I Never Even Considered the Possibility...

[James Combs]

... of a leak.:o So guess what all my Alumilite resin mix ran out into the pressure pot.

I had every thing ready to go and was waiting for the weather to cool a little and it did.
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So I poured my mix and this is pretty much what it looked like after the pour, a minor amount of overflow. I let it set over night and removed the pressure lid and it looked liked this(pretty much the same except the resin is now hard:cool:. I grabbed the two hooks to pull it out of the pot and oops, It would not move, it was stuck like it was part of the pot. Using a flashlight I could barely see down the side of the vase and I thought I could see resin...hmmmm that shouldn't be, :(but it was. I spent the next hour beating on the side and bottom of the pot with a rubber mallet to see if I could knock anything loose, nada!:confused:
236527 (http://www.penturners.org/forum/attachments/f43/78042d1341966287-i-nerver-even-cosidered-possibility-img_4717.jpg)

I finally gave up and decided that I need to do something different so I drilled a hole in the bottom and attached an air fitting. Cranked my air hose pressure down to 50lbs and attached it. Still nada!:mad: Now I figure every thing is a loss including the pot so what the heck I cranked the pressure up to 80... nothing, so I just left it like that lying on the floor of the shop. About 15-20 minutes later I started hearing the hiss of escaping air. It was coming from the pot. I picked up the rubber mallet that was still handy and whacked the bottom sides a few times and all of a sudden the vase was sticking halfway out of the pot. Eureka, it worked.:D
236528 (http://www.penturners.org/forum/attachments/f43/78043d1341966287-i-nerver-even-cosidered-possibility-img_4719.jpg)

This is what it looked like after I finished prying it out of the pot. Anybody know what will melt Alumilite. I got to clean that pot up now.
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Not sure how much resin leaked but it was considerable.
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Apparently the leak was at the very first ring(couldn't have been up near the tophttp://www.penturners.org/forum/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif).
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I did some cleanup work on the top and bottom of the mold assembly. Then drilled some holes around the perimeter of the top. Looking inside I can see both the outside void next to the outer wall and the inside void next to the plug so I think I can re-pour and salvage the vase. As soon as the pot gets cleaned up and the hole patched I will be giving it another try. I bet it can't leak now.:D
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[Jeff Nicol]

Jim, I have been wanting to do some casting and now I have another lesson to put on the list of things not to do! Glad you got it out and can give it another go and save the tank.

Murphy's law you know,

Jeff

[Jim Burr]

Curtis Seebeek will know, he's done more with Alumilite than anyone here.

[Jerry Marcantel]

JD, the next casting you do, put it in a plastic bag and insert it into your tank, then pour in your Alumilite. If it leaks, you might not have to clean your tank and it might be easier to get out. .
I did a casting the other day with a cylinder I made up as a pressure tank. I knew I would have a slight problem with getting it out, and knew I would need to use air pressure from the opposite end. I cranked up the pressure to over a hundred pounds. I heard air leaking around my casting and cylinder, but it didn't budge. I removed my quick couple, and poured some soapy water into the male quick coupler for a better seal, reconnected the air and about 2 seconds later it shot out of the cylinder like a cannon ball. I figured that would happen and had it pointed down the property. That was fun...... Jerry (in Tucson)