# Hybrid wood / Resin peppermill



## Reiddog1 (Apr 30, 2014)

Hello again workaholics. A couple of days ago I took a small poll on resin color for my first peppermill blank. Blue seemed to be the most popular, so I think I'll take your advice. I also had many members ask me lots of casting questions, and that made me think a little. Why not do a casting and turning "build" post. Well what do you think? (Disclaimer: I never claimed to be an expert). Here's what I've got so far:


 Here we have a 3" x 6" x 2 1/2" ish Piece of red mallee burl cap. The burl has been on the jointer to establish a 90° corner and cut to width on the table saw.

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## manbuckwal (Apr 30, 2014)

You need to show the other side too


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## Reiddog1 (Apr 30, 2014)

Whoa Tom. I had to take a shower break buddy

QUOTE="manbuckwal, post: 177991, member: 1394"] You need to show the other side too[/QUOTE]


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## ButchC (Apr 30, 2014)




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## Reiddog1 (Apr 30, 2014)

The other side of the burl (yes, i know its cut already but stay with me :-)!


 
The Mold. Made from a walmart cutting board. I think that it was about $10. The mold (as looking at the pic) 2 1/2" x 3" x 3 1/2" deep, (bottom) 7 1/2" x 3" x 3 1/2" deep. These are the internal measurements. Yes I use masking tape to build my molds (dont judge me) :-)

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## manbuckwal (Apr 30, 2014)

Looks good !


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## Wildthings (Apr 30, 2014)

Here we go !! Yippeeeee

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## Reiddog1 (Apr 30, 2014)

This step is pretty self explanatory: cut burl to fit in the mold. Notice, I cut the end to go in the "top" mold. 


 

The back side of the cut burl.



 

Arrange burl in the mold. I think I like this configuration the best.

Well, that's all for the tonite. Next is calculating the amount of resin needed. Hope you guys enjoy!!

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## Wildthings (Apr 30, 2014)

It's still early! What gives? LOL

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## manbuckwal (Apr 30, 2014)

And here I thought the piece was going in whole


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## Reiddog1 (Apr 30, 2014)

manbuckwal said:


> And here I thought the piece was going in whole



I wanted more burl on the ends this time with more resin in the middle. I'm still not set on this arrangement, but leaning towards it, so the top is not almost all burl. Plus, the Burl is too small to cover both molds.


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## manbuckwal (Apr 30, 2014)

It's a great idea ! If you had more smaller cutoffs I guess u could fill it in more if u wanted ? Use less resin

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## RayBell (Apr 30, 2014)

Really looking forward to this thread. Thank you Dave!

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## Reiddog1 (May 1, 2014)

RayBell said:


> Really looking forward to this thread. Thank you Dave!



No sweat. I know I've learned a lot by "build" posts, so why not do one myself. Good way to give back I think, plus, it's pretty fun!! I just hope it works out. Would be pretty embarrassing if it didn't. We're caught up to real time now, so it might go a bit slower (the whole J.O.B. thing getting in the way and all). Just hope I don't bore you guys to death :-). More to come folks, stay tuned.....

Dave


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## Reiddog1 (May 1, 2014)

Calculating how much resin to use. Remember how I had the disclaimer in the beginning? Here's an example of me proving it. Ensure you have taped up all seams on your mold. Fill mold with water to desired level. Pour water in measuring device.


 

This is my measuring device. These are not so accurate, but wait; there's more.


 
My more accurate measuring device! Put bucket of water on the scale and record weight in oz. Pour water out. Measure just the bucket. Subtract the weight of the bucket from the bucket of water, bam!, you now know how much resin your mold will hold. I like to write this number on the bottom of my mold with a sharpie as to not forget. ** Very Important** wipe completely dry your mold. Resin and water do not play well together!!!


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## Reiddog1 (May 1, 2014)

Oh yea, I almost forgot: how much resin do you use when casting a burl cap? Wait for it..... I don't know!! I SWAG. Not much on the scientific side, but then again, Im not the smartest guy I know. I just try to error on the side of caution (have extra resin). BTW, this mold (both pieces) call for 44oz. Brings me to something I forgot earlier, why a two piece mold? Anybody? A one piece mold this size will not fit in my pressure pot. Not vertically, not horizontally, hence two piece. Hope you enjoy. More to follow soon....

Dave

Reactions: Informative 1


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## ButchC (May 1, 2014)

Reiddog1 said:


> Oh yea, I almost forgot: how much resin do you use when casting a burl cap? Wait for it..... I don't know!! I SWAG. Not much on the scientific side, but then again, Im not the smartest guy I know. I just try to error on the side of caution (have extra resin). BTW, this mold (both pieces) call for 44oz. Brings me to something I forgot earlier, why a two piece mold? Anybody? A one piece mold this size will not fit in my pressure pot. Not vertically, not horizontally, hence two piece. Hope you enjoy. More to follow soon....
> 
> Dave



I've never done any casting before, so this is just me thinking the process through. Seems to me that with the burl cap that you would tend to mix more resin than necessary. Do you have a backup plan for the extra resin? Do you have other smaller stuff like a pen blank already in a mold standing by that you could fill with the extra resin? Just being curious.


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## Reiddog1 (May 1, 2014)

ButchC said:


> I've never done any casting before, so this is just me thinking the process through. Seems to me that with the burl cap that you would tend to mix more resin than necessary. Do you have a backup plan for the extra resin? Do you have other smaller stuff like a pen blank already in a mold standing by that you could fill with the extra resin? Just being curious.



You got it Butch. I usually have two pen molds standing by. A single wasted wood mold and a double wasted wood mold with the wood already in it. I also have some crazy silicone molds that I bought for my 3 daughters ( 8,8,10) that has little jewels. Those are on standby as well. I don't like to waste resin. Hope this helps.

Dave

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## APBcustoms (May 1, 2014)

I've been waiting for a post like this


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## Reiddog1 (May 1, 2014)

Ok, here we go ready to cast. First lets secure the Burl to the mold. There's two ways I do this: 1) I like to use a little hot glue to adhere it down.
Yep, nothing fancy. I put some dollops on two sides and stick em down. Here's the second way↓.




I may use craft sticks as small wedges if i have a small gap. I have a box of 1000 of them and they come in handy while casting!!! For this cast, I used both methods.

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## Reiddog1 (May 1, 2014)

Time to mix and pour. Im using alumilite clear with alumilite dye and pearl ex powder. 


 

Alumilite says 1 drop per oz. I'm mixing 36 oz (**note**: alumilite products should be mixed 1:1 ratio by weight. **End of note** **Note acknowledged**) (Barry knows what I did here). I'm not going to count. I add the dye and pearl ex to the A side (18 oz) and mix until I'm happy with it.

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## Reiddog1 (May 1, 2014)

Whoa, whoa, whoa!!!!!!!!!! Isn't this blank supposed to be BLUE!!!!!!! Yes, it was going to be blue, I wanted it to be blue. When the wife found out what I was doing, she claimed said peppermill in-work. She wants it red to match our kitchen. I wanted blue, she wanted red!! She feeds me, does my laundry, puts up with me, and... well, you know, so guess what? She wins!! Hope nobody minds my color change... happy wife, happy life and all!! 

Back to the casting.

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## Reiddog1 (May 1, 2014)

When happy with part A, add equal amount of part B (remember the note). I like to pour into a small cup for measuring on the scale, then add to part A. Kinda a waste of a cup but well worth the insurance. *** Mix thoroughly*** Scrape the sides and the bottom as well. I mix for about 2 minutes (swag).



I like to mix with these things. I have no idea what it's called, but they're awesome.



Pour in mold, then give the resin a little swirl with a craft stick. You have about 4 min (as of now) to get it in the pressure pot and under pressure.


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## Reiddog1 (May 1, 2014)

Here's my little "mold shelf". Built from scrap to the internal dimensions of my pressure pot. Trust me, this thing is handy. (Tip: put some wax paper or tape on the shelf so "when" you spill a little resin, it doesnt soak into the wood and create a bump.) Make sure your shelf is level when you build one!!



Harbor freight paint pot. A little re-plumming and bam!! Pressure pot. Operating pressure is 60 to 80 psi, I cast at 60 - 65 psi. Make sure you lock it down tight. I had one of these blow the top when i was right beside it. I didn't tighten enough. Totally my fault. Don't worry, I was fine, but my pants were ruined :-).

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## Reiddog1 (May 1, 2014)

Here's a shot of the alumilite dye and the pearl ex I used for this project. Didnt have much time to mess around when I was mixing the resin!!



Let the resin set in the pressure pot for 90 minutes. Make sure it keeps pressure........ yea, easier said than done. Wait for it and I'll tell you why!!!!!!


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## RayBell (May 1, 2014)

Great thread Dave. How big of diameter, and how thick of piece can you cast?


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## Reiddog1 (May 1, 2014)

I usually keep my compressor plugged into the pot to keep the pressure constant by using the manifold on the compressor. I've had no issues until today. First cast of the day was the top of the peppermill. Yea, somebody forgot to plug in the compressor. I came back an hour and a half later to this.


 
See all the bubbles on the transition between burl and resin. Yep, that's what happens when you try and cast alumilite at 25psi. Yea, I know... I'm a dumb$$. Fixed my issue with the main body cast and shazzam↓

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## Reiddog1 (May 1, 2014)

RayBell said:


> Great thread Dave. How big of diameter, and how thick of piece can you cast?



Could probably go 7" x 7". That's about the max of my pressure pot. Would use a ton of resin though.

Dave


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## Reiddog1 (May 1, 2014)

After several 4 letter words and some time out, I grabbed another piece of RMB from the same cap and cast another top for said peppermill. Don't have it cleaned up yet, but no problems that I can see.


 
The top. Take two...... Another 10oz of resin..... Could've been worse, I guess.

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## RayBell (May 1, 2014)

Another question. If you have voids all the way through say a 4" thick block will this fill all the way through?


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## RayBell (May 1, 2014)

Dave one reason for all the questions is that I have a burl shaped a lot like this that I would like to get a 7" bowls out of. Do you do this for a charge of course for other people?


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## Reiddog1 (May 1, 2014)

RayBell said:


> Another question. If you have voids all the way through say a 4" thick block will this fill all the way through?



Hard to get it in one shot with something that thick. Sometimes you have to do a pour, clean it up and pour the bottom again. Buckeye burl for instance, usually has to have a double pour. I don't usually provide casting as a service only because you can have 9 successes and 1 complete failure. A failure on a 7" x 7" burl would be a travesty. Sorry Ray, but just not something I'm ready for.

Dave


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## RayBell (May 1, 2014)

Thank you for the candid answer Dave. Please carry on. Very interesting thread.


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## Reiddog1 (May 1, 2014)

The casting finally:
I got the top all cleaned up and had some final picks to share.


 
Not as much heart wood burl Iin this one, but it should work all the same.


 
And here's the full blank in it's glory, ready for a date with the lathe. I hope you guys enjoyed the tutorial as much as I did. Thanks for all of the comments and well wishes!!!

Dave

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## RayBell (May 1, 2014)

It turned out very nice. Please continue on through the lathe process.


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## Sprung (May 1, 2014)

Very nice! Thanks for sharing! And, I agree with Ray - Please do continue this thread! As someone who hopes to make his first peppermills latter this year, I'd really enjoy seeing how you make them. Plus, I also really want to see this blank finished out into a complete peppermill! Gonna look awesome!


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## Wildthings (May 1, 2014)

Dave I have a HF pressure pot also and when I tighten it down I have a small length of chain that I wrap around the lockdowns as insurance that if it does blow, the chain will keep the lid there.

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## ButchC (May 1, 2014)

Reiddog1 said:


> The casting finally:
> I got the top all cleaned up and had some final picks to share.
> View attachment 49917
> Not as much heart wood burl Iin this one, but it should work all the same.
> ...



Dave, is that white part I see in between the burl cap pieces a reflection of the paint can, or is the resin translucent and I am seeing the white of the paint can through the resin? I actually wanted to ask earlier if you'd be able to see the pepper and the void, but this worked out even better!!

Thanks, Butch


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## Reiddog1 (May 1, 2014)

Sprung said:


> Very nice! Thanks for sharing! And, I agree with Ray - Please do continue this thread! As someone who hopes to make his first peppermills latter this year, I'd really enjoy seeing how you make them. Plus, I also really want to see this blank finished out into a complete peppermill! Gonna look awesome!



Matt and @RayBell 
I wouldn't consider myself an exceptional turner, but I'm sure that I'll post a few during the process. I just hope I don't screw it up to bad :-). Thanks for following along throughout the tutorial!!

Dave

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## Reiddog1 (May 1, 2014)

Wildthings said:


> Dave I have a HF pressure pot also and when I tighten it down I have a small length of chain that I wrap around the lockdowns as insurance that if it does blow, the chain will keep the lid here.



Very interesting Barry. Please post pic. I like the idea!! (That is all!!!)

Dave


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## ButchC (May 1, 2014)

Reiddog1 said:


> Very interesting Barry. Please post pic. I like the idea, and so do my pants :-).
> 
> Dave



Out of context of the rest of this thread, that was borderline inappropriate

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## Wildthings (May 1, 2014)

I'm heading out in the morning for another funeral. Will try to get u one this weekend

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## Reiddog1 (May 1, 2014)

ButchC said:


> Dave, is that white part I see in between the burl cap pieces a reflection of the paint can, or is the resin translucent and I am seeing the white of the paint can through the resin? I actually wanted to ask earlier if you'd be able to see the pepper and the void, but this worked out even better!!
> 
> Thanks, Butch





ButchC said:


> Dave, is that white part I see in between the burl cap pieces a reflection of the paint can, or is the resin translucent and I am seeing the white of the paint can through the resin? I actually wanted to ask earlier if you'd be able to see the pepper and the void, but this worked out even better!!
> 
> Thanks, Butch



That must be a reflection Butch. This thing has a lot of dye and pearl ex in it. You can make translucent by usinga lot less of both.

Dave

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## Reiddog1 (May 1, 2014)

ButchC said:


> Out of context of the rest of this thread, that was borderline inappropriate



That does sound horrible out of context. Thou shall re-word!!!

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## manbuckwal (May 1, 2014)

Great thread Dave ! Thanks for showing us!


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## Reiddog1 (May 5, 2014)

Hello again folks. Finally got some time to work on the peppermill, so I thought I'd show you were I was at with it. Hope you guys enjoy and thanks for following along.



Cutting off the corners, so my tools don't beat me to death.



A little drilling out for the components

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## Reiddog1 (May 5, 2014)

Finally gettin it round. Holy smokes red shavings!!!


 
The rough shape. Did I say "rough"!!

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## Reiddog1 (May 5, 2014)

Sanding, sanding, and more sanding!! She's getting there slowly but surely. Hopefully I'll get the body all sanded out and the top finished tomorrow. Maybe soon we'll have ourselves a peppermill. Thanks for lookin.

Dave

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## Wildthings (May 5, 2014)

SWEET!!


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## Reiddog1 (May 5, 2014)

Ok. One more from today. Still have to fill some small pin holes (pretty common with resin) and another round of sanding and polishing, but here's a preview. Hope you guys like it!!!

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## APBcustoms (May 5, 2014)

Reiddog1 said:


> Ok. One more from today. Still have to fill some small pin holes (pretty common with resin) and another round of sanding and polishing, but here's a preview. Hope you guys like it!!!
> View attachment 50350



Pin holes in resin how do you do that ca glue ?


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## Reiddog1 (May 5, 2014)

APBcustoms said:


> Pin holes in resin how do you do that ca glue ?



Yep. Thin CA.


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## APBcustoms (May 5, 2014)

Reiddog1 said:


> Yep. Thin CA.


Awesome I have a few blanks coming sometime soon and I've never realy gotten to play with this stuff any tips


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## Reiddog1 (May 5, 2014)

Alumilite is my favorite resin to turn. Same tips as turning wood really: sharp tools, go slow. Turns like a dream.


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## APBcustoms (May 5, 2014)

Reiddog1 said:


> Alumilite is my favorite resin to turn. Same tips as turning wood really: sharp tools, go slow. Turns like a dream.



Sweet is sanding to 2000 high enough


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## Reiddog1 (May 5, 2014)

I sand to 600, then buff with tripoli and then white diamond. You could also sand with a series of micro mesh and then use plastic polish.


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## APBcustoms (May 5, 2014)

Ca finish work well?


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## manbuckwal (May 5, 2014)

APBcustoms said:


> Ca finish work well?



Yes

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## manbuckwal (May 5, 2014)

That is looking sweet !!!!

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## gimpy (Oct 31, 2014)

Reiddog1 said:


> Ok. One more from today. Still have to fill some small pin holes (pretty common with resin) and another round of sanding and polishing, but here's a preview. Hope you guys like it!!!
> View attachment 50350


I can't say what I would like to say................BUT holy cow, what a SWEET peppermill, and tutoiriol, thank you for sharing


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