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I have some burls I want to turn into bowls. I would like to try my hand at filling the voids with epoxy and turning them.

I have bought pen blanks and some are so brittle they disintegrate. Others are nice and easy to work with. I understand the basics of forming,mixing, coloring and pouring from videos. I have a pressure pot that I picked up years ago or should I get a vacuum setup.. I watch the videos for what they use and it's all over the board.

What are your suggestions for epoxy or acrylics to start with. I would like the easy turning or softer to start out.

Thanks

Following with interest.

There are a lot of types of different resins. I have done a fair bit of casting my own blanks. I don't have/use a pressure pot. I use this stuff:

https://www.uscomposites.net/ProductDeta...=SM-S41100

Even on larger (bottle opener and bigger) size blanks I don't have a problem with air bubbles. I don't go nuts with the mixing and I cast in an old crock pot to keep the resin warm while it sets. Some of the plastics can be brittle and unforgiving, this stuff turns well and polishes out very well. Epoxies generally will be a bit less forgiving on turning and some can yellow. The Silmar sets crystal clear. Most epoxies also take longer to set up.

(05-16-2023, 02:47 PM)crokett™ Wrote: [ -> ]There are a lot of types of different resins.  I have done a fair bit of casting my own blanks.  I don't have/use a pressure pot.  I use this stuff:

https://www.uscomposites.net/ProductDeta...=SM-S41100

Even on larger (bottle opener and bigger) size blanks I don't have a problem with air bubbles.  I don't go nuts with the mixing and I cast in an old crock pot to keep the resin warm while it sets.  Some of the plastics can be brittle and unforgiving, this stuff  turns well and polishes out very well.  Epoxies generally will be a bit less forgiving on turning and some can yellow.  The Silmar sets crystal clear.  Most epoxies also take longer to set up.

Wow! That price seems almost too good to be true ($50/gal, if I am reading it right).

Do you have a feel for the shelf life of unused product?