stream once a week (more right now to provide more content for people stuck at home). I understand if you don't want to look at the length before watching though
Thanks for the reply, can't respond to your message there. The live stream topics are great, but too long for me the watch. Good to know your still doing shorter videos those I have time for.