Creation of resin-impregnated, compacted cloth layers (aka "Micarta") - WIP kinda...

[CameronPotter]

Hi,

I talked to the nice people in the Fibreglass Shop and they said that because there was a cold snap, he wouldn't have taken it out of the mould for a week (let alone two days).

Thus, I reckon I took it out a little too early.

I have another in glue up now and I will post piccie in a week or two when it is done.

Cam

[CameronPotter]

OK! So after leaving this one for about a week (and leaving it in the sun too when I got a chance) - although I wouldn't do this in Qld...

The result - MUCH better adhesion. I can tell by feel that this is a much better set of blanks. Out of interest, I also used a different technique for soaking the cloth - I actually dipped them in the resin and smoothed it down. This worked really well and was also a lot faster.

NOTE: if you are planning on doing this, remember that you need more resin than you might think. The resin fills the gaps in the cloth and for cloth - there are a LOT of gaps (and in fact the cloth itself soaks up resin), so you probably end up using about as much resin as the block itself would take up...

I also tried a few other things. I tried normal polyester resin (not the clear casting) and it worked really well - the colour was slightly blue but only very slightly and I really don't think it is noticeable. This resin is also about half the price of clear casting. Yay!

A ALSO tried new material... This was the slightly furry inside material (still pure cotton). Kind of like track pants material. It worked really well and each piece of this was worth a few pieces of thin cotton cloth.

So, after a lot of experimenting (ain't I good to you guys?) I have a blank that I will hopefully turn into a pen and I will donate this to Ian's fundraiser - your chance to own your very own bit of Woodwork Forums history...

Again, any questions - please ask.

Cam

[ss_11000]

Again, any questions - please ask.

Cam

have u ever thought of selling the stuff???( or giving some out to us for free ) i rekon ppl would buy it, it turns out awesome

[CameronPotter]

If people were interested I could sell some...

It somehow seems wrong for me to make money from a hobby - it is usually the other way around!

Cam

[ss_11000]

how much would u sell a pen blank for??

[CameronPotter]

I dunno...

I would have to figure out how much it cost to put together.

PM me to remind me tomorrow...

Cam

[CameronPotter]

Well, here is the proof from the pudding...

These two shots show the pen at two angles.

Can I just say again - remember those super sharp scissors that your (insert dressmaker/tailor at home) won't let you use. Well, that is because you need sharp tools to cut material, you need sharper tools to cut this!!

Anyway, this pen was finished with wet and dry (used wet) sanding up to 2000, followed by EEE (of course) and that is all that is required - basically this has a sheen like plastic but feels a bit nicer, well I think so at least.

This pen, in the spirit of these great forums will go to Ian007's fundraiser. I hope that someone makes a nice big bid for it.

Cam

[ss_11000]

I dunno...

I would have to figure out how much it cost to put together.

PM me to remind me tomorrow...

Cam

oops me forgot.... anyway, have u worked it out yet

btw, nice pens

[CameronPotter]

Just for other people's information, I have decided on $5 a pen blank for now as it is fairly labour intensive and expensive to make. This makes it slightly dearer than the shop bought plastics and slightly cheaper than Dymondwood - although it is done in a backyard operation and each piece is handcrafted.

Oh, also, I have posted a pic of a new pen from this stuff in the pen turning forum.

Cam

[felixe]

I hope this does not break any forum rules but.....
Just A quick recommendation for a Qld Company,
If anyone is looking at using any resins, expoxys or silicons, then I highly recommend Model it (Barnes QLD) as a source of products and knowledge.
I read that Clinton looked at their site, Clinton this is only the tip of the iceberg with these guys. If you have any questions I strongly recommend you call into see either Al or Shelly (owners) at Clontarf or at least give them a call.
They run classes on a Saturday and for a mere $30 a day you get the full demo, afternoon tea and the chance to pester them with all your questions, as well as a book to take home. I have done the basic and advanced mould making courses, dealing with condensation and addition cleared silicons, types of plasters, resins and other casting materials.
I cannot praise them highly enough for the knowledge you can get in one afternoon.
Their after sales service and technical advice is spot on, also they will deliver anywhere in small managable amounts. They are the QLD rep for Barnes Aust who supply the movie industry etc. As such they will sell managable amounts of all barnes products to anywhere in Australia, and can back it up with extensive knowledge. It is great to find a business that are so good at what they do.
I stumbled on this link, looking for their website, so I thought I should post a recommendation.

And if you are wondering, I use them for my materials and reference for casting objects for my work.

Regards

PS. This is not an ad, just a satisfied customer.

[rodent]

cam have you tryed using a glassing roller its used by fiberglassers to push the resin into and through the glass matting.

[CameronPotter]

That was what I tried first. It works, but not that well. The glassing fibres tend to be more spread out, thus meaning that the epoxy spreads to fill the gaps more easily. A better solution is the soak method - it uses more resin (unfortunately) but it guarantees a good bond and it is much faster.

However, you also go through several pairs of latex gloves in a single glue up.

[Mungo Park]

I was told that this stuff gives off toxic fumes, one when you are making the stuff and later on when you sand the stuff. The toxic part is a gas and a particle mask does little to collect it before it goes into your lungs. I am posting this to see if anybody else can confirm this.
Cheers Ron.

[CameronPotter]

I talked to the guys in the fibreglass shop about this and they didn't have any concerns - maybe they are killing themselves (and me)? However, I think that it is probably OK.

That being said, if I have one, I use a gas-filter mask with a filter for poisonous agricultural chemicals when gluing up.

Still, I reckon it is OK (although it is also worth mentioning that different resins have different smells.

Cam

[KevM]

back Cameron.

Are you back home for Xmas or still in the ?