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| Mold Putty |
How many parts will I get per mold before the mold starts to break down?
This all depends on the intricacy and detail of the part. Other factors are how many undercuts and how well the mold is cared for. It also depends on how often you are pouring, how hot your mold gets and if they are allowed to cool between pours. 50-100 pulls out of a mold is realistic if you are using mold release, rejuvenating your molds, allowing molds to cool between pours, and caring for them properly. |
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What is vacuuming and why should I do it?
Vacuuming: A vacuum pump is like a vacuum cleaner. A vacuum cleaner is designed to pick up things such as dirt off of carpet using suction or vacuum. A vacuum pump is identical to a vacuum cleaner except it will have MUCH more suction. A vacuum system is measured in the amount of vacuum it will pull. In technical terms, it is measured in inches of mercury. A common household vacuum will pull 1 - 2 inches of mercury. A good vacuum pump will pull 29-30 inches of mercury. A vacuum pump is used to suck the air from the mixed silicone to assist in pouring air/void free molds. Pouring perfectly bubble free silicone rubber to make your molds will make your molds last longer and yield more parts.
Vacuuming Silicone: As you mix the catalyst into the base, you will also be mixing air into the silicone. This will cause the silicone to be full of bubbles. The High Strength 3 Silicone has a thin enough viscosity the majority of air bubbles will rise to the surface without a vacuuming system. Others are too thick to allow air bubbles to rise and must be vacuumed. Therefore, you must pull a vacuum to assure no air is entrapped. Once your vacuum reaches 29-30 inches of mercury, the rubber will foam up. You will need a container around 4 times the size of the amount of silicone you are mixing. Once the rubber has risen, it will break (meaning to fall quickly). After the silicone falls, you will want to keep it under vacuum for another 2-3 minutes. Then remove the material from the vacuum and pour the rubber over your master. Remember, once the rubber has risen and fallen, it will not rise again. Our Vacuum Chambers are 10' x 12'. We recommend at least a 5 or 6 cfm vacuum pump to effectively pull 29" of Hg in a timely manner using our chamber. This is just a guideline. We highly recommend the actual pump be tested for compatibility with the chamber to make sure it performs as you need it to. |
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| Casting Resin |
Why is my Alumilite Casting Resin Foaming?
Moisture contamination causes foaming. If it foams quite a bit, most likely the moisture is right in the Alumilite. The moisture is usually in the A-side. You can vacuum the A-side to relieve it of moisture. If you don't have access to vacuuming equipment, you may be able to boil the moisture off. This is possible because water has a lower boiling temperature than any of the other liquids in the A-side. To boil off the material, we recommend that you put the Alumilite resin in a glass or metal container and place the material in an oven at 250 degrees F for 2 hours. This will draw the moisture out of the system and evaporate it. If you are getting a bunch of little pinholes, the moisture is probably coming from some materials you are using (mold, cups, stir sticks, etc.)
Note: Moisture in the B-side results in that side crystallizing. |
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Is Alumilite safe or toxic?
Alumilite is non - toxic and virtually odorless. First of all, we recommend you read any and all MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets) and warning labels on any product that you use.
All urethanes contain some type of Isocyanate. We have a very small, diluted amount of MDI Isocyanate, which was deregulated as hazardous and is not considered to be a hazardous material. Alumilite contains no mercury, (found in many other urethanes). Alumilite is not considered to be carcinogenic. Alumilite is safe to use in your home. |
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How long should I mix the RC-3?
Mix thoroughly for approximately 30 seconds (be sure to scrape the sides of your container). It should be mixed until it turns a uniform color of tea with no swirls or striations. You can drill mix it in larger containers but be careful not introduce or whip in too much air which will give a lot of air bubbles on the back side of your part. |
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Can you vary ratios to speed up or slow down the cure time?
No. Varying the ratios will not affect the working time but it will affect the curing time and physical properties. Meaning, the Alumilite will still start to set up in it's normal time but could take hours to completely cure. When it finally does cure, it will not have the same properties of the regular resin and may be considerably weaker. |
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Can the work/open time be increased?
Yes! To get an additional 30 - 60 seconds, cool the 'B' side of RC-3 in the refrigerator for 1 hour prior to casting. |
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How much heat does Alumilite generate?
This depends on the mass you are pouring, but typically ranges between 120F to 200F. |
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Can Alumilite be colored? If so, what do I use?
Yes. Alumilite offers a full line of dyes specially formulated for Alumilite's Casting Plastics. If you use an outside source make sure that the dyes/pigments are not water based. Some oil-based dyes are compatible. Test a small amount before mixing in larger quantities. Most powdered dyes will work if they do not contain any moisture (known as a dry filler). |
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Can I paint Alumilite?
Yes! We recommend lacquers or acrylics but you may also use synthetics, water-based acrylics, or enamels. A lacquer primer may be needed to assure the long term effectiveness of the paint. You may wish to paint your silicone mold before casting Alumilite. Paint the mold with a fast drying acrylic or clear coat. Once the paint is completely dry, cast your piece. When you demold the part you will pull out a painted piece. Alumilite will chemically bond to the dried paint. |
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What kind of mold release can I use?
If casting into a silicone rubber mold it is not necessary to use a mold release because of it's natural no-stick tendencies. But if you are looking to have the absolute best mold life expectancy, we recommend using our Stoner Urethane Mold Release. This release will provide you the best mold protection and best release increasing the number of parts your mold will yield. |
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What types of molds can I pour Alumilite into?
With the proper release, you can make a mold out of almost anything. Here are a few examples: Silicone, Wax, Non-Sulfur Clay, Urethane, Latex, Plaster, Steel, Aluminum, and Wood. A thick layer of paste wax is recommended for non-silicone based items. |
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| Other |
What is a catalyst?
The catalyst is what causes the RTV to cure or harden. It is either tin or platinum base. The tin base systems are much more user friendly and will harden against practically any surface. |
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What is Alumilite's typical shipping time (lead time)?
Most orders ship same day as order is placed by 3:30 p.m. (eastern). |
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