Casting Blanks from Resin

Mold Types
HDPE (commonly found as cutting boards) REUSABLE
Silicone (can be found pre-fab or in mixes) REUSABLE
3D printed (resin will stick, will need to be cut or turned off) 1-TIME USE

Making a mold from HDPE

Things to keep in mind:
1. You’ll want to keep your walls at least 1/2” – 1” higher than your planned
pour to cut down on spills and mess.
2. When cutting your material, you’ll want to keep your lines as straight as
possible to eliminate gaps in the completed mold.
3. Reinforce seams in your completed mold with tape – in case of unnoticed
gaps, it’ll help save your project.

Building your mold:

Bottom – you’ll want your total area PLUS double your material thickness for
the long walls. FOR EXAMPLE – for a 1”x1”x6” mold with ½” thick
material, your base should be 6” long and 2” wide.
Sides – this is where you’ll add at least ½”- 1” for spill prevention. So, for our
aforementioned mold, you’re looking at 2” high and 6” long.
Endcaps – you’ll want them the total width of the mold (2”) and the same
height as your side walls – so DON’T FORGET TO ADD THE THICKNESS
OF YOUR BASE MATERIAL. For our mold, you’ll want 2” wide and 2 ½”
tall (to account for our base thickness).

Fasteners - most common is 1” drywall screws from your favorite home supply store.

Tape – when taping up your mold, painters tape seems to work best.

Cut list for our molds:

3 – 2” x 6” (1 base and 2 sides)
2 – 2 ½” x 2” (2 end caps)

Determining Your Resin Volume

Here’s where the math comes in!
Cubes: length x width x height
Example – 6” x 1” x 1” = 6 cubic inches
Cylinder: pi x radius squared x height (we’ll use a ½” radius cylinder at 6”)
Example: 3.14 x (½”)2 x 6” = 4.71 cubic inches
Now we have to convert cubic inches to grams
 X = cubic inches
Y = ounces (weight)
Z = grams (weight)
A = amount of 1 side of resin

X (.55) = Y (converting cubic inches to ounces)

Y (30) = Z (converting ounces to grams)
Z/2 = A (determining how much Part A and Part B)

So, for our pen molds (1” x 1” x 6”) – we know our volume is 6 cubic inches, so:

6 (.55) = 3.3 oz
3.3 (30) = 99 grams
99/2 = 49.5 grams per side (round up/down to whole number for convenience)

For our pen molds, you’d use 50 grams of part A and 50 grams of Part B.

Coloring, Pouring, and Pressurizing

When mixing your A and B sides, be sure to stir well, scraping the side when both mixing and
combining from two different containers.

Keep in mind your working times – Alumilite Slow is 12 mins to set and regular Alumilite is 7
mins. Plan for the last two minutes to be set up and pressurizing time in the pressure pot.
There’s not a lot of wiggle room here, so make sure you’re set to go before combining the
two sides.

Coloring – Alumilite recommends adding their opaque dyes to the A side before combining.
With most other materials (powders and alcohol inks), you’ll add them after combining the
two. You can split off a percentage of resin after mixing for multiple colors – but keep your
time limits in mind.

Pouring – there’s no rules here – pour however you want to get your desired effect. Some
pour both at the same time to get a larger swirl, and some pour one then the other to get an
inlaid effect. Experimentation is key here!

Pressurizing – Alumilite works best pressurized to 40-50 psi for 4 hours. After that four hours
is up, you’ll want to let your project rest for at least 48-72 hrs to cure further.