Ive used cast'n craft and here's a few hints for it.
If you need absolute clarity and want it clear use it, but, if you want to slightly tint your resin, and have the final look not clear, plain ol fibreglass resin will do the same thing, and is way cheaper. Depending on the brand it will cure to a golden amber colour.
As mentioned, for small amounts to be cast, you need considerably more catalyst. Because heat drives the reaction, small pours may not be fully cured. If the final product has a tacky feel its because there wasnt enough heat generated. The use of a curing oven, or even heating molds beforehand (if your using one) will help.
Adding too much catalyst will result in a brittle finished product.
This stuff is pretty viscous, it is easy to get thousands of tiny bubbles in it, pressure casting or vacuuming will fix that.
You can cast with excellent detail but takes a lot of care to do with success.
These hints pretty much apply to any of the polyester resins. NOTE: polyester resins often use MEK as part of the catalyst. This is nasty nasty stuff, its great for curing and causing instant blindness.
Other options: Manufacturers like smooth-on have a 2 part system for casting clear. I have some sitting on the shelf, but havent gotten to use it yet. Its a 2:1 mix ratio, and is a superior product. Reading the MSDS on it however, makes the cast'n craft look like corn syrup in terms of safty. Its reccomended for industrial use and is ideal if you are looking for crystal clarity, i.e. can be used to cast optics and lenses.
Hope the info helps.
arty:
