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Pressure Pot to Cast my Own Blanks

Jim

Jim

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Got the valves today and also ordered some PR ready for the weekend. :bwink:
 
Jim

Jim

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Had a funny day with this contraption ... :vangry: Had a few leaks when i was testing the pot under pressure, i used soapy water, man i had little bubbles all over the place. Luckily i had quite a few replacement parts as this week at work i had a feeling that i would have problems. Anyway lets just say that i have some castings now in the pressure pot ... :ciggrin:
 
Jim

Jim

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Tony said:
Hope they come out ok mate. :bwink:
Click to expand...

The Wood Bucket said:
Well what is the verdict, did the castings come out as expected? :whistling:
Click to expand...

Well it couldn't have gone worse, the pot lost only a few PSI over night so when i came to take the castings out this morning imagine my surprise when they were still wet ... :goesred: So the casting i did the other week was nothing to do with the out of date PR as this mix was exactly the same... :down:

I also made a couple of castings for stoppers and these also hadn't gone off ... Now my thoughts have gone to what i am using for the additives as looking at them after i have taken them out of the pot and emptied the tubes the colours have come together all as one? I am using water based dyes, so tonight i have made one up in a tub using powders?

Lets see what happens with this, also i have used the old PR ...


The mix after it was removed from the pressure pot.

pen_casting_with_pr.jpg

The water based dyes that was used for the casting.

liberon_water_dye.jpg
 
Jim

Jim

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I have just come in and gone straight to my shed to check on the casting from yesterday, it has gone off, but i also left a small amount in a tub with some of the Liberon oil in it which has also gone off? So not really sure as to why my two attempts with the pot is still runny. :nooidea:

My next test will be to mix a couple of colours of the Liberon oil, and leave these overnight without going into the pot. Confused!!! :thinks:
 
The Wood Bucket

The Wood Bucket

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Jim said:
I have just come in and gone straight to my shed to check on the casting from yesterday, it has gone off, but i also left a small amount in a tub with some of the Liberon oil in it which has also gone off? So not really sure as to why my two attempts with the pot is still runny. :nooidea:

My next test will be to mix a couple of colours of the Liberon oil, and leave these overnight without going into the pot. Confused!!! :thinks:
Click to expand...

Have you tried making it without any color? Also could it be temperature, How cold is it there?
 
Jim

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The Wood Bucket said:
Have you tried making it without any color? Also could it be temperture, How cold is it there?
Click to expand...


Good question Gary ...

No, only with additives, but i will leave this until i test the new casting from yesterday which has gone off, but a little damp on top. The temperature is around 6/7°C which maybe a little cold for the PR ... :thinks:

Taking the pot to a chap tomorrow who is going to stop the small leak i have, i know it didn't drop much but i would like it to hold its pressure at least ...
 
A

ataylor

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Get ya finger out mate we've waited long enough. :frenchkiss:


Maybe your not adding enough hardener in your mix? Just a thought. :nooidea:
 
Jim

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On with it Tony, working as hard as i can ... :goesred:

Not the catalyst Tony, i did add a little more on the second attempt, i am now unsure what happened as the small amount that i did as a test with the water based paint without using the pot is solid.:thinks: So it's round 3 this weekend ... :ciggrin:
 
The Wood Bucket

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Do they harden after you remove them from the pot? Maybe they need air to cure. Not sure what product you are using. Some need air to cure, some need heat, and some are a chemical reaction. Just a thought. :thinks:
 
Jim

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The small amount that i used for sampling is now set solid, and that is using the same mix (size for size) as i did for the pen blanks. The ones in the picture above are now just getting tacky, so i will leave these while the weekend and see what becomes of them ... Thanks for your input Gary, i really appreciate it. :thumbs:
 
Jim

Jim

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The Wood Bucket said:
My understanding of the pressure/vacuum pot is to get the bubbles out, and this only takes a short time, like under 30 minutes. If you are leaving it in the pot for 24 hours, the fumes may stop the curing process. Here is a link to a guy who does a lot

TurnTex Woodworks - TurnTex Woodworks Penturning Resources

Don't know if you are using the same type of resin but may be helpful to watch.
Click to expand...

Missed this Gary ... :goesred:

I haven't looked at the link just yet, but reading what you say could be a valid point. I haven't yet started a new mix as i have been busy potting about, but i aim to do one later tonight.

My last castings are almost set, thou it has been about two weeks ... I will leave them in the tubes until they go solid.. The 2 cups are just about as solid as they are going to get, thou a little tacky on the top ... :thinks:
 
Jim

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Is the time different for the Alumilite compared to using PR, that stuff sure looks good ... :whistling:
 
Jim

Jim

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Well here is my first result of last weekends casting. I mixed 6oz's of PR to make these 3 and a bit blanks. I am not yet happy with how they look but at least i am now getting results ... Will keep trying till i get it right ... :thumbs:

Once i tidy these blanks up i will lose about 15mm, so i am also looking for a better plug instead of a cork stopper ... :thinks:

pr_casted_blanks.jpg
 
A

ataylor

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Look forward to seeing a pen turned with these blanks Jim, good to see you are making inroads mate. :bwink:
 
Jim

Jim

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My last PR mix was done in two plastic moulds about 4" x 2.5" x 3/4" ... The left is supposed to be red, yellow and black, the one on the right is white, red and yellow, i placed the white and black at the bottom of the moulds then added the colours to them stirring a little.. Its now a waiting game ... :thinks:

pr_mix.jpg
 
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