Alumilite Water Clear 32 oz 2 Part Casting Resin Kit

I bought my first 32 oz. set knowing there was a bit of a learning curve. Unfortunately, it is slightly longer than I thought, and used up most of my product.I went to the website, and also watched so many videos online I cannot remember the number. Nowhere, I mean nowhere, do they talk about heating your mold, even on sanctioned videos with an Alumilite rep standing in the video. One pen video in particular comes to mind where the Aluminite guy was standing right there - no preheating.But if you read the instructions, it clearly says to preheat the molds to about 125F. I did not, instead listening to all those people on the videos, and that cost me a couple pours.Now, on to the bubbles...ooh, the bubbles.Just admit to yourself that you need a pressure pot to use this. Unless you want to stir so slow you'll go to sleep, and pour only about 1/4" at a time. One video I watched the fellow took three days to pour a pen mold. I don't have that much time...Also, if you think in terms of encasing something in this product, (a great application), if there is even a hair of a chance of it having any moisture in the article to be captured, like made of wood or any hygroscopic material, it WILL bubble out if not kept in a pressure pot until completely hard and cured. Just be cognizant of that.Lots of pen makers use things like wood to enhance their pens, and many will degas the wood before putting in the Alumilite, a necessity. I used an oven on my wood, and it tested at 3% moisture when I pulled it out of the oven. It still managed to bubble out the remaining moisture in the Alumilite when I used it in the pour, but I was able to save the pour.Just be knowing that this stuff does not like moisture, and will bubble like you've never seen.Other than that, it is a beautifully clear product.

The product arrived on time as promised and came with a few stirring sticks and small mixing cups. The directions left a bit to be desired with the procedure of curing the resin.The biggest issue was that even with thin layers of 1/4" thick, I was getting a lot of bubbles. I followed a lot of the recommendations as to warming up the mold and keeping the resin at a warmer temperature (74 deg F) but still got a LOT of bubbles that would ruin and ability to sell a product if I had not tested it first. I had to put it in a pressure pot at 60psi for 5 hours to keep the bubbles from forming during the cure process. After the initial cure I was able to let the resin sit for 3 days to full cure without the bubble complication.After the resin had cured completely for 3 days it had reached the hard finish with a glass clear result as promised. I was able to sand (slowly without heat) and polish to retain the clear finish and obtain the shape as desired.This product would have definitely received 5 starts without the bubble complication.

4 stars not 5 due to all the bubbles. The thing I don't care for about Aluminite Water Clear is that too many bubbles form after pouring. I have had several projects lately where I have mixed it up and poured it into thin steel tubes about a yard long to make a durable and strong filler. For that purpose no one sees all the bubbles so it doesn't matter; however, if I were using it for a purpose where people would see the acrylic it forms then I would have a problem with all the bubbles. What I do like about it is that it mixes well, pours well and drys fast. You do get a little expansion so plan for that... I think that is due to the bubbles. Cure time is good and is tempurature dependent.If I were going to pour a cabinet top to form a clear coating on top I would not use Alumilite Water Clear for that purpose.

I was using this on wood and kept wondering why it foamed up so much. I started noticing that my Alumilite remains were foaming up too. Turns out there were several reasons for this, but these things only point out to how temperamental this material is. After many mixes I realized that I did not stabilize my wood first. The wood was absorbing the Alumilite and giving back air. This was causing it to foam up. I also was mixing 'relatively' close to what I needed. This gave gooey results that often turned milky. Mix by weight, keep away from moisture, and with wood; stabilize it first. Cactus juice or Minwax wood hardener works too if you don't have the means to bake it. If you need to die your resin, use alcohol dies. Any type works. Powder dies work too, but don't use anything water based. If you make a test cast first (any small amount will do) you can see how it reacts and help eliminate errors on your final product.

I like the product. It has taken a bit to get used to. Not a product issue, but I was a true novice when I started. One thing I learned is that the product is exothermic. That means that it creates heat. That causes problems when you are casting and embedding products that have any bit of moisture. The heat will draw out the moisture and it will create air bubbles in your crafts. I also highly recommend de-gassing with a vacuum chamber. It will improve your result. Alumilite had great support and they were responsive to my email questions. Good stuff and it does cast clear!

I used this to fill a cholla cactus and then turned it on a lathe. I cured it under pressure, about 40 psi, and I had no bubbles.I almost got in trouble since it started to set while I was still futzing with the position of the cactus (it tried to float).Turning was easy, but subsequent dry-sanding wrecked the surface. I cleaned it up again on the lathe and wet-sanded it. It came out fine. I used a dry powder dye in it with good results. BUT - since it is good to mix the A & B parts without dye so you can see when it turns clear (fully mixed), you don't have much time to add dye, pour, make adjustments, etc.

Stay away.Followed instructions to the letter. Both instances resulted in a brittle and tacky cast (48 hrs of curing). Either, there is an issue with the product/batch, or the vendor is stocking resin that has exceeded its shelf life.