# Stablizing then casting wood ?



## jaustin (Jun 27, 2017)

when you stabilized a piece of wood that have cracks and crevasses how do you clean out the dried cactus juice up before casting it in a resin?

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## rocky1 (Jun 27, 2017)

You wrap it in tinfoil before cooking it? If you did... Don't do that! It's a pain to get out! What kind of cracks and crevasses are we talking? 

Typically anything you plan to cast, you don't want to wrap John. 

To be perfectly honest with you, I'm not wrapping anything anymore, the only difference I see, is a whole lot less clean up time. Matt suggested having run some that way, and after trying it, I don't wrap any of them period. I let them drip dry, before putting them in the oven. Make a drip tray out of tin foil, if your oven doesn't have a pan in the bottom, if it does, line it with tin foil, and cook them directly on the oven rack. 

I run my oven at 190o per thermometer, allow my blanks to drain/drip-dry 10 minutes to 2 hrs. before loading, load them up, and bake for 2 hours. The only resin I encounter on the outside of the blank, as a rule, is a small dimple where the blanks sit on each wire on the rack. 

But... I pull vacuum on them several times, I let them soak a week, or more. If they even act like they want to float, I start over. They are saturated!! After cooking, put 'em on the belt sander, hit all 4 sides and the 2 ends, to clean them up. They all come out looking absolutely beautiful.






Do I lose a lot of resin? NO! 

In my experience, most of what you're fighting with, and sanding off the outside of that blank, is resin that's on the outside of that blank when you put it in the oven/tin foil. Very little cooks out if you allow them to drain, and don't wrap them. I have two racks in my toaster oven, can cook close to 20 blanks at a time, and I seriously doubt I cook more than 2 tablespoons of resin out of 20 blanks. There's maybe 3 - 4 ounces cooked in the drip tray after half dozen or more batches.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1 | Informative 3


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## jaustin (Jun 27, 2017)

Thanks Rocky, for all you information that you have provided.

I will give it a try. The last time I did stabilizing i did wrap them in foil. I will let them drip before cooking them.
I have to go out a find a toaster oven this week. Going to go to the salvation army and good will and see if I can find a oven.

I noticed alumilite has a slow 12 min cure, is there any thing different between the normal and the slow cure stuff?

Also which one is clearer the water clear or the normal clear?


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## rocky1 (Jun 27, 2017)

Try looking on Craigslist also John. I picked my toaster oven up for $40; little old lady had everything but the box it came in, still with it. Perfect working order, her kids had bought her a new one. She was apologizing about one or two of the pans being a little scratched up. Looked at me like I'd lost my mind when I told her I was going to be cooking wood in it. 

I wrapped my blanks religiously too, until I started casting. Ran into to the same problem, then found comments on the TurnTex website suggesting you shouldn't wrap when stabilizing for casting. Tried them in a pan sitting on foil and still had issues with it puddling on the bottom of whatever I was cooking. Tried it on the oven rack, and haven't done it any other way since. I see the same results, and there's no comparison in clean up time. Letting everything drip back into the bucket before loading it into the oven, simply seemed a better plan than cooking resin in the drip pan. 

Haven't tried the Alumilite slow cure, Water Clear is much clearer than the original formula. 

Colin turned me on to Silmar 41 and it has a lot of positive aspects as well. Price topping the list there! Being able to adjust cure time being right up there with it. Cheapest source we've found... Falls under haz-mat so shipping isn't cheap, but 2 gallons will ship for about $3 - $4 more than one gallon to most zips.

Reactions: Like 1 | Great Post 1 | Informative 1


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## rhossack (Jun 28, 2017)

Rocky ... I've wondered what would happen if I didn't wrap them in tin foil other than make a mess.

I'm not patient enough to wait for days before cooking.

I'm also amazed at what I see folks stabilizing with some of those hardwoods ... I think I'll try a "brick" to see how much that clay will soak up that juice


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## rocky1 (Jun 28, 2017)

If they're saturated go for it. Let them drip dry, put some Tim foil in the bottom of the oven, and set em on the rack, and go for it.


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## jaustin (Jul 1, 2017)

WI'll vr silicone mold release work with alumilite?


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## rocky1 (Jul 1, 2017)

No clue? If it's as slick as most silicone, no it won't stick to it. Next question would be whether it will cause issues with the Alumilite. 

I say that because Liquid Nail Clear Sealer is not cool to try and seal a mold with. In my experience, Alumilite will dissolve it. And, it inhibits your resin from setting. Even when fully cured!

What kind of mold you using John?


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## jaustin (Jul 1, 2017)

Going to be using Schedule 40 pipe.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016R7XVLE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have a can of stoner order and it wont be here till probablt the weekend.

I have some hdpe that going to make some square molds out of, i don't thiunk i will be needing release for these
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Off-White-S...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649


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## rocky1 (Jul 2, 2017)

The HDPE it'll pop loose, disassemble your mold, rap it sharply with most anything and it pops right off. Even without release agent. It won't necessarily fall out of the mold without release agent, but it does come loose with a little persuasion. 

On the PVC pipe... You'll definitely want to use a release agent there. I've attempted a few PVC pipe molds without and had to split the pipe to remove the piece.

Reactions: Agree 1


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