What did you do in your shop today?

Tony said:
Ken, just take the stopper to Home Depot or Lowes, they have all those threaded inserts hanging by the bolt section, figure out what size it is and get a bolt. Stick it through a block of wood go from there. Tony
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I have one of those. Colin was saying that if the bottle stopper kit is one of those where the bit that attaches the blank and the stopper together is separate then just cast that into the blank. If that's the case then I'd have an outie of a blank and I'd have to make the innie for the lathe. I have the adapter that is an outie already. I have a Beall thread tap for the lathe and I'd be able to make the adapter that would screw on to the headstock and then screw the blank into the adapter.

But your suggestion on how to make the adapter would work well if I didn't have the taps and did the blank the traditional way.

This is a little more complex because I have a shape (the luffa) that I want to remain centered when I cast it. This one floated just a bit and so when I turn it the sponge will be exposed. This may be an OK look as well.

BTW: the luffa was soaked in colored Cactus Juice and then cured in the oven. I did put it under a vacuum but I don't know that I really needed to. It does give it a little rigidity and if/when it is exposed on turning then it should be OK and not soak up any liquids.
 
kweinert said:
Or, and the thought occurred to me later, maybe something like a small dowel run part way into the end of the luffa and through the end of the mold. Some play dough or something to seal the mold. Since it's meant to be something like a bottle stopper and it'll get drilled out anyhow that should work.

I think.

I haven't worked with Alumilite but I don't think that a double pour would work - you'd see a seam. Not even a timed double pour - mix and pour enough to give the bottom offset, let it start to get sticky, put the luffa in and finish filling the mold with a later mix that would still be thin. The timing could be real tricky with that, especially if the cure time is not linear.

Should probably move this discussion to its own thread.
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Alumilite has a rather active reaction, if you pour it with Pearl in it, you can watch it turning over as it cures. It was active enough in the mold curing to creating rings in the pearl, when I poured the knife scales for Neil. I tried a double pour on one of the cholla scales trying to fill voids in the cholla that had percolated out, and that simply went all wrong! You could try it without your loofa and see what it did first, all you'd be out then is the resin. But it may react differently with the loofa in there too. Only way to know for sure is to try it Ken. One option you might considered there if it does leave an obvious seam would be to dye a little resin, and make an obvious seam in it. Put a band of red or yellow in the middle so it looks planned.

Rings around either side of this cast scale were caused by the resin turning over while curing. Really cool to watch! But subject to move something as light as the loofa while curing.

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Attempts at double pouring alumilite set up a reaction that simply went all WRONG in my experience! Did this with two different batches, in different colors. First pour was about set, when I poured the second in trying to fill voids.

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rocky1 said:
Alumilite has a rather active reaction, if you pour it with Pearl in it, you can watch it turning over as it cures. But subject to move something as light as the loofa while curing.
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OK, so the loofa didn't really float, it was moved. Guess that means that I really do need to find a way to anchor it if I want to keep it centered.
 
Started another wooden knife....
Bubinga and wenge...

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A glorified letter opener....
 
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3pm our time is when he wakes up...you know, island time is always slow....
 
kweinert said:
OK, so the loofa didn't really float, it was moved. Guess that means that I really do need to find a way to anchor it if I want to keep it centered.
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It is possible that it floated, but by the same respect, it is very possible the reaction pushed it up Ken. As resin cures it heats up, Alumilite curing rapidly, apparently creates a little more than other slower curing resins. I've watched it in Silmar also, but the movement wasn't as pronounced. Whether that was because of slower cure, different mold, or what, I couldn't say for certain. There is movement in the Silmar, but it was nothing like the Alumilite. The circulation in the resin, as it heats up, is up through the middle, over the top, and back down around the edges in the mold, without fail. Obviously that would put it flowing up, under your loofa in your mold, and give it just a little lift. If it was in fact neutrally buoyant, it would likely be enough to lift it in the pour.

That of course means you're probably going to need to fix both ends somehow, or pour it upright and stick it to the bottom of the mold. Or, be patient enough to keep poking it back down in the resin until it quits rising.
 
Maybe run a piece of monofilament fishing line through the center of the loofa and secure it at each end of the mold? You might need to test but with clear line it pretty much disappears once the resin is poured around it....
 
No time in shop for me, just time in yard cleaning up after the sewer pipe dig. Hauled the old chainlink fence out to the curb and cut up most of the poles, 2 more to pull out yet. I'm borrowing a friends little kubota to help with leveling the yard and will use it to pull the last poles out this weekend.
 
woodtickgreg said:
No time in shop for me, just time in yard cleaning up after the sewer pipe dig. Hauled the old chainlink fence out to the curb and cut up most of the poles, 2 more to pull out yet. I'm borrowing a friends little kubota to help with leveling the yard and will use it to pull the last poles out this weekend.
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Easier than how I did it. I had to use my engine hoist with a chain welded to the poles to pull the fence that was here when we bought the place. When it came time to remove the old metal clothesline poles I got lazy, torched them off below ground level and filled the holes.
 
Schroedc said:
Easier than how I did it. I had to use my engine hoist with a chain welded to the poles to pull the fence that was here when we bought the place. When it came time to remove the old metal clothesline poles I got lazy, torched them off below ground level and filled the holes.
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When i did ours a few years back, ran a flat piece into the basketweave and used a come-along to stretch it. Tony
 
rocky1 said:
That idea has potential!! Lathe is going to turn backwards for the threads on the base, and may unscrew it from whatever you screw it into; you could however double nut the stud and lock them, and turn it in your chuck.

IF you can get them to set in the middle of your mold, you could pour them upright, turn them flat on top and cap with wood or an ornate cabochon.

https://www.aliexpress.com/popular/turquoise-cabochon.html
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I've never ordered from them. How are they to deal with. They seem to have a ton of cheap prices on things...
 
Whoaaaaa 3 posts for the price of 1 click! Simply Amazing!! :lol2:


What's more amazing than that is, when I click the edit link under the next post, this one opens and edits! Now I'm confused!! :ponder:

And, when I click the edit link under this post, this one opens too!! :wacko:
 
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