Gelatinous Alumilite

[Matthew Ferriter]

anyone have any issues with Alumilite Part B turning gelatinous. Bought some back in September and just went to use it. The Part A is still fine. It's possible it got too cold out in my shed/workshop since I only heat it when I'm in there. I mixed some up anyway, but it didn't cure properly. Looks like $40 down the tubes.

 

[Jeff Jackson]

You can take the part b bottle and heat it up in hot water for a bit. That usually works for me (unless it's too far gone).

 

[DON FRANK]

Urethanes like to be stored at room temperature and using a quick squirt of Bloxygen in the container before you seal the lid will greatly extend the shelf life. One of the components is stable and the other is usually very moisture sensitive.

 

[Matthew Ferriter]

You can take the part b bottle and heat it up in hot water for a bit. That usually works for me (unless it's too far gone).

I'll give that a shot. I brought it into the house to warm it up, but maybe will try to go a bit warmer.

 

[Lamar Wright]

I quit using Alumilite a long time ago Matthew just for that reason. I use Silmar 41 Clear Polyester Casting Resin from US composites. It uses a liquid catalyst for a hardener which elements the problem of going bad. It comes by the gallon and is much, much cheaper than Alumilite. I used it all the time when poring my own pen blanks.

 

[John Torchick]

Lamar, thanks for the information on pouring blanks. Filed it away for future reference.

 

[Richard Coers]

Silmar also has some issues with pen casting. It shrinks when curing, so casting items inside the blank can be problematic. Also Silmar is more brittle than Alumilite. Most people under catalyze the Silmar to make it less brittle, which makes it less chippy during turning. Both materials have positives and negatives.

 

[Matthew Ferriter]

I quit using Alumilite a long time ago Matthew just for that reason. I use Silmar 41 Clear Polyester Casting Resin from US composites. It uses a liquid catalyst for a hardener which elements the problem of going bad. It comes by the gallon and is much, much cheaper than Alumilite. I used it all the time when poring my own pen blanks.

Thanks for that info. I'll look it up.

 

[Jeff Jackson]

Also they say Alumilite only has about a 3 month shelf life before part b starts to gel. Heating it up in water does extend it some.