***It is all about the cure!!!***

[Archerm]

Hey everyone. I have been watching many posts about failed castings as of late. The one thing I have learned is that there are no short cuts with resin castings. The #1 issue with failed castings happens when the pieces are not cured enough. Curing resin is a serious part of being able to cast this stuff. Even the lighter resin models I do I cure for a minimum of twelve hours (overnight) The more you cure this stuff the better off you will be. The ring below was cured was cured for 24 hours in a Melody Suzie UV curer for 10 - 1 minute cycles and the remainder of the time placed in my homemade can UV curer., Now if I could afford a 400w curing station I would be all over that as it would cut the cure time substantially. For now don't rush take your time and remember many times it might not be a resin issue but the casting and spruing process you might be using.


This ring was a heavy print. The final casting weighs in at 25 grams with a single sprue.
Right after the cast nothing done to this piece but a little wire brush.

[Just Bob]

Mark...are you STILL using the microwave as well ??

THANKS!

Bob

[Archerm]

Bob yes I am. I hate to change since everything is working great.

[MobiusJewelryDesign]

Hey Bob! Are you still doing the microwave thing? I got the melody Susie you recommended and it cures those bad boys like nobody's business!

I actually saw something very interesting today. Someone used Rain x on their film to help with failed prints. Eyebrows raised! We shall see said the blind man as he picked up his hammer and saw. Hee hee.....I'll let you guys know how it turns out.

[Gtg330]

is any one getting good casting results if they didn't use the microwave step and just cure lamp. I'm wondering if that is a necessary step.

[Jewelermdt]

A way for you to tell if your setup is giving you a total cure, is to print a few different samples from light to heavy. cure them. Then cut them in half at the thickest parts. It should be rock hard all the way through.

[SWDesign]

You are absolutely right about curing. I thought I was getting everything cured just fine and was looking at every other possible cause for my casting issues. Then, I cast 2 models in the same flask, 1 was a new print and the other had set around for a month. Guess which one had problems. My most recent casting is better than I have seen since I was casting wax. It is smooth and dense. I won't need to rotary burnish the entire surface of my castings anymore.

[wawatobi]

One of the previous posts mentioned a 20 watt UV lamp available on Ebay. The brand name is Quans. I got one and found the castings absolutely flawless. I didn't use water or microwave, just the light for an hour on each side and then over night in the nail spa. The green resin. I tried the maker juice 50/50 mix and got a mess. Models came out good but casting was horrible. Green models in the same flask were fine. I'm sticking with the B9 green.

[M-Williams]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEikF0ChiRE