Bubbles in Xencast

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Bubbles in Xencast

Author	Message
moeggesit	m moeggesit posted 5 Years Ago HOT Topic Details
m Group: Forum Members Posts: 4, Visits: 9	Hi, How can I avoid bubbles in the castings when using Xencast (currently general purpose)? The mould is dry but there are always bubbles present, often on the surface ruining the castings. Many Thanks
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Warren (Staff)	Warren (Staff) posted 5 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Administrators Posts: 2.5K, Visits: 7.9K	It depends on the cause. Humidity can cause the P2 to have bubbles in as can low temperatures. Be sure to have thoroughly mixed the sediment into the mixture before using the resin and also giving it a good mix. All can help prevent issues with the resin. Warren Penalver Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Support Assistant
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moeggesit	m moeggesit posted 5 Years Ago HOT Post Details
m Group: Forum Members Posts: 4, Visits: 9	+x Warren (Staff) - 2/11/2019 11:48:24 AM It depends on the cause. Humidity can cause the P2 to have bubbles in as can low temperatures. Be sure to have thoroughly mixed the sediment into the mixture before using the resin and also giving it a good mix. All can help prevent issues with the resin. Warren, Thank you, what is considered low temperature and what would be the ideal temperature? Is there another fairly ridged resin that would give a better finish/ consistency and a opaque pigmented finish? The pigment and sediment (saturated in the bottom of "A") is mixed thorough before adding "B". The mixing action however also introduce some bubbles? Which methods can be employed to eliminate the bubbles?
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Rich (Staff)	Rich (Staff) posted 5 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Administrators Posts: 167, Visits: 4.6K	Just to check, is this Xencast P2 or P6?
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moeggesit	m moeggesit posted 5 Years Ago HOT Post Details
m Group: Forum Members Posts: 4, Visits: 9	+x Rich (Staff) - 2/11/2019 4:42:37 PM Just to check, is this Xencast P2 or P6? Rich, It is P2 and otherwise perfect for the application. I don't actually mind which one as long as it does not have bubbles in it! Is there normally bubbles present in the P2 or is it a defect when bubbles appear? I expect it should be possible to get Bubble free castings, I just don't know how to eliminate them.
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Warren (Staff)	Warren (Staff) posted 5 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Administrators Posts: 2.5K, Visits: 7.9K	I would say 15C or below is low. Ideally 20C is the ballpark for most resins to perform at their best. It is unusual for their to be a lot of bubbles in the P2 resin system , hence Rich asking if you had P6 as the P6 is more moisture and mixing sensitive. The P2 is fairly forgiving as fast cast PU resins go, however it can still be effected by moisture and mixing issues. Warren Penalver Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Support Assistant
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moeggesit	m moeggesit posted 5 Years Ago HOT Post Details
m Group: Forum Members Posts: 4, Visits: 9	+x Warren (Staff) - 2/12/2019 9:56:07 AM I would say 15C or below is low. Ideally 20C is the ballpark for most resins to perform at their best. It is unusual for their to be a lot of bubbles in the P2 resin system , hence Rich asking if you had P6 as the P6 is more moisture and mixing sensitive. The P2 is fairly forgiving as fast cast PU resins go, however it can still be effected by moisture and mixing issues. Everything is done at an ambient of approx. 20C using dry plastic containers so there should not be any moisture. It's stirred to avoid ingress of bubbles. Would it help to warm it up before or during mixing/casting? Should the silicone moulds be heated to release moisture? How do you remove moisture? How do you mix without introducing bubbles. The bubbles form during curing process and is consistent throughout the final mould.
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Warren (Staff)	Warren (Staff) posted 5 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Administrators Posts: 2.5K, Visits: 7.9K	Sometimes this time of year, condensation cure moulds can end up with a bit of moisture in them. If warmed up to room temperature then they should not be a problem. Warren Penalver Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Support Assistant
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Jimmyb	J Jimmyb posted 4 Years Ago HOT Post Details
J Group: Forum Members Posts: 2, Visits: 4	Hi I am having problems with bubbles in my Xencast P6 castings. I read through the forum for answers first, and can confirm that the temperature and humidity would seem normal, as I am doing the casting in the home. The product I have is now 2 years old, and when first used I would have the occasional bubble in the casting, which I would expect, however the last few casting are literally covered in bubbles looking almost like an "Aero" chocolate bar. Though I cannot see a "best by" date on the product, I was wondering if the issue is age, many thanks for your assistance.
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Warren (Staff)	Warren (Staff) posted 4 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Administrators Posts: 2.5K, Visits: 7.9K	The shelf life of the P6 is 6 months so at 2 years old, age of the product could almost certainly be the issue. Warren Penalver Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Support Assistant
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