Pitcher in Glass

[Ding]

Hi all,
Long time no see. I'd like to ask you guys who know the way to preserve the nice pitcher in the glass? Such thing sold in internet but only limited to N. Mcfarlanei. It will be nicer if we can choose our own pitcher and make it at home.



Ding

[marvin1997]

Like a mini terrarium?

[David]

I know what you mean. I was thinking of trying with epoxy gum since I do not know where to get acrylic and don't know how to do it. Just haven't gotten down to doing it. But epoxy gum is expensive.

[Ding]

You may refer to it at Ebay link below. The seller refuse to make some for me claiming that he only make it in bulk. I don't think he will make this kind of collectible more in the future. It will be nicer if he can diversify the pitcher types. I believe his sales will be improved significantly.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ORNAMENTS-NEPENT...3286.m20.l1116

[arvin555]

If you are up to it, maybe you can make your own.

Try to look for a supplier of "clear casting Resin" if you can find this stuff, you can make your own by putting the pitcher in a container that can be easily destroyed (plastic cup for example) pour the resin, wait for it to harden, then you have your nice decoration.

If I am able to find this resin at my side I will try to make this. My only problem is to cut off a perfectly beatiful pitcher to be preserved Also if the pitcher is too big then you need a big mold/container and a lot of resin. Would be nice to have a Truncata in that though.

Last thing it is important for you to make sure there are no bubbles, if there is bubbles when the resin hardens it doesn't look nice.

TTFN
Arvin

[David]

Arvin,

Do we need to treat the pitchers in any way before pouring the resin over it? We just take a freshly cut pitcher and pour the resin over it?

Thanks.

[arvin555]

Ah David, unfortunately I have not done this myself, I just asked a friend about the name of the resin because he mentioned it to me last year for a different purpose (planned on putting LED lights in it to make the waterproof). I just wanted to share this method if anyone can find the stuff and willing to try.

However my very unexpert two cents on this (and this is what I would try to do unless someone who has experience says otherwise).

1. Take a fresh pitcher, preferrably a good colored medium sized one and wash and rinse off any dirt. I think take off most of the tendrill as well, unless you want to include a bit of the tendril and leaf.

2. Then dry it out (no excess water), using tissue paper and stuff.

3. Put in the mold and then pour the Resin.

That is it so far.

The trick that I still am not sure how to do is to make the pitcher stay in the middle of the mold, so that when the resin sets it's floating right in the middle.

I have seen a lot of stuff molded in like this, will try to take photos of them in the mall next chance I get. But I have seen so far, butterflies, shells and the likes molded in that resin.

Oh my gosh I just imagined how a really nice, small, stubby and cute Ampularia pitcher would look in these!

TTFN
Arvin

[arvin555]

Ah Here you go! Found a Youtube video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0Wp9CmSKFY

[David]

Here's some info I found on the web:


Info from http://www.cfsnet.co.uk/acatalog/project-clearcast.html

Materials

The materials needed for clear casting are water clear casting resin, catalyst (hardener), measuring syringe, plastic mixing cups and a mould. Opaque or translucent pigments can be used to colour the resin if desired. Wet and dry paper, and polishing compound, will also be useful to finish off the casting. Finished castings can be filed or sawn, A protective mask should worn to shield the eyes and mouth.

THESE MATERIALS ARE UNSUITABLE FOR USE BY CHILDREN UNLESS UNDER SUPERVISION.

Almost anything can be embedded in clear casting resin. It can be used to produce attractive paper weights and other ornaments, pendants key rings, and display items. Clear casting is an ideal means of preserving medical and biological specimens.

Moulds

Moulds specifically designed for clear casting are available, but you can also use polythene cartons, often used as freezer food containers in shops. Polystyrene containers cannot be used. Moulds can be constructed from wood, glass and melinex covered card. Flexible rubber moulds can be used when casting with Polylite 32032 resin. Rigid moulds should be wider at the top for easy removal.

Preparing Specimens

Biological specimens-insects and other small animals contain natural oils which must be removed before embedding. This can be done by dipping in acetone solvent and thorouhly dried. Flowers also need to be carefully dried.

The simplest method is to place the flower on a layer of dry white sand in a container. More sand sprinkled around the flower until it is covered, and it is then left for three days in a warm dry atmosphere. It can then be removed and sealed with polyurethane varnish or hair lacquer. Flowers sometimes tend to change colour, due to the dyes being affected by the resin.

Flower preserving chemicals for can be obtained from your local chemist. Stamps and other paper items should be sealed with a thin coat of polyurethane varnish and dried before embedding. Coins, etc., need no special treatment as long as they are clean and dry.

Method

Pour a little resin into a mixing cup and leave to allow air bubbles to rise. Carefully stir the required amount of catalyst into the resin. The normal working proportion of catalyst is 1% by weight (i.e. 10ml catalyst to 1kg resin) but this can be increased to 2% for very small quantities of resin, or in low working temperatures. It is important not to use too much catalyst, which may result in the casting becoming cracked or discoloured.

Pour the resin into the mould to form a base layer, cover the mould to protect from dust, and leave to harden. After about 40 minutes at 20ºC, it will have reached a firm jelly-like consistency. Place the specimen on the base layer. Very light specimens will tend to float and need to be glued to the base layer with a drop of resin.

Mix up a further quantity of resin and pour around the specimen. In a very small casting the specimen can be covered in one pouring, but it is generally better to build up the casting in a series of layers. A large casting done in one pouring may generate too much heat and crack. Metal and solid objects generally, tend to expand or contract at a different rate from the resin, which can result in a crazy effect.

When the final layer of resin has gelled (set firm), cover it with a sheet of cellophane or melinex to exclude air, otherwise it may set with a tacky surface. When fully hardened, the casting can be removed from the mould.

Finishing

Any surface tack can be removed with neat washing-liquid, followed by a rinse in warm water. This should not be done until the resin is fully cured (about seven days). After complete cure the casting can be shaped further with hacksaw, file or sander to cut roughly to shape. Then use wet and dry paper, starting with a coarse grade and working through to finer grades, finally polish with compound.



Info from http://www.smooth-on.com/pages.php?pID=45&cID=12

Polishing Crystal Clear PlasticsWe are often asked how to attain (or restore) a smooth, gloss finish to the surface of a casting made from a Crystal Clear® urethane plastic and offer the following buffing technique using progressively finer grit sand papers and sanding gels to improve surface finish.

Every casting surface is different. For surfaces that have severe imperfections, you may need to sand with coarse grit sandpaper prior to moving onto the finer grit grades. If this is the case, we suggest starting with 120 grit followed by 220 grit and then proceed to using finer grit grades (see Step 1 below).

Begin by sanding the abraded surface that you wish to restore with fine grit sandpaper (320 grit) until any prominent protrusions or grooves are removed.

Next, sand with finer grit sandpaper (400 grit).
Follow with ultra-fine grit sandpaper (600 grit).

Note: Water may be used with ultra-fine grit sandpaper to reduce particle clogging on the sandpaper and minimize heat buildup.

Next, sand with super ultra-fine grit sandpaper with water (800 grit). After this step, there should be no visible scratches and the surface should appear smooth and translucent.

This step is optional. If there are still some scratches or fine imperfections present, you can polish with Novus™ # 3 Heavy Scratch Remover and rinse under water. Dry off casting to inspect surface.

Finish with a final polish using Novus™ # 2 Fine Scratch Remover, and rinse under water. Dry off casting to inspect surface. Repeat final polish until surface is perfectly clear.

[arvin555]

Nice find David, very good and important information there.

I however think that maybe we don't need to do the steps for the flower (unless we are going to mold a flower) because the pitchers can be considered more like a leaf. I suspect that maybe, just maybe we don't need to dry up in sand or dessicant, not sure though if we need to use lacquer or polyurethene varnish, but also I suspect maybe a polyurethene clear coat spray paint can be used, which is available in our hardware shops.

TTFN
Arvin