alumilite?

[vesrian]

Anyone have experience with this or have any tips?
I picked up some on clearence and i'm planning to use it for a project i'm working on. I'm wondering how much detail this will capture. And if i drop something made of this, is it gonna break?

[H W Raney]

Used it many years back to cast 'fridge magnets for a local charity. Liked it far better than a two-part resin I got from Micromark. Several things I remember:

Gets very hot when curing.
Keep molds level - it will flow and when it sets up, it can set up very quickly.
Watch your humidity. Too high and the resin goes crystalline or refuses to set.
Strong but brittle - very little give. Probably wouldn't use it for thin, spindly bits.
Fumes aren't too bad but probably aren't good for you.
Good shelf life - I was using 6 mo old fluids without a problem.
Use mold release - think either Alumilite or MicroMark has it. Never had any luck with cooking oil or talc powder.
Can capture very fine detail - experiment with your pour rates first. Too fast and you'll trap air bubbles. Too slow and it'll set up on you.

About all I can remember - hope that some of this helps.

Wayne

[Trader Xi]

Alumilite's moulding silicone is way expensive, what do you recommend as an alternative?

[H W Raney]

Alumilite's moulding silicone is way expensive, what do you recommend as an alternative?

Depends upon what you're trying to mold and how many. Just a few and relatively flat, an oiless artist's clay can make do. For more complex and multiple copies, I used a latex molding liquid. Can't remember where I got it, maybe the local art supply shop (Ben Franklin, if there be any left or maybe Michaels). It has been many years.

[vesrian]

Thanks for the info, i didn't think about humidity. It's been pretty humid around here lately, i'll have to keep that in mind.
Good to hear it can handle fine details, i know there's some stuff out there that can't - i don't want to go back and green stuff in some of the detail.