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#1
posted to rec.boats.building
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Epoxy Resin - Non Traditional Uses
With all the epoxy gurus here I thought I would ask a question.
Have any of you guys poured epoxy solids? Encased things in epoxy? My daughter said one of her friends said she wanted some paperweights for Christmas with fish in them or fish shaped paperweights or something like that. (Yes my daughter's friend is weird.) I thought I might buy some toy fish at the local toy store or whereever I can find something suitable and then pour them into some epoxy solids. I figured a cube, a tetrahedron, and maybe a dome. Making a mold for a sphere is not out of the question either, but I was thinking maybe just a hemisphere for number three. I can make molds out of wood or aluminum for the cube and tetrahedron. For a sphere or hemisphere I would probably have to go with wood. I was thinking if I go with aluminum I would polish the interior surfaces, put a tiny bit of clear RTV adhesive silicon in the seams and spray the inside with non flavored cooking spray to prevent sticking. Basically screw the pieces together. When the resin is hard remove the screws and knock the sides off. Then cut the bottom square and epoxy on a layer of felt. Any of you guys see any problems with that approach? For wood I was thinking I could make it similar to the aluminum, but coat the wood pieces with epoxy first. Would take longer because I would have to make sure the resin coating the wood was fully cured, and thick enough to machine smooth for drilling and assembling the mold. The advantage to wood is I could more easily make a sphere or hemisphere shape, and it would be a lot cheaper than a piece of aluminum thick enough to make a reasonable size sphere. You have any tips? Any Alternatives? Reasons why my idea is totally stupid? I have several gallons of two part epoxy left over from a previous project. I also considered milling some fish shapes out of wood and using them in the "paperweights", but I am concerned that escaping air might cause bubbles in the end solid. I suppose I could paint the shape with epoxy before encasing it. |
#2
posted to rec.boats.building
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Epoxy Resin - Non Traditional Uses
Bob La Londe wrote:
With all the epoxy gurus here I thought I would ask a question. Have any of you guys poured epoxy solids? Encased things in epoxy? My daughter said one of her friends said she wanted some paperweights for Christmas with fish in them or fish shaped paperweights or something like that. (Yes my daughter's friend is weird.) I thought I might buy some toy fish at the local toy store or whereever I can find something suitable and then pour them into some epoxy solids. I figured a cube, a tetrahedron, and maybe a dome. Making a mold for a sphere is not out of the question either, but I was thinking maybe just a hemisphere for number three. I can make molds out of wood or aluminum for the cube and tetrahedron. For a sphere or hemisphere I would probably have to go with wood. I was thinking if I go with aluminum I would polish the interior surfaces, put a tiny bit of clear RTV adhesive silicon in the seams and spray the inside with non flavored cooking spray to prevent sticking. Basically screw the pieces together. When the resin is hard remove the screws and knock the sides off. Then cut the bottom square and epoxy on a layer of felt. Any of you guys see any problems with that approach? For wood I was thinking I could make it similar to the aluminum, but coat the wood pieces with epoxy first. Would take longer because I would have to make sure the resin coating the wood was fully cured, and thick enough to machine smooth for drilling and assembling the mold. The advantage to wood is I could more easily make a sphere or hemisphere shape, and it would be a lot cheaper than a piece of aluminum thick enough to make a reasonable size sphere. You have any tips? Any Alternatives? Reasons why my idea is totally stupid? I have several gallons of two part epoxy left over from a previous project. I also considered milling some fish shapes out of wood and using them in the "paperweights", but I am concerned that escaping air might cause bubbles in the end solid. I suppose I could paint the shape with epoxy before encasing it. A better choice is acrylic casting resin for jobs like this. It is generally crystal clear, but can be tinted or pigmented, or filled with a filler (sand, marbles, keys...) Any thickness (depth) of epoxy will likely go thermal on you and boil. |
#3
posted to rec.boats.building
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Epoxy Resin - Non Traditional Uses
"cavelamb" wrote in message
m... Bob La Londe wrote: With all the epoxy gurus here I thought I would ask a question. Have any of you guys poured epoxy solids? Encased things in epoxy? My daughter said one of her friends said she wanted some paperweights for Christmas with fish in them or fish shaped paperweights or something like that. (Yes my daughter's friend is weird.) I thought I might buy some toy fish at the local toy store or whereever I can find something suitable and then pour them into some epoxy solids. I figured a cube, a tetrahedron, and maybe a dome. Making a mold for a sphere is not out of the question either, but I was thinking maybe just a hemisphere for number three. I can make molds out of wood or aluminum for the cube and tetrahedron. For a sphere or hemisphere I would probably have to go with wood. I was thinking if I go with aluminum I would polish the interior surfaces, put a tiny bit of clear RTV adhesive silicon in the seams and spray the inside with non flavored cooking spray to prevent sticking. Basically screw the pieces together. When the resin is hard remove the screws and knock the sides off. Then cut the bottom square and epoxy on a layer of felt. Any of you guys see any problems with that approach? For wood I was thinking I could make it similar to the aluminum, but coat the wood pieces with epoxy first. Would take longer because I would have to make sure the resin coating the wood was fully cured, and thick enough to machine smooth for drilling and assembling the mold. The advantage to wood is I could more easily make a sphere or hemisphere shape, and it would be a lot cheaper than a piece of aluminum thick enough to make a reasonable size sphere. You have any tips? Any Alternatives? Reasons why my idea is totally stupid? I have several gallons of two part epoxy left over from a previous project. I also considered milling some fish shapes out of wood and using them in the "paperweights", but I am concerned that escaping air might cause bubbles in the end solid. I suppose I could paint the shape with epoxy before encasing it. A better choice is acrylic casting resin for jobs like this. It is generally crystal clear, but can be tinted or pigmented, or filled with a filler (sand, marbles, keys...) Any thickness (depth) of epoxy will likely go thermal on you and boil. That's what I was afraid of. One of the reasons I was considering aluminum as it transfers heat very efficiently, and I have some. I also have epoxy on hand which is why I was considering it. How about small batches, partial cure and then next pour? |
#4
posted to rec.boats.building
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Epoxy Resin - Non Traditional Uses
"cavelamb" wrote in message
m... Bob La Londe wrote: With all the epoxy gurus here I thought I would ask a question. Have any of you guys poured epoxy solids? Encased things in epoxy? My daughter said one of her friends said she wanted some paperweights for Christmas with fish in them or fish shaped paperweights or something like that. (Yes my daughter's friend is weird.) I thought I might buy some toy fish at the local toy store or whereever I can find something suitable and then pour them into some epoxy solids. I figured a cube, a tetrahedron, and maybe a dome. Making a mold for a sphere is not out of the question either, but I was thinking maybe just a hemisphere for number three. I can make molds out of wood or aluminum for the cube and tetrahedron. For a sphere or hemisphere I would probably have to go with wood. I was thinking if I go with aluminum I would polish the interior surfaces, put a tiny bit of clear RTV adhesive silicon in the seams and spray the inside with non flavored cooking spray to prevent sticking. Basically screw the pieces together. When the resin is hard remove the screws and knock the sides off. Then cut the bottom square and epoxy on a layer of felt. Any of you guys see any problems with that approach? For wood I was thinking I could make it similar to the aluminum, but coat the wood pieces with epoxy first. Would take longer because I would have to make sure the resin coating the wood was fully cured, and thick enough to machine smooth for drilling and assembling the mold. The advantage to wood is I could more easily make a sphere or hemisphere shape, and it would be a lot cheaper than a piece of aluminum thick enough to make a reasonable size sphere. You have any tips? Any Alternatives? Reasons why my idea is totally stupid? I have several gallons of two part epoxy left over from a previous project. I also considered milling some fish shapes out of wood and using them in the "paperweights", but I am concerned that escaping air might cause bubbles in the end solid. I suppose I could paint the shape with epoxy before encasing it. A better choice is acrylic casting resin for jobs like this. It is generally crystal clear, but can be tinted or pigmented, or filled with a filler (sand, marbles, keys...) Any thickness (depth) of epoxy will likely go thermal on you and boil. What about regular polyester resin? I might have enough on hand to do one item? Trying to do this with stuff on hand. She isn't "my" friend. LOL. |
#5
posted to rec.boats.building
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Epoxy Resin - Non Traditional Uses
Bob La Londe wrote:
"cavelamb" wrote in message m... Bob La Londe wrote: With all the epoxy gurus here I thought I would ask a question. Have any of you guys poured epoxy solids? Encased things in epoxy? My daughter said one of her friends said she wanted some paperweights for Christmas with fish in them or fish shaped paperweights or something like that. (Yes my daughter's friend is weird.) I thought I might buy some toy fish at the local toy store or whereever I can find something suitable and then pour them into some epoxy solids. I figured a cube, a tetrahedron, and maybe a dome. Making a mold for a sphere is not out of the question either, but I was thinking maybe just a hemisphere for number three. I can make molds out of wood or aluminum for the cube and tetrahedron. For a sphere or hemisphere I would probably have to go with wood. I was thinking if I go with aluminum I would polish the interior surfaces, put a tiny bit of clear RTV adhesive silicon in the seams and spray the inside with non flavored cooking spray to prevent sticking. Basically screw the pieces together. When the resin is hard remove the screws and knock the sides off. Then cut the bottom square and epoxy on a layer of felt. Any of you guys see any problems with that approach? For wood I was thinking I could make it similar to the aluminum, but coat the wood pieces with epoxy first. Would take longer because I would have to make sure the resin coating the wood was fully cured, and thick enough to machine smooth for drilling and assembling the mold. The advantage to wood is I could more easily make a sphere or hemisphere shape, and it would be a lot cheaper than a piece of aluminum thick enough to make a reasonable size sphere. You have any tips? Any Alternatives? Reasons why my idea is totally stupid? I have several gallons of two part epoxy left over from a previous project. I also considered milling some fish shapes out of wood and using them in the "paperweights", but I am concerned that escaping air might cause bubbles in the end solid. I suppose I could paint the shape with epoxy before encasing it. A better choice is acrylic casting resin for jobs like this. It is generally crystal clear, but can be tinted or pigmented, or filled with a filler (sand, marbles, keys...) Any thickness (depth) of epoxy will likely go thermal on you and boil. What about regular polyester resin? I might have enough on hand to do one item? Trying to do this with stuff on hand. She isn't "my" friend. LOL. Polyester exotherms *worse* and will probably catch fire. Been there, done that, kicked the burning pot out of the workshop. Also the shrinkage will *kill* you as without reinforcement it will crack round any object you include. If you *want* a nasty yellow lump, go for it ;-) If I *had* to do this, I'd use slow cure epoxy at a carefully controlled low temperature in a PVA mold release treated polished round flat bottomed metal mold or a PVA treated polyproplyne mold and pour not more than 1 cm deep at a time. The objective is a flat, puck shaped paperweight with a relatively THIN object inside. Its probably best to work upside-down for simple stuff. Pour 1/2 cm top, cure slightly past gel. Position epoxy dipped object, with something holing it down. Pour another 1/2 cm and cure again. Pour enough more to cover and this time cure to a firm green cure. Remove from mold, clean up the meniscus, sand the back smooth, rough it up a touch and build up tape dams round the edge. then cast on a layer of opaque black epoxy (graphite or carbon black in large quantities - its black for the rest of the process) then what ever weight you want like lead shot, or iron filings in epoxy. Finish with a thin layer to smooth the base. Post cure for about a week as near to 100 deg C as you can comveniently manage, chill , and sand and polish out any defects and glue black felt on the base. You may need a bell jar and vacuum pump to get the bubbles out of each layer before letting it cure. As has been said, best done in Acrylic casting resin, but if you choose an object that would benefit from a honey coloured resin, it could look good. -- Ian Malcolm. London, ENGLAND. (NEWSGROUP REPLY PREFERRED) ianm[at]the[dash]malcolms[dot]freeserve[dot]co[dot]uk [at]=@, [dash]=- & [dot]=. *Warning* HTML & 32K emails -- NUL: |
#6
posted to rec.boats.building
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Epoxy Resin - Non Traditional Uses
Bob La Londe wrote:
... Have any of you guys poured epoxy solids? Encased things in epoxy? /snip/ When the resin is hard remove the screws and knock the sides off. Then cut the bottom square and epoxy on a layer of felt. Any of you guys see any problems with that approach? The problem I can see is the runaway heating you might get for the two-part you have on hand which (I assume) is intended for binding glass etc. That would lead to cracking. People do use water-clear epoxy for deep glassy layers on table-tops or encapsulating. I am supposing that is formulated with an eye to avoiding thermal runaway. Perhaps you could pour two egg cups full, and put one in the fridge to slow the set. Contrast & compare?? Brian W |
#7
posted to rec.boats.building
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Epoxy Resin - Non Traditional Uses
On Thu, 3 Dec 2009 08:57:07 -0700, "Bob La Londe"
wrote: With all the epoxy gurus here I thought I would ask a question. Have any of you guys poured epoxy solids? Encased things in epoxy? My daughter said one of her friends said she wanted some paperweights for Christmas with fish in them or fish shaped paperweights or something like that. (Yes my daughter's friend is weird.) I thought I might buy some toy fish at the local toy store or whereever I can find something suitable and then pour them into some epoxy solids. I figured a cube, a tetrahedron, and maybe a dome. Making a mold for a sphere is not out of the question either, but I was thinking maybe just a hemisphere for number three. I can make molds out of wood or aluminum for the cube and tetrahedron. For a sphere or hemisphere I would probably have to go with wood. I was thinking if I go with aluminum I would polish the interior surfaces, put a tiny bit of clear RTV adhesive silicon in the seams and spray the inside with non flavored cooking spray to prevent sticking. Basically screw the pieces together. When the resin is hard remove the screws and knock the sides off. Then cut the bottom square and epoxy on a layer of felt. Any of you guys see any problems with that approach? For wood I was thinking I could make it similar to the aluminum, but coat the wood pieces with epoxy first. Would take longer because I would have to make sure the resin coating the wood was fully cured, and thick enough to machine smooth for drilling and assembling the mold. The advantage to wood is I could more easily make a sphere or hemisphere shape, and it would be a lot cheaper than a piece of aluminum thick enough to make a reasonable size sphere. You have any tips? Any Alternatives? Reasons why my idea is totally stupid? I have several gallons of two part epoxy left over from a previous project. I also considered milling some fish shapes out of wood and using them in the "paperweights", but I am concerned that escaping air might cause bubbles in the end solid. I suppose I could paint the shape with epoxy before encasing it. Normal boat building resins are not the best materials for casting solid objects. For one thing you will have to be careful how you mix them to avoid heat buildup and for a second it is hard to "get the bubbles out". For some reason mixing, particularly epoxy, seems to generate a multitude of tiny bubbles which do not disappear when you pour the mixed epoxy into a mold. But having said that I have successfully cast epoxy in wedge shaped blocks to level depth sounder transponders which are mounted inside the hull. Cheers, Bruce (bruceinbangkokatgmaildotcom) |
#8
posted to rec.boats.building
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Epoxy Resin - Non Traditional Uses
On Thu, 3 Dec 2009 12:57:01 -0700, "Bob La Londe"
wrote: "cavelamb" wrote in message om... Bob La Londe wrote: With all the epoxy gurus here I thought I would ask a question. Have any of you guys poured epoxy solids? Encased things in epoxy? My daughter said one of her friends said she wanted some paperweights for Christmas with fish in them or fish shaped paperweights or something like that. (Yes my daughter's friend is weird.) I thought I might buy some toy fish at the local toy store or whereever I can find something suitable and then pour them into some epoxy solids. I figured a cube, a tetrahedron, and maybe a dome. Making a mold for a sphere is not out of the question either, but I was thinking maybe just a hemisphere for number three. I can make molds out of wood or aluminum for the cube and tetrahedron. For a sphere or hemisphere I would probably have to go with wood. I was thinking if I go with aluminum I would polish the interior surfaces, put a tiny bit of clear RTV adhesive silicon in the seams and spray the inside with non flavored cooking spray to prevent sticking. Basically screw the pieces together. When the resin is hard remove the screws and knock the sides off. Then cut the bottom square and epoxy on a layer of felt. Any of you guys see any problems with that approach? For wood I was thinking I could make it similar to the aluminum, but coat the wood pieces with epoxy first. Would take longer because I would have to make sure the resin coating the wood was fully cured, and thick enough to machine smooth for drilling and assembling the mold. The advantage to wood is I could more easily make a sphere or hemisphere shape, and it would be a lot cheaper than a piece of aluminum thick enough to make a reasonable size sphere. You have any tips? Any Alternatives? Reasons why my idea is totally stupid? I have several gallons of two part epoxy left over from a previous project. I also considered milling some fish shapes out of wood and using them in the "paperweights", but I am concerned that escaping air might cause bubbles in the end solid. I suppose I could paint the shape with epoxy before encasing it. A better choice is acrylic casting resin for jobs like this. It is generally crystal clear, but can be tinted or pigmented, or filled with a filler (sand, marbles, keys...) Any thickness (depth) of epoxy will likely go thermal on you and boil. That's what I was afraid of. One of the reasons I was considering aluminum as it transfers heat very efficiently, and I have some. I also have epoxy on hand which is why I was considering it. How about small batches, partial cure and then next pour? If you mix epoxy rich enough that it gets really hot the aluminum molds will probably not absorb heat fast enough. The reason is that the heat build-up actually causes the mix to react faster so it is somewhat of a circle. More heat faster reaction causing more heat... With epoxy you can mix batches with a bit less hardener to harden slower and likely get away form too much heat. Polyester is harder to use as the percent of catalyst is only 1 - 2% which means that just a drop, or so, extra is too much. But try it, keeping the thought in the back of your mind, "it may get hot". I've had polyester get hot enough to char a paper cup. Cheers, Bruce (bruceinbangkokatgmaildotcom) |
#9
posted to rec.boats.building
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Epoxy Resin - Non Traditional Uses
"IanM" wrote in message
... You may need a bell jar and vacuum pump to get the bubbles out of each layer before letting it cure. As has been said, best done in Acrylic casting resin, but if you choose an object that would benefit from a honey coloured resin, it could look good. Just for the heck of it I looked up acrylic casting resin. I ran across some polymer resins that claim to have low thermal curing properties and near glass clear finish, but are only about as hard as stamp rubber when cured. I may buy some of that to make some stamps. LOL. Not my choice for a paper weight though. Then the Acrylic casting resins I found seem to need to be cured in an oven or something like that. So what exactly kind of resin was the stuff I used way back in high school in general science class? It was super hard when cured, it didn't get stupid hot while curing, it was clear with no bubbles, it seemed to wet out the stuff we put in it just fine, and we just cured it by leaving it sit on a lab bench over night. Bob La Londe www.YumaBassMan.com |
#10
posted to rec.boats.building
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Epoxy Resin - Non Traditional Uses
Bruce In Bangkok wrote:
On Thu, 3 Dec 2009 12:57:01 -0700, "Bob La Londe" wrote: "cavelamb" wrote in message m... Bob La Londe wrote: With all the epoxy gurus here I thought I would ask a question. Have any of you guys poured epoxy solids? Encased things in epoxy? My daughter said one of her friends said she wanted some paperweights for Christmas with fish in them or fish shaped paperweights or something like that. (Yes my daughter's friend is weird.) I thought I might buy some toy fish at the local toy store or whereever I can find something suitable and then pour them into some epoxy solids. I figured a cube, a tetrahedron, and maybe a dome. Making a mold for a sphere is not out of the question either, but I was thinking maybe just a hemisphere for number three. I can make molds out of wood or aluminum for the cube and tetrahedron. For a sphere or hemisphere I would probably have to go with wood. I was thinking if I go with aluminum I would polish the interior surfaces, put a tiny bit of clear RTV adhesive silicon in the seams and spray the inside with non flavored cooking spray to prevent sticking. Basically screw the pieces together. When the resin is hard remove the screws and knock the sides off. Then cut the bottom square and epoxy on a layer of felt. Any of you guys see any problems with that approach? For wood I was thinking I could make it similar to the aluminum, but coat the wood pieces with epoxy first. Would take longer because I would have to make sure the resin coating the wood was fully cured, and thick enough to machine smooth for drilling and assembling the mold. The advantage to wood is I could more easily make a sphere or hemisphere shape, and it would be a lot cheaper than a piece of aluminum thick enough to make a reasonable size sphere. You have any tips? Any Alternatives? Reasons why my idea is totally stupid? I have several gallons of two part epoxy left over from a previous project. I also considered milling some fish shapes out of wood and using them in the "paperweights", but I am concerned that escaping air might cause bubbles in the end solid. I suppose I could paint the shape with epoxy before encasing it. A better choice is acrylic casting resin for jobs like this. It is generally crystal clear, but can be tinted or pigmented, or filled with a filler (sand, marbles, keys...) Any thickness (depth) of epoxy will likely go thermal on you and boil. That's what I was afraid of. One of the reasons I was considering aluminum as it transfers heat very efficiently, and I have some. I also have epoxy on hand which is why I was considering it. How about small batches, partial cure and then next pour? If you mix epoxy rich enough that it gets really hot the aluminum molds will probably not absorb heat fast enough. The reason is that the heat build-up actually causes the mix to react faster so it is somewhat of a circle. More heat faster reaction causing more heat... If I may add something here, Bruce? The heat buildup works from the inside - out. So absorbing heat at the outside isn't going to stop it from boiling in the middle. |
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