Liquid PMMA

[Angus Hines]

I have a molding project that I have been needig to get off the ground for a couple of months now but can't seem to find a liquid casting acrylic?

Anybody ???

[Robert Walters]

Does it have to be acrylic?

http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=75&

[Chuck Stone]

I do most of my casting with polyester resin, sometimes urethane.
I get mine here..
http://www.uscomposites.com/polyesters.html

[Richard Rumancik]

Angus - are you trying to do an embedment or what exactly are you making? From what I have read about making acrylic embedments, it is not that simple to do in the small shop. The vapors of the materials are very toxic; generally you have to heat the material in an oven for many hours. Then sand the outsides, going progressively finer until you get to the glossy polished finish. I have not heard of anyone doing this on a small scale.

There are some small kits that are sold in the dental industry and some used for embedding specimens for lab use, but these are probably not what you are looking for.

I would look at the alternatives suggested, perhaps try Smooth-On for alternative resins. There are some water-clear casting products available that might work as a substitute for PMMA.

[Chuck Stone]

I work small scale .. poured a few this morning that added up to less than
an ounce!

The fumes can be an issue, but not much different than if you paint or strip
furniture in your workshop. Ventilation is a must.

As for ovens, I have a toaster oven I might (or might not) use for post
curing (the Silmar 41 is a laminating resin, so it will stay tacky on the surface
unless I add a wax or warm it after it cures) but I've done plenty of casting
with no heat source other than what the catalyst reaction provides.

For sanding/polishing I use MicroMesh pads and they will produce a very
high gloss on some resins. Urethane/polyurethane resins don't tend to polish
to as high a gloss as polyester (in my limited experience) but will still look
pretty good. I've used the Smooth-On resins and they're OK but a little
pricey. I use their RTV silicone on a daily basis. They have local dealers
who are great at giving advice/assistance.

I can do most of this on a workbench. I've used some resins that have
less of an issue with fumes.. and i can do those on my kitchen countertop.
(alumilite)

Hobby stores will also carry polyester casting resins, but you never know
how long they've been on the shelf, how old the catalyst is, whether or
not the stock has been rotated.. plus it's much more expensive.

[David Fairfield]

try smooth-on.com they've got something for every casting application.
I use their products and am happy with them. I do a lot of miniature casting, all the stuff works as advertised.

Dave

[Angus Hines]

Ok Im embeding electronic parts in them so it needs to be heat stable And it Also need to be UV stable as these items will be out in the sun most of their lives.

[Chuck Stone]

If you need UV and heat stability, you might want an expoxy resin. TAP
Plastics has those, too.