Thursday, July 3, 2014

Create Beautiful Cold Castings With Alumidust Metallic Powders

By Stan Alderson


Metal powders can be used with real metal cold casting. This is the process where a metal powder is mixed with a resin until it becomes thick. This mixture is then brushed, or slush-cast, onto the mold surface, and then the resin is left to cure. Straight resin, or resin mixed with metal powder, is applied over the gel coat, and then the finished product is a casting that looks like real metal. The metal cold cast process is faster and substantially less expensive than molten metal casting at the foundry.

Cold castings can result in attractive surface colors, created by using special metallic powders that are made specifically for such applications. Alumidust Metallic Powders are great for this purpose; they can be combined with casting resins, or brushed directly onto the mold as required.

One important property of Alumidust powder is that it is safe to use and non toxic, which beats other casting methods by far. Available in individual containers in various colors, it is long lasting and only a small amount is ever needed for each project. To make the casting stand out, the powder can be brushed into a silicone rubber mold that is of high gloss.

There are 28 separate metallic powder colors available that include copper, bronze, gold and pewter, as well as other hues and shades to suit any application. These powders are suitable for a myriad of different uses that anyone can create.

One common application of these powders is for dusting soft plastic fishing lures. Making soft plastic lures is much easier than making hard lures, which take a long time and require the use of air brushes and compressors, as well as excellent ventilation.

Soft plastic lures are generally dangerous to make because the paints involved are highly flammable. This can be avoided with Alumidust as a much easier and safer alternative. The steps are simple and first requires that the mold be dusted directly with the powders, rather than applying them onto the lure. The first color that is applied will always be the outermost color on the lure surface.

The next step is to heat up the soft plastic, and pour it into the mold. Then let it cool and set. To make the clear coat, heat up the clear plastic to a thin consistency, dip the lure into the mixture for a few seconds, then hold it by the tail and let the excess plastic drip off. Finally, let the finished lure cool and set completely, and it's done.




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