Resins and tints !

[SSB]

Hello,

What is the difference between :
- Smooth-On Smooth-Cast 300
- Smooth-On Smooth-Cast 320
- Smooth-On Smooth-Cast 325

I plan on using tints...

What brand of tint and what quantities would you use in conjonction with these type of resin ?

Where would you buy it online ?
best price was at "BLICK" (20.99$)
http://www.dickblick.com/products/smoot ... -cast-300/

Thanks a lot !

[mangozac]

Smooth-On isn't a very popular brand here in Australia and I'm not familiar enough with it to tell the difference between the three products but I'm sure someone else will know.

It's generally best to use a tint/pigment/colorant intended for use with your brand of resin. I see that Smooth-On do one called "So Strong": Make sure when mixing the pigment that you mix it with the correct resin part (A or B) as specified in the instructions

[paulson games]

I used smooth on for my casts. The key differance between those resins is the cure time and also the material strength. The 320 makes a superstong material that is strong enough that they can make rock climbing handholds out of it which can be drilled and powersanded. It may be overkill depending on what you are trying to cast.

I use the smooth cast 300 for my miniatures, on small parts it has a 3minutes pot life and will be cured with 30 min. The material sheet lists it as 15 minutes but small parts always talke longer as they don't have enough mass to generate poper heat levels.

The smoothcast 305 gives a 7 minute pot life but takes about an hour to cure on small parts. Both have pretty much identical properties as far as weight and durability the opnly differance is the cure time.

Are you looking to do transparent parts or just have the resin a solid color?

Most of the smooth on resins cure to a bright white color and you can add in dye to change the color or to give it a light shading. I use a tiny touch of black dye to tint my resin grey, thepigments are very condensed not more than a single a drop per 32 ounces. Getting the right color tone is a matter of experimenting.

I use dye made by Allumilite, I've also tried dye from micromark but it was pretty poor and made the resin really soft even after curing. I had good luck with the Allumilite stuff and had a large bottle of it so I've continued using it, I've been on the same bottle for a year at this point which goes to show just how long that stuff lasts. I think I've gone through 4oz at best and it's an 8 oz bottle. I run off a lot of casts every week, often using as much as a gallon or more resin.

Dick Blick Art has the 32oz trial size kits quite cheap, if you are going to be buying in larger volume make sure to check out www.smoothon.com as they have one gallon units which are significantly cheaper for the volume, plus depending on where you are located you might be able to pick it up locally and save on the shipping. They have international distributors as well.

[Munkey Joe]

Very informative Paulson.... I use Aeromarine products Stuff (as its what I have in my hands right now!!) and am fairly happy with it. His site is:

I do not know about his shipping overseas (he is a American) but you might compare some of the data sheets he has. they are VERY detailed.

I have also used Micromark products but have found they are much more expensive that other places.

[SSB]

It seems smoothon doesn't ship to France

[Dragonforge]

Quick answer, when mixed with out tints

300 is pure white when cured
320 is a amber tan when cured
325 is slightly translucent when cured

all are the same pot life and cure time I think.

325 is designed to be tinted/colored the easiest as it has no pigment in it.

300, and 320 can be tinted to get lighter shades of colors

I tint 300 and 320 with black tint to get a light gray color.

If I wanted pure black resin Id use 325

Or any color tint you wish will work with the same results.

[paulson games]

Here's the Smooth-On information for French distribution

France
Big Boing
Atelier S.F.P.
2 Avenue de l'Europe
94366 Bry Sur Marne
Tel. 01 49 83 44 94
Fax: 01 49 83 45 23
Mobile: 06 19 67 70 07
Contact: Mario Benicio / Laurant Valla
big.boing@yahoo.com

[SSB]

[SSB]

I just received the prices.

Mold Max 30:
kit de 1 kg: 45,87€ VAT included
kit de 6,99 kgs: 156,69€ VAT included

Mold Max 60:
kit de 1,03 kg: 47,56 € VAT included
kit de 5,6 kgs: 167,16 € VAT included

Smooth cast 300:
kit de 0,86 kg: 32,62 € VAT included
kit de 6,99 kgs: 156,69 € VAT included

So strong (any color): 28,39 € VAT included

What do you think ?
It corresponds to what you can get ?

[mangozac]

That sounds about right. It's not the cheapest but not too overpriced. Except for the pigment though - that sounds very expensive. Perhaps it's a large volume? You don't need much as a little bit goes a long way

[Dragonforge]

WOW!! Thats more than 2x what I would pay here in the USA.

Id maybe look for other resin and RTV suppliers/manufacturers.

[Munkey Joe]

[Dragonforge]

Heh.. I put a squirt into a 0ne gallon bottle of B side and shake it up..

[mangozac]

[slobot]

i have a related question. i have successfully used smoothcast 325 with an aluminum metal powder, but am having some issues with a new glow powder that i purchased from http://glonation.com. the powder mixes fine and glows fine, but the cured resin remains slightly transparent, which is not ideal for my current plans. i was planning on purchasing some smoothcast 300, but am concerned that the white cured resin will obscure all the glow. anyone have any thoughts in this regard?