Alumilite Casting Resins
Alumilite is a premium, 2 part urethane resin used for casting. Casting is the process of filling a void with a solid resin once cured. Examples include Worthless Wood (wood and resin combinations), pine cones cast in resin, and solid colored resins. Casting with Alumilite is best done under pressure using a pressure pot and an air compressor. Molds are required to hold the liquid resin until it has cured. They can be made from many materials including white plastic cutting boards, silicone, cardboard, basically anything that can be made leak proof. For proper use of Alumilite, you will also need a scale since the ratio is 1:1 by weight, not volume. Please visit my Alumilite Casting Resources section in the Help Center for mold plans, mixing videos, and other related videos on casting.
Which Alumilite is best for me?
Alumilite White Cures as a solid, opaque white. Dyes can be added to provide color but metallic and pearlescent powders will not give any effect. Alumilite White has the lowest viscosity (thinnest) of any of the Alumilite products but also has the fastest cure time of the products I offer. You need to have your ducks in a row when working with Alumilite White since it cures in 3 minutes!
Alumilite Clear Preferred for casting pen blanks, knife blocks, call blanks, and other small to medium size casting. Cures optically clear. Dyes, metallic powders, and pearlescent powders can be added to give color and depth. Alumilite Clear has an open time of 7 minutes to give you plenty of time to get it mixed, poured, and into your pressure pot. Alumilite Clear was specifically formulated with the woodworker in mind. It polishes nicely but is not brittle when you cut, shape, or turn it. Pressure is a must and you will need to keep it under pressure for 30 minutes or so, more if your shop is colder and less if you shop is hot.
Alumilite Clear SLOW This version is mainly for the folks who are casting large pieces. It gives more working time but also requires longer to cure. The slower formula is designed for large castings of 30 ounces or more and is not the preferred choice for pen blanks, knife blocks, call blanks, and other medium size castings. The cured properties are the same as Alumilite Clear but the working time is increased to 12 minutes. This comes at a price, though, requiring a longer time in the pressure pot of 1-1.5 hours. The slower formula is much less likely to have cracks in larger castings once cured due to heat produced.
