I've got a nice Ambrosia bowl that I want a really glossy finish on. Can anyone offer a comparative opinion on using Alumilite's Amazing Clear Cast vs Minwax Wipe On Poly?
Thanks,
Grey
Thanks,
Grey
Alumilite does not like to set up when in small amounts or thin layers. It sets with heat which it generates itself after mixing. When in very small amounts it loses this heat and it never sets up. Unless I guess you used a heat gun. As a bowl finish , I don’t think that would ever work. In my opinion.I've got a nice Ambrosia bowl that I want a really glossy finish on. Can anyone offer a comparative opinion on using Alumilite's Amazing Clear Cast vs Minwax Wipe On Poly?
Thanks,
Grey
Thanks for sharing your experience! I might have to try it. It's ok to respectfully disagree, LOL. AlohaI am going to respectfully disagree with the above posters--Simon is one of my favorite YouTuber's by the way. I have finished several bowls with Alumalite and it worked beautifully! I used both regular and slow set and both worked fine. I mixed up the resing in a standard manner, popsicle stick in a clear plastic cup, and then used a foam paint brush to smooth it all over the bowl surface, I started on the inside and poured in about 2 oz's. ( this an 8" inside diameter bowl) and then used the foam brush to smooth it all around and pulled a slight bit over the edges to the outside, and then I mixed up another approx 1.5 oz's. and just dipped the brush into the resin in the cup and 'painted' the entire outside of the bowl. It developed no bubbles and looks incredible glass like coating--I sold the first bowl I did like this to the 2nd customer who came buy our booth at the last craft show we attended. The first customer fondled it and stated how much she liked it, and said she might be back! I saw the sinks Simon made and they came out incredible, I just handheld my bowl while applying the resin, and I did the very bottom of the bowl in a second application and it matched up beautifully to the rest of the bowl, where Simon mounted them to a slow spinning jig to keep the Sink rotating--probably a good idea if you have a spinning jig, but my 4-5 bowls I've done I handheld all of while applying the resin.
Try it you'll like it!!
PS- if you heat up the resin--especially Part B, it will thin out the viscosity a lot--I put mine in a microwave for around 45 seconds--it's a low powered microwave--so ease up on it, I heat mine till the bottle is just shy of uncomfortable to hold and it really thins out the resin, making it easier to work. And oh yeah, one of my Mentors, Nick Cook-loves wipe on Poly, but I hate it, IME it takes a bunch of coats and doesn't work great to me.
The potential problem with Inlace is the SMELL!I've used clear Inlace a lot which is just Reichhold Polylite 32153, an acrylester that is used to make faux marble counter tops. I've never considered using it as a finish, but maybe I'll give it a try. Being acrylic it would be much less likely to yellow than many other materials such as most types of epoxy. The potential problem with Inlace is its viscosity. Also you would need to work fast because it has about a 15 minute open time. Then it goes from thick liquid to stiff Jell-O in an instant.
There is a flake like additive for Inlace which allows you to use on vertical or round objects. I have started using it on my problem patches and have a piece on the lathe now with a 3/4 wide grove all the way around and worked very well . But it still had a little tack after 24 hours so leaving another day.
Yes but I am not using clear. I use turquoise and now jadeAre you talking about Thicken-It? The problem with that is the Inlace is no longer clear, but sort of milky. It's easier to turn the Inlace between 12 and 24 hours when it has a slight bit of tack. The longer you wait the harder it gets. After a couple weeks it's like granite.
John, I've never had pinholes in Inlace and the thing that I liked was that it didn't have imbedded bubbles like epoxy.
I try to wait until it starts to thicken slightly, but then the window is less than a minute before it's too thick.