Casting and stabilizing

T

Tkrocky

Joined
Sep 6, 2013
Messages
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Hey guys, I am about to do some casting of wood with resin as well as some pine cones in resin and stuff. I am using alumilite resin in a pressure pot with pigments and what not. I am trying to formulate a game plan. Do any of you know how stable alumilite is under heat? I think it would work better to stabilize the wood after it has been cast and cleaned up on a couple of the sides to allow access for the stabilizing resin. I just wonder if the 200 degrees required for curing the stabilizing resin would compromise the integrity of the alumilite? Anyone with experience with this? I will probably do a wip or progress report to keep you guys updated, Thanks dudes, your collective wisdom is invaluable!
 
I'm not sure what you mean by, "casting wood in resin". I know what you mean about casting pine cones and such, but what "wood" would you be casting?

As far as I know, all that is needed for casting pine cones is for them to be completely dry. There is no need for further stabilizing.
 
There is a fast growing market for what is being called Hybrid wood, and a few different trademarked names.
I am sure there is a big range of quality just like with stabilizing. So I am sure some of it is good.
But......mechanically I really do not see how it could possibly hold up where the casting resin meets the wood.
A couple of my regulars have tried using it on projects where the cast wood was purchased by the customer and provided to be used on their project.
Here is an example of what can happen. Kind of like improperly epoxied scales on a knife. The weak spot is at where the 2 materials join together.
resinbad.jpg
 
Burl Source said:
There is a fast growing market for what is being called Hybrid wood, and a few different trademarked names.
I am sure there is a big range of quality just like with stabilizing. So I am sure some of it is good.
But......mechanically I really do not see how it could possibly hold up where the casting resin meets the wood.
A couple of my regulars have tried using it on projects where the cast wood was purchased by the customer and provided to be used on their project.
Here is an example of what can happen. Kind of like improperly epoxied scales on a knife. The weak spot is at where the 2 materials join together.
resinbad.jpg
Click to expand...

Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
I'm not sure what you mean by, "casting wood in resin". I know what you mean about casting pine cones and such, but what "wood" would you be casting?

As far as I know, all that is needed for casting pine cones is for them to be completely dry. There is no need for further stabilizing.
Click to expand...

Stacy, for casting wood I plan to use alumilite resin to fill voids and make sort of a hybrid wood/synthetic handle. Burl source, Hmm that is good to see, I plan to use it with as little stress as possible on the joint, more of a cool way to fill a void in a piece that is otherwise not usable. I will post some pictures, but I have some Pieces of Burl with some pretty crazy edges that I think would hold on better than what appears to be a pretty flat edge on the piece in your picture. I will do some significant testing on the end result and let you guys know what I find in terms of its viability for application on a hard use knife. Thanks for your replies!
 
OK, I understand now. Woodcraft sells wood that is part plastic like that. I have also seen cactus and banksia pods done that way.
 
Bear in mind this is all just my opinion without much hands on experience.
I am guessing the more misshapen surfaces to adhere to the better.
If it were me I would stabilize the wood first before casting.
 
There may be a problem with the epoxy adhering to the polyester resin. Most polyesters will not fully cure on the surface unless the surface is fully closed off from the air. When you try to glue the epoxy on, it will barely stick and almost without fail, the joint will come apart.
 
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