finally did a resin swirl that i am fairly happy with
i ain't no 'darth vader' [never WILL be ...he set the bar waaaay high in the resin art department] , but this was FUN !!
It's tiny [4x6" ?!] , so i'll do the fanatical pentecostal fundamentalist thing , and name it , claim it , and frame it ...
...but maybe one day i'll try and 8x10" panel and get an unmatching pair of keels or twinnies or a thruster swirly set out of it ...
enjoy !!
cheers
ben
the process ....
catalyse the resin ....
add colours , one at a time ...just a small line of each colour was dripped into the resin ...
[canned tuna DOES has its uses , after all ...] VERY minimal stirring , so the colours didn't muddy ....
pour onto glass....
I covered it with one layer of 4oz to start with [just to see how the coverage was , and how the pattern is looking , so far ....three layers of 4oz cloth would be adequate to provide print thickness panel[s] suitable for framing , i think ...]
now ....here's where it can all go wrong ! [and has for me, numerous times in the past ...]
IF the resin has not fully flowed , and covered from corner to corner of the glass evenly , and if too much 'rollering' is needed , as a result ...hello mud !!
[the good news is , generally the patterns on the inside edge stay put , even though the top of the panel [outside edge , if laying up a panel for making fins out of !] may turn brown , with so many colours running into each other ]. I basically wanted all the rainbow's colours , is why i used SO MANY colours in the first place !]
yep , not enough soaking , and too much rollering needed , i began to think " uh oh ...it looks 'muddied' , already !"
....but after filler coating it , and putting it out in the sun , it looked a bit brighter !
the 'outside edge'....
.....an hour later , returning to the scene of the crime , lifting the masking tape , prising the panel off the glass with the trusty paint scraper , peeling off the tape , and flipping it OVER ,
THIS was what greeted me ?! ....
.....I think I prefer it to the 'outside edge' ....
cheers !
ben
How many layers of cloth would you have used if you wanted to make a set of fins in this style mate? Also what would you use to cut the template out of the panel (i’ve heard plastic cutting jigsaw blades, but not 100% whether i read it or dreamt it) and how much resin would you use to make a 10 x 12 panel?
p.s. looks wicked
-Brumstar use a carbide blade to cut out fins, and it depends on what type of fins you want to make single, or fcs box fins?
-Chippy i feel like im on an acid trip haha, nice work. and ill see what i can do about getting you those flies.
Cheers a2tall, How much for a single fin panel?
so i'll do the fanatical pentecostal fundamentalist thing , and name it , claim it , and frame it ...
Yeah...me too....
Are we related?
Great work Ben. I think you are my brother from another mother. Keep on keep'n on!
Stingray
chippy nice job but i wanna see the final result
you're looking at it mate ,
well at least till i frame it .....
brummy ,
well i'm guessing for a 10 x 12" panel ,
for a 40 layer of 4oz fin panel = 8 layups , with 5 layers of 4oz per layup , about 50-70mls per layup = c 400- c 560mls , [maximum] of [polyester] LAMINATING resin
[ ....I say I'm "guessing" , because I've only layed up 8x10" panels so far ....and for those , I use a maximum 50mls of resin per 5 layers of 4 or 6oz cloth ....]
okay , brumstar , I hope that helps , mate ?
cheers !
ben
Nice work ben!!
cheers Mark and others !
to use up the resin , and the pigments in the cups, here's the next panel I did , again using the same colours , the only difference being ...these were stirred a bit more , before pouring onto the glass . As you can see , the pattern[s] end up quite different ....
Are you just adding straight pigment into the resin, and stirring sparingly?
I have to wonder if the pigment suspended in plasticiser would remain somewhat liquid. As it is not fully mixed with catalyzed resin.
The few times I tried resin swirls and the like, I added pigment to a small batch of resin, then catalyzed each color, individually.
hiya Sammy !
thanks for asking , and thanks for your feedback , I'm ALWAYS keen to hear what others do , too !! cheers Sammy !
yes , I have tried it both ways...
catalysing the pigment in the individual cups , before adding to the main batch of clear resin ,
and , also ....
[as you see here ,]
catalysing the CLEAR resin in the main tuna can .... and then dripping straight pigment in there . Yes, not diluted in resin , in this instance .
But again , yes , I HAVE diluted the pigment in resin before catalysing and adding to the main batch , in previous swirly panels . For instance , when I was needing to cover an 8x10" panel's area , and wanted the colours to make it to the whole four corners , evenly covering the glass]
The next step , when all the colours are added , was that I gave it a a REALLY light touch [/ ?"quarter swirl?] with the paddle pop stick . After which I poured it straight out on the glass [ which in the first panel's case , looked like THIS result , before I laid 4oz cloth over it ....]
" the pigment suspended in plasticiser "
.....what is "plasticiser" , exactly ?
I've not heard that term before , perhaps it goes under a different name in Australia , I'm not sure ....
cheers !
ben
Most pigments are actually a powder. To make them compatible with resin and such, they must be suspended in a liquid. That liquid is often referred to as the “plasticiser”.
I still have to wonder what the strength and durability is with pigments that are not mixed well in the resin, and thus never catalyzed. I think if you did a little test on a batch, you’d find soft spots or even runny liquid where the color is concentrated. Without the chemical/physical transformation that catalyst triggers, a liquid will not magically turn solid.
hi Sammy !
Well, the pigments I get here in west oz are sold in jars , and are roughly toothpaste-like consistency .
They certainly have set hard with catalyst hitting them , in my experience . Besides thirty swirled fin panels , I have used them on two boards I made , so far ....the "bushfire fish" resin swirled , and the 1st "orange stub" [back in ?c2004?] , the one with with the green pigment flicked job . Also , this year , the red rocket stub of muzza's . They all seem to have held up very well, so far ....
I can't comment on powdered pigments , as I have only ever used the toothpaste consistency jar-fulls of pigment we get here , and have really enjoyed the consistent results I've had with it , over the years . Our tints [transparent / translucent] are usually also sold in tubes here , rather than in a powder form. I have enjoyed using these over the last 7 or so years , although they are not always as readily available I find , as the pigments are [ unfortunately , because I REALLY liked doing tinted fins !! ]
the 'glo in the dark powder ' that I HAVE used in a few panels .... THAT has definately taken more time to stir and let sit in order not to be lumpy or streaky .
do they not sell paste consistency pigments in jars in america , then , Sammy ? ....If not , I wonder WHY not ?? ....
cheers !
ben
whoa ...1.30am ...time for bed ....catchya !
Can’t wai to see the fins! My daughter wanted to save these images for her personal image file. Very candy like!
I did not say that we get pigment in powdered form. All pigments start out as a powder, and must be suspended in some form of liquid to make them more user friendly. Nearly all the pigment I’ve ever used came in a squeeze tube. I did get some yellow tint once, and that came in a jar. It was also in liquid form.
Here’s a tube of red I have on hand. Commonly found at boatyards and marine supply stores.
