For those of you that does molding and castings, what kind of resin do you use?. I havent had any luck with the stuff that comes with the kits. It seems to thick to pour before it sets up. Is there stuff that is thinner in viscosity?.. Thanks all for the help… I am using the Alumilite mold kits… Travis…
Travis,
I like the resin from Micro-Mark, but have also had good success with other brands. The resin is temperature sensitive; make sure the part A and B containers are at room temperature before you mix the parts together. My experience is that if it is too warm, then it sets up too fast – if it is too cold, then it takes forever to set-up. Also, there is a shelf life on the raw resin – usually about one year. Sometimes the stuff you get at Hobby Lobby or other craft stores has been setting on the shelf for a long time.
There are a couple of good posts here in the forum with good info:
http://largescalecentral.com/forums/topic/20519/casting-tips
http://largescalecentral.com/forums/topic/14711/resin-cast-windows-and-doors
The thinnest stuff I know of is the resin you buy at the automotive store.
It comes with catalyst that you add to make it cure.
It’s for fiberglass mat repair jobs but works very well for molds too.
It comes as a clear but it is definitely NOT water white
I’ll post a pic in a minute
sorry about pic but computer won’t co-operate
will try later
Bill
I’ve used Aeromarine resin in the past. It’s off white but thin. It does tear up molds though, after about 30 pulls the mold is done. Lately I’ve been using Smooth-on 300. It’s pure white, and very nice to work with.
Travis
The kits sold at Hobby Lobby by Allumalite come with the high tensile fast set resin (open time 90 seconds). I normally pour no more than 3/4 of an ounce at one time. They make two resins with long “open time”: Slow Set 7 (open time 7 minutes) and Slow Set 15 (open time 15 minutes). You can order them direct from the company: https://www.alumilite.net/Category.cfm?Category=Casting%20Resins
Thanks Fellas!!!
These people have a number of instruction vids on their site for help.
They also have a variety of resins to suit particular jobs.
thanks for this thread. I am considering making two coaches and casting the seats, was considering the alumilight kits but like having options