Resin for woodturning

[KaysProjects]

Hello!
I am 25 years old and have been turning for 3ish years now on and off due to mental illness. I taught myself everything I do from watching youtube, but now is the time to ask people instead :lol:

I am after some advice on which resin would be best suited for me. After days of searching on google I thought I would finally buck up the courage to ask here instead as I was getting so confused with all the different types

Anyway, I want some kind of resin that turns good and has a nice end finish. I would be using it for pen blanks, and would like to add colour, glitter, or items like pine cones into it. I know Im not going to get A+ due to not using a pressure pot, but I just want to try it out first before spending even more on turning supplies!!

Any info, advice or past experiance is welcome & Thank you in advance

 

[nev]

the (advanced) search function at the top of the page (little magnifying glass) is your friend

search.php?keywords=resin&terms=all&author=&fid%5B%5D=6&sc=1&sf=titleonly&sr=posts&sk=t&sd=d&st=0&ch=300&t=0&submit=Search

 

[Dalboy]

For pen blanks of resin, only the easiest one to cast is polyester resin, and mica powder for the colour medium.
THIS is the stuff I used
You can get some very good results with it. You still need to get the mix right otherwise it can end up very brittle.

This is an example of what it can look like

 

[Honest John]

I have cast exactly one pen blank so I’m not any kind of expert :lol: I used polyester resin as Dalboy suggests. I used the casting kit sold by Turners Retreat which I think is rather expensive compared to the resin Dalboy has noted. I was casting “tube in” blanks and used watch parts glued to the painted tubes to produce a “steampunk” type of effect. I followed to the letter the instructions and it worked rather well without a vacuum or pressure pot. The instructions say to cast in three pours, but if or when I try it again I’m going to try a single pour. I had no gas bubble problems and the resin turned well and didn’t seen brittle or chippy. Good look with your projects.

 

[Happy amateur]

I would suggest you watch on youtube highlandboxes Pam Harris. She did a series on the different resins and how to use them.

Fred Taylor
orchard-woodturners.org.uk