Plastic Casting with Alumilite’s Water Clear Resin
Plastic casting is a term often used for casting replicas in plastic epoxy, polyester, polymer or urethane resin. As dry as that may sound the creativity and usefulness of plastic resin is mind-boggling. From chic and unique jewelry pieces to fishing lures, pens, plaques, perfectly matched drawer pulls, sleek and glossy furniture finishes, sparkling clear blue water in a model railroad scene to tires and wheels, and even robot construction, the joys and uses of casting in resin are nearly infinite.
The durability and nearly perfect replicas you can make with resin is amazing, but what’s even more amazing is that anyone who really wants to learn to cast their own jewelry, souvenirs, or household accessories can learn the techniques and create their own masterpieces.
Liquid resins offered by companies as Alumilite come in two separate containers, the resin and a hardener (often mistakenly identified as a catalyst). Slowly poured together into a smooth plastic container, the resin is carefully mixed, gently but continuously scraping the bottom and sides. When completely mixed, it is poured into a previously prepared mold which has been conditioned with a mold release product to simplify cleaning and lengthen the life of the mold. The careful pouring together of the two parts of the plastic casting resin can produce minimal bubbling in the final product, but you will need to vacuum the resin and use a pressure chamber for a bubble-free finished product. The resin quickly begins to harden as the combination of the two parts creates heat which cures the resin. It changes color and is soon ready to demold, completely curing within hours or days depending on the product, temperature and humidity of the room.
Once known predominantly for the cheap-looking mass produces little girl princess jewelry, plastic casting now results in striking one-of-a-kind jewelry often sold by chic jewelry and dress designers at upscale stores. Thanks to a little know-how and the help of a friendly expert you can create your own personalized line of jewelry and accessories, models, and castings limited only by your time and imagination.
The many tints and dyes available can be used with a variety of plastic casting resins to give the appearance of metal, marbles, stained glass or even richly translucent gemstones. Whether the look you wish to achieve is a swirling opalescent look, transparent as glass, a classic cloisonné, whimsical, or evocative of vibrant modern art the resin and color tints are available to help you create the design you envision. You can even embed charms, prints and pictures, dried flowers, or even insects. Some artists even paint their metal creations with tinted resin to create their works of art.
Though it does take a learnable knack, resin enthusiast Cindy, the ResinLady, at ResinObsession is happy to help others learn the craft whether they are rank beginners or experienced intermediates testing the edge of the envelope. If you have a plastic casting project you’ve been wanting to do, now is the time. Cindy the ResinLady can help you get started either with ready-made molds, or even creating your own custom molds for your unique creations, and she stocks everything you need from beginning to finished product.
This article was published on Saturday 02 October, 2010.
