Hello , you have taught me so much watching your videos has got me into casting and stabilizing and dying maple burl. I have been turning wood for about 4 years, resin and wood mixed is awesome. Thanks again have a great day.

@ZacHiggins

6 жыл бұрын

Hey George, glad that the videos have been helpful for you! It's my pleasure to make them, thanks for watching =D

In this video you were excited that you had broken 10K subscribers. 4 years later you're at 61K and just launched a redone website with a resin-themed name. Great job Zac!

MAJOR tip on the degassing - glad I watched this and thanks for making the video. I really need to get some resin, cactus juice and silicone and get started making blanks. Thanks again, Scott

@ZacHiggins

6 жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful Scott! Hope you get everything set up and start making blanks soon. It's awesome being able to cast your own blanks =D

Those are really cool! Thanks for what you do and for sharing it with us.

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks Steve! I appreciate you letting me know, great to know that the videos are reaching those who enjoy it =D

Hi Zac, I'm just getting into this stuff myself right now and this video really hit the mark. I'm hitting the massive amount of options that are available for everything and this narrowed it down to something that works well. Thanks for that!

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

Hey Andy, glad that it was helpful!! I know how overwhelming it is with all the different products and techniques out there, my main goal is to help people get over that initial learning curve so you can get to the fun part! Hope you have fun mold making and casting =D

Congrats on the count and thanks for getting me started. I'm going to make a mold for my mills. I'm into some real high-bred mills now. Lee

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

My pleasure Lee!! Glad that it has helped out, and great to hear that you're getting into new territory with the mills. We still use the one you sent us daily! Works so good =D

I love your projects..so fun to watch

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks Fifi! I appreciate it, and I'm glad that you enjoy the videos. Got another one ready to rock for next weekend =D

Thanks for sharing this info, those blanks look great, esp the darker one's...Congrats on 10k Zac well done...

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks Robert!! Couldn't have hit 10K without you =D Need to setup a giveaway celebration, it snuck up on me!!

Thanks Zac. Another great video

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for checking it out Steve! I appreciate it =D

love watching your videos they are so easy to follow

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

I'm glad that they are helpful Dawn, I always hope I'm getting the steps across in a simple manner. Thanks for checking it out =D

Thanks for the video awesome job!

Thanks for that video. I was curious about making silicone molds. I'm just getting into turning. I make knives mostly, but have been interested in casting for handle materials and now hopefully for turning as I learn more

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

Hey Ron, thanks for checking out the video. Great to hear that you're thinking about jumping into resin casting, I think you'll really enjoy being able to make your own custom handles and turning blanks. Sky's the limit once you get set up, and the silicone molds are really pretty easy to make too. I was a little intimidated the first time I tried using silicone, but I'm glad I did!

very cool information you give. congrats on the milestone. keep it up.

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks Mike! I can't believe I hit 10K, who would've thunk it!! It snuck up on me, time to setup a giveaway and celebrate =D

Great video Zac. I just got my pressure pot set up after watching your video and my son got me a vacuum pot/pump for Christmas. Your videos are spot on and very helpful. Still need to build my molds but got the pots modified and ready to go. Thanks

@ZacHiggins

6 жыл бұрын

Hey Gregg, glad to hear that you're up and running! I can't wait to see what you make. The fun's just beginning =D

@greggmcdonald5431

6 жыл бұрын

Well, I tested test out my pressure pot and need a higher relief valve.

@ZacHiggins

6 жыл бұрын

Luckily they're cheap =D Check out McMaster Carr, they have some good ASME rated ones at a really good price

These would make excellent knife handle blanks also. Great video!

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

Heck yeah!! I'd like to make a knife one of these days, they always look so cool with the custom handles!

Well done! Man, Alumilite is a one -stop shop ain't it? Very cool project. Keep us updated on how the mold holds up.

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks Tim! Yeah, they have lots of great stuff. I always seem to find new goodies and uses for their products when I search around on it

appreciate you skills, you do some awesome stuff

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks Sterling! I appreciate it man!

Great vid Zac. Much appreciated. Missed you over the past few weeks. Thanks bud.

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks John! I just couldn't get enough time to get a video up, then I had to push this one back a bit. I already have a video ready to rock for next weekend too though, I'm on top of things this week =D

@r1johnny

7 жыл бұрын

Hey Zac. Just wanted to let you know that I just purchased the 5 lb High Strength so if they ever ask if your vids help sell their products, please tell them "YES". :)

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

Will do John, thanks for letting me know! And have fun with that silicone =D

Great overview!

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks Kage! Hope it was helpful, silicone is pretty fun to play with =D

Awesome info!!!!!

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks Tim! Great mold to have in the collection too, super useful. Wish I had made one a long time ago!

Great info Zac. I make the same blanks with a silicone mold but would like it a lot bigger like the one you just made. Over to Alumilite I go. Thanx for sharing! Scott

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

It's a great mold to use for holding things in place, wish I had made one of those a long time ago! I was really pleased with how easy the Alumilite silicone is to stir up, should be a breeze to crank one out

Hey Zac, thanks for the tip on off-gassing the silicone as you go. Never would have thought of that, but all that stirring does make for some bubbles in the mix. Nice work as always! Cheers!

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

Glad to pass on what I can, I learned all I know about mold making from Punished Props =D They've got even more videos on it and Bill and Britt do a great job with their vids. Here's their molding and casting playlist: kzread.info/head/PL6q0fd3ileWLwTQ6pOUb8isS4BYLjkNhH

@sigguy1361

7 жыл бұрын

You are a very humble guy, and props to you for both sharing your knowledge and recognizing those from whom you learned. ;o)

great info Zac thanks

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for checking it out Lionel =D

Well done Zac. Thanks for sharing.

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks Steve! Hope it is helpful =D

Great. Thanks. Had just demolded my. First right before email about this

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

Awesome! Lots of blanks will be made soon =D

Great job . love playing with silicon .

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks Ahron! Yeah, I'm finding it to be pretty fun, lots of great applications for it

@oldmanwoodcraft

7 жыл бұрын

You can 3D print once make a mold and mold as many that you want .

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

Yeah I know, it's a great thing! I'm playing around with that too

I followed your video and the mold came out great. I should have made the cavities 7/8 inch deep instead of 3/4 so I wouldn't have to fill them up to the very top. Live and learn. Thanks for the instructional video.

Found your channel, and now feel the addiction setting in even before I have cast my first piece. I saw a trick for figuring volume by using rice. Pour it into your area to mold, then back into a graduated measuring cup to get the volume of silicone needed. Think that would work? Love your channel. Thanks for sharing your knowlwdge. Subscribed.

@ZacHiggins

6 жыл бұрын

Awesome! Welcome aboard =D Yep, the rice trick works great for figuring out the volumes of odd shapes

congratulations on 10000 👍

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks Rockie! I'm blown away by it, never would have imagined my little KZread channel would make it this far!!

Zac, could you take some time and explain the difference in using liquid dye vs powder to color alulilite resin? Great build video by the way.

Great and informative video, Zack. Would like to know how much silicon you ended up using to make this mold. Thanks!

Great video Zac. Since I don't have a vacuum system to degas the silicone is there another silicon I can use

Congrats on 10K subscribers, Zac. It's always great to watch you work. I use that silicone's baby brother, I get it from Hobby Lobby. It's a great product. By the way, did you stabilize that wood with color ?

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks Jim! Yeah that is some of the double dye stabilized wood from my video on the process. Still slowly using it up =D

Thank you sir

Zac, Really helpful. I enjoy following your channel & all your projects. How's the ease of use compared to your plastic cutting board molds?

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks James, glad that the videos are helpful. I'd say the silicone molds are just as easy to use as the HDPE ones. Possibly a tiny bit easier since you would never have to unscrew one end of it. I prefer the larger molds for my color swirl blanks, but I've really wanted a silicone single blank mold for a long time to do specific things with. Both work pretty good =D

Oh man that's skateboard deck is nice :)

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

I adjusted the camera angle just a bit so I could get it in there! It's my favorite artwork =D

@Allannvsj

7 жыл бұрын

Zac Higgins looks awesome zac :)

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

Took me a while to get it up, but I was waiting to find the perfect spot to show it off! You rock man! You should put a link to your stuff here so everyone can see more of your work

I have seen your channel for 2 weeks and everything you do is incredible. A video of blanks for pipe stems would be great. I am a Pipemaker and I buy AA blanks, I think it is acetal acrylic. I do not know if this is made of resin, nor is it another resin that is suitable for that use. greetings from Mexico I hope you can answer me

great video, thanks for this! do you clean your mixing cups between pours, or just use a new cup?

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks!! Glad it is helpful. I used different cups for each pour. You might be able to just reuse the same cup, but I figured I'd just grab a fresh one to make sure it didn't throw off the ratio or anything. It's much easier to wait until the silicone sets up to clean it out of the cups, most of it just pulls right out, and then I wipe them out with some acetone

Hey mate thanks for the video just a couple of questions what pressure in the pot and for how long thanks from Bear down under

Do you have a video on your vacuum chamber build? Could you use the same Harbor Freight pot for pressure and vacuum if you made a lid for vacuum?

Hi Zac. I'm going to be making my own molds since you can get different effects that aren't possible with vertical pvc molds. This video is exactly what I needed, so thanks for this and all your other great vids. My question is, can you just pour the silicone then put it in a pressure pot to cure? I have a vacuum setup also but it will be stabiliizing things while I'm making the molds. Thanks again!

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful =) Pressure doesn't work for silicone, any trapped air bubbles will just expand again once you release the pressure. You'll definitely want to degas it with vacuum before pouring the silicone if you plan to pressurize the mold when your casting with it. The problem is if any bubbles get trapped inside the silicone when it cures, they will collapse with the pressure and the mold could deform a bit and transfer that to the casting. I'd suggest waiting until the vacuum chamber is free before pouring the silicone molds if possible

@cigarsmoka9741

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for a quick reply. You probably saved me a lot of wasted time and money. You rock man!

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

No problem, glad you asked about it. Silicone and resin ain't cheap, =D

Zac - Thanks for your insightful videos! I was curious - what vacuum lid do you use on your pots to degas the silicone?

@bradgiez6192

4 жыл бұрын

if you look below he answered that, the lids from Best Value Vacs

Hi Zac. Can you re use those pieces of silicone? I mean, put them in a container for a new mold and then add more liquid silicone to fill the empty spaces between the pieces. Is that possible? Thanks for the video! I found it very useful.

Hi Zack, I would like to thank you for the excellent videos you post! They have been very helpful to me! I recently started making knife scales out of Alumilite. Right now I am using a mold I made out of HDPE but I would really like to make a silicone mold. Would you recommend anything else for building the mold box other than corrugated plastic and foam core? Would it work if I used only corrugated plastic or only foam core? I am planning on using Alumilite High Strength 3. Thank you again for posting so many helpful tips!

@ZacHiggins

6 жыл бұрын

Hey Emily, I'd probably just go with foam core only. That seemed to be the best way to go

@emilykrastev3879

6 жыл бұрын

Thank you! I just got my foam board so I'm ready to roll :)

Hi Zac, love the videos!!! Awesome. I have a question....the necessity of using a pressure pot. If we don't have one and use a slow-curing (ala 24+ hours) epoxy resin like Enviro Tex Lite, is a PP really needed? It's my understanding the PP is for getting bubbles out? I would have thought a propane torch every so often would work

@ZacHiggins

6 жыл бұрын

Hey Jay, you're correct that a pressure pot isn't necessary as long as the resin has enough time to allow air bubbles to free themselves and there are no obstructions in the way of the bubbles. Pressure will give you a little insurance that the blanks are absolutely bubble free, I pressurize everything I cast

Great one Zac, just curious could you fill the master mold with the silicone and put it in the pressure pot to cure? Assuming it will fit (since you had to cut cured mold).

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks!! I'm not sure that pressure works very well in this instance, I think vacuum is the best method for removing the air completely

Hi Zac, to de-gas the silicone mix could it be put in a pressure pot while it is curing or does it have to go into a vacuum type thing that you used. Cheers mate.

Zac, the de-gassing pot that you used, do you use it for stabilizing wood as well? If yes, were did you buy it? Thanks, Peter

Nuts! Just bought and modified a HF paint pot. Took days to get it airtight with all the fittings. Ready to make some silicone molds, and now I learn I need a vacuum chamber to de-gas my silicone!! How do you think a mold will work out without that step? Love your vids, by the way.

@ZacHiggins

6 жыл бұрын

Hey Fish! I would strongly recommend degassing the silicone if you plan to use the mold in a pressure pot or the air bubbles that get trapped in it will collapse when you pressurize the casting and deform the mold each time. It may not be the worst if you are just casting turning blanks that will be cut and shaped, but if you are going to be making replicas of something else, it's crucial to get all the air bubbles out

@thefish5861

6 жыл бұрын

Zac Higgins thx Zac. I'm just going to be molding pen blanks or small wood/resin boxes. I should be ok.

@itslivthnx

6 жыл бұрын

Bob Fisher thats because his video on modifying a HF paint pot is terrible.

Howdy, Zac Love your work. Question, if I may! What is the pressure pot that you use? Thank you.

@ZacHiggins

5 жыл бұрын

Thank you! I appreciate it. I use C.A. Technologies brand pots. Love them!! I have links to where I get them on my "tools I use" page on my website if you are interested in checking them out: nvwoodwerks.com/tools/

Thanks for the video. I'd like to know where you got the vacuum lid for the pressure pot?

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching =D I picked that up from Best Value Vacs. They have a couple different models and sizes

hi , how would you make a reverse mold of a spade handle. would i have to make it in 2 halves because of the middle of the handle

Did you need to do any conditioning of the mold before you started casting with it? I noticed in the instructions that come with Alumilite clear that they say new tin base silicone molds should be conditioned prior to use. I only ask because I just did a mold with a different Alumilite product (Amazing Mold Rubber) and my first castings came out kind of funky on the surface that was in contact with the mold.

Awesome video and mold Zac! How long does silicone take to de-gas?

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks Gage! It only took a few minutes to pull all the air out. That silicone is pretty thin, makes it pretty easy

Hi Zac, could one use a dye or powder to colour the silicone molds?

The mold is working great. However I noticed that after spending 48 hours in the pressure pot the 5 sides of the blank that are in contact with the mold are tacky when removed from the mold. After a couple of days on the bench the tackiness goes away and the blanks turn fine. Have you encountered this and do you have a solution? Could it be the mold release? Thanks. Mike.

Great video. I’m my making a mouth guard, any recommendations for food safe silicone

@ZacHiggins

5 жыл бұрын

That's a cool project! I would probably recommend contacting manufacturers directly before choosing. Let them know what you plan to use it for and they'll tell you what product they recommend. I just don't have enough knowledge about it to give you a reliable recommendation myself. Alumilite has a bunch of different silicones that are rated FDA compliant, they will be able to tell you which would work best and safest for that application

@jameshollister8366

4 жыл бұрын

Smooth Sil 40 from Smooth On. Food grade silicone, clear 40d

Hi Zac. What do you use to clean the mixing items in between pours.

Do you make custom molds for other. I don't really want to make my own but would like one.I am new ant the resin pouring and would like a mold more suited for my use.

Love the vids!! Why not use the coroplast for the walls also? As for use of the mold...if I only use it for NON pressurized PR blanks, I do NOT need to degas it, correct?

@ZacHiggins

5 жыл бұрын

Glad to hear you're enjoying them! I'm not familiar with coroplast, I'll have to look into that. You're correct, if the mold isn't going to be pressurized, then you should be good to go without degassing the silicone. Still best to try not to trap air bubbles in there, but it's not really a big deal if it won't be pressurized

@fsbell1

5 жыл бұрын

Coroplast is corrugated plastic. I believe that's what you used for the base of the mold you made.

@ZacHiggins

5 жыл бұрын

Oh! Right, duh!! LOL I like the foam core better for the walls. I've had problems with silicone getting into the cells in the past, so I decided to stop using it

Have you tried using your drill with a mixer attachment to speed up the mixing? I took a beater off of my kitchen hand mixer and attached it to my drill. It does a more thorough job of mixing than I can get hand mixing and saves my arm.

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

I haven't tried that out yet, but I've heard a few people using a drill and something like a beater in the chuck. I haven't really run into a situation where the regular stir sticks won't work fast enough, but I'll have to give it a try someday. Thanks for the tip =D

@treatsrule

7 жыл бұрын

No problem and thank you! I'm really enjoying watching your videos and picking up lots of tips.

where did you get the lid to turn your pressure pot into a vacuum pot?

Now I have seen people cast these in half inch, three-quarter inch and even 1 inch PVC pipe. Standing them up straight and making 60 half inch blanks out of one run of the pressure pot. Would you recommend this?

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

Sure! PVC pipes work great too, especially if you are only pouring resin. It's typically easier to do embedding in a square open top mold, but some embedding works great in PVC too. You'd have to use a slow setting resin if you plan to do a really large batch so you can get them all poured before the resin sets up, but it's a great way to make blanks. I have a video about casting in PVC pipes that has some tips you you might find useful too: kzread.info/dash/bejne/aINqr82piamWf84.html

Hey Zack I have a question about your molds if I want to use this product and I'm only making a mold that is 2 inches by 2 inches by 6 inches long could I use the 1 lb version or do I have to go with the 5 lb I know it's a crazy question but I figured maybe you would know this better than I would i have never made molds before thanks for your time and patience with me

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

I just use the material volume calculator on Alumilite's website. You just enter in the dimensions of the mold and the master part that you will be pouring the silicone around, and it tells you how much silicone you need: www.alumilite.com/store/pg/12-Volume-Calculator.aspx

I love your videos. The only thing I would say is, the bill on your hat goes in the front !! I am an Old guy. Thanks for your videos. I truly appreciate them.

@ZacHiggins

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks Mark! I hear ya on the hat, don't usually wear a hat that way but if I wear it normal, I get a massive dark area on my face since most of the lighting in the shop is above me. Just started wearing it backwards when I did videos and it stuck now 😀

Nice music, btw!

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks Aaron! I try to find decent songs, think it's time to search for some new ones =D

Amazing Mold Rubber 3/4 lb. would this be ok to use in a pressure pot its from alumilite

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

I'm not familiar with the specs on that product. Depends on how rigid the material is and how high the pressure is going to be. Also, you need to make sure that you've degassed the silicone. If there are air bubbles in the silcone after it has cured, they will shrink when you pressurize it and could deform your mold.

Could u degas the silicone moulder by using the pressure pot instead of vacuum chamber ?

@ZacHiggins

5 жыл бұрын

Great question! No, that doesn't work unfortunately because once you release the pressure the bubbles will come right back in softer materials like silicone

Very interesting. Nice looking blanks Zac. Please tell me about the vacuum lid/top at 5:08 you used on the pressure pot. Will it work on a HF pot also? Thanks. JimE

@damasydia

7 жыл бұрын

blackemmons look at best value vacs they make vacuum sets for stabilizing

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

Yep, Airborne Mike is right, picked it up at Best Value. I definitely prefer using those types of lids on the bigger pressure pot for degassing silicone, and they are handy for doing dye stabilizing too since you can put a bunch of smaller jars in the pot at once. Still prefer the TurnTex chambers for typical wood stabilizing though, they just work perfect! They have a couple sizes of those lids at Best Value, the smaller one should fit the HF pots perfect if I remember correctly

@davidsanders5788

7 жыл бұрын

Zac Higgins how thick is the plexi/lean?

@davidsanders5788

7 жыл бұрын

Great video as always and thanks for sharing you knowledge.

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

I'm not sure exactly, probably around an inch or so

Do find that a vacuum chamber will work as well as a pressure pot? Thank you, I am happy I found your videos, extremely helpful to a new maker. Appreciate the work you do.

@ZacHiggins

Жыл бұрын

For casting, I recommend going with pressure since it doesn't cause the air bubbles to expand (causing a huge mess) and it works instantly to collapse the air bubbles. Vacuum works best for stabilizing and degassing silicone

How do you de-gas the silocon please, beginner.

What appears to be the correct humidity and temperature?

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

If you're asking what temperature and humidity range you can use the product in, I'm not entirely sure what the exact specifications are for it. I'd have to guess that you want to be over 50 degrees F, and it's probably better to be in a moderate humidity level. Nevada is typically pretty dry, and the shop stays above 67 F in the winter, and only gets up to about 80 F in the summer, so I don't usually have to worry too much about that myself. I'm sure the technical data is on the website though if you want to double check it at www.alumilite.com

In the degassing the mold making process, are you using a pressure or a vacuum pot? thanks

@chartle1

7 жыл бұрын

vacuum

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

Good question! You want to use vacuum for degassing silicone before you pour it. I got that lid from Best Value Vacs that fits on my pressure pot and converts it to a vacuum chamber, works great =D

@chartle1

7 жыл бұрын

I've seen this done a few times and I'm always surprised how much air comes out. It's like a souflet rising. :)

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

It is!! LOL That's the perfect description of how it looks when it's degassing =D

@chartle1

7 жыл бұрын

I was checking the aluminite forums and they say it can expand 3 to 4 times. So for one quart you need a gallon container. I was just there ordering my first non PR resin with your code. Now just need to get the HF pressure pot on Monday with my 25% off coupon.

Can you tell me why the alumilite shrinks in my HDPE mold after taking it out of the pressure pot?

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

Hey Tom, good question! It doesn't actually shrink, it just migrates away from the corners. The resin will tend to migrate to the warmest part, which is the center of the mold. If you heat up the molds, that problem should be minimized if not go away. I toss them in a little toaster oven at 200 degrees for about 10-15 minutes then pour the resin in

How much volume do you loose in the de-gassing?

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

I'm not really sure Michael, I wasn't paying that close attention to it. Realistically you shouldn't lose that much compared to the initial pour of the silicone. It's mixing it up that introduces the air

I would guess that if you don't have a vac pot that using a pressure pot would help to reduce any bubbles.

@ZacHiggins

6 жыл бұрын

Actually, pressure doesn't work too well with silicone. When you release the pressure, the air bubbles will just come right back. You want to remove the air before you pour, and then pour it in carefully in the master mold to eliminate bubbles

@melberry5929

5 жыл бұрын

Zac Higgins so - no vacuum, no mould making?

Good Morning Zac how long do you degas for

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

It's not too long, once it stops bubbling you can take it out. Probably only took about 3-5 minutes with the Alumilite silicone, I didn't actually time it though

Have you made a mold for tube in blanks?

can you remelt the mold ???

@ZacHiggins

7 жыл бұрын

No, once it's cured it won't melt. Alumilite does have another product on their website that you can remelt though

What is MDF He talks about? :(

Awesome video!!! Just subscribed! I don’t have a pressure pot😞 any chance u would want to make/sell me a pen blank mold?