I Broke ALL the Rules - Putting Epoxy Resin to the Test

[@BMSculptures]

Do you do Castings or Deep Pours? Let me know what you guys have experienced and what you would do differently below!

[@alinagoberman1827]

Positive couple Chanel does some really thick pours.

[@kelho46]

Even though I never did any casting, I do work with composites and one good example is the way I make my own pre preg is simply by infusing carbon cloth with epoxy, keep it sealed inside the plastic layers and throw it in the freezer, it holds for at least one month and once at room temperature it cures normally, the negative temperature simply stops the reaction, also, one thing I would try in your case, would be connecting the vacuum to the inside of the refrigerator, and pray for it not to implode, this way it would be possible to pour the epoxy all at once without resting or vacuum before.

[@ice2thety]

you are getting so much knowledge about epoxy, would be so great if you could do a video one day where u explain all the basics and important things if you wanna do it yourself!! Really love ur videos tho!

[@imyaaniggua]

cool it bevore mix

[@brandonm9359]

I got minimal casting/deep pour experience. But I have taken the product I use. To it's limits. I did put it in the fridge for a few days and it seems to help. Similar to what black forest use to do.they now use a cooled water table for there bottle castings and large table castings.

[@NorthoftheBorder]

Time to empty out the kitchen fridge, I guess. For real though, I think most of my projects cost 3-4 times as much money and double that in the time it takes me to remake all the things I screw up being overzealous with the deep pours. I'm glad to see a smashing success!

[@BMSculptures]

hahaha yeah, biggest thing for me was finding the Chest fridge allowing me to do such large pours. If you have some smaller scale projects a stand up fridge would work!

[@segunbabalola2150]

I will like to be your student sir

[@jst1man]

Hey buddy, Your stuff comes out amazing. Though a vacuum chamber is a good idea, sometimes I notice the materials don't always agree. To be honest if you watch what you are using 50% of the problem is solved.

[@C1schecter101]

Dam you wasted a lot of money

[@galvanizedgnome]

@@segunbabalola2150 no. Go get a job.

[@AdirondackRuby]

That's the epitome of "modern problems require modern solutions" ...so clever! Can't wait to see the finished Rhino. Looking awesome already!

[@BMSculptures]

Thanks! Finished rhino should be done in the next couple of weeks

[@lloydhall6943]

@@BMSculptures I keep getting messages to contact you on another platform, is this a scam?

[@peterlively8269]

If you are going to do something like this, make sure you have a smoke alarm! In college, another grad student cured a large container of unused epoxy and filled the lab (and entire building) with smoke. It can start a fire and release toxic gases. I liked the use of the fan and the refrigerator, probably should have set the fridge temp a bit higher, rather than turning it off though. The manufacturer likely has a recommended curing temperature (for instance 8 hours to cure at 70 degrees and 16 hours to cure at 65 degrees), in which case aim for the low end of the curing temperature. Finally the boards will serve to insulate the epoxy, making this more dangerous. If possible, use metal as it will transmit the heat out more readily.

[@paintcandan5972]

im never going to do any of this but i still watched the whole video just because epoxy resin is such an interesting material. very weird properties but the creative possibilities are endless! people are always coming up with new and unique ideas it’s so fun to watch.

[@BMSculptures]

Well thanks for watching!

[@bumblebee2657]

username checks out

[@fpvgods]

Hello Dan -- come on try it out

[@shadowcard6923]

The one with bubbles isn’t totally lost, you could drill for LEDs at points in the wood and use it to create a rain/snow scene

[@InchFab]

It'll still look like crap

[@matthewglaze5398]

@@InchFab that depends on your perception of crap vs creativity.

[@InchFab]

@@matthewglaze5398 I can't agree. I've fucked off many gallons of epoxy. If it's supposed to be clear, and it's full of bubbles, it usually yellows and cracks also. There's no creativity that can fix a bad pour.

[@matthewglaze5398]

@@InchFab what happens with a bad pour??? Unexpected color, clarity, bubbles, to me that just gives it unexpected character. Could still be beautiful just in an unconventional way.

[@InchFab]

@@matthewglaze5398 there is almost always more going on than just bubbles. Usually the epoxy cracks in random places, yellows, or deforms. Sometimes all of these problems at once. Otherwise, the bubbles just look terrible.

[@artistic_spaz3724]

That is definitely the deepest single pour I have seen anyone do successfully. Great job thinking outside the box!

[@BMSculptures]

Thanks so much 😊

[@cheyenne1082]

technically, inside the box *da da tssss 🥁*

[@CLove511]

"Just need another day to harden up" So much more graceful than "I swear this never happens"

[@scottfromspace]

Can't wait to see the finished product! You're an amazing artist :o

[@BMSculptures]

Thank you so much... Working on it right now!

[@robb.2957]

For you partial paste wax application, add a layer and buff it off. Wait 5 minutes and repeat 2 to 3 times, or more if you find it's having trouble releasing. The buffing off is key. It seems counterintuitive, but it makes a big difference, and you won't have a residue on your part after you pull.

[@Alakay77]

What you're trying to avoid is called uncontrolled exotherm. The resin needs an exothermic reaction to happen, as the heat helps it to harden. You just want to control it so that it doesn't cause issues. I like how you used the fridge to do this. I'd be curious to see what would have happened without it! Can't wait to see the rhino when it's done! Thanks for sharing your process with us.

[@Santuse]

Hi, I have a degree in chemical engineering. There are a whole bunch of equations and software to do this sort of stuff. What this guy did was put an exothermic reaction in an insulated box. It's possible it got hotter there than just a regular pour. All reactions go faster as the temperature increases (but this includes the reverse reaction, so some reactions appear to slow but it's just the reverse speeding up). Thus, since it's exothermic, starting the reactants cold doesn't really change the peak temperature. Imagine lighting gasoline when its -30° out. Fire is still hot. So his fridge probably didn't do much. What I would do is to have an ac on it or in a walk-in cooler, or any type of cool breeze.

[@Alakay77]

@@Santuse Interesting! I was wondering about whether the amount of time it was initially cool for actually impacted the reaction, so you just answered that. What do you think stopped the epoxy from cracking? Would that be because it was insulated and it didn't have as rapid of a change in temperature as a result?

[@martyjehovah]

@@Santuse starting temperature definitely matters when it comes to epoxy resin cures, that's why all manufacturers have recommended operating temperatures. A resin pour this thick in a 30 degree room would without a doubt have smoked, sputtered, warped, and hardened extremely fast, while a pour 3 meters deep at -10c would possibly never cure, and if it did it would take months. It's true cooling it doesn't make the reaction release any less energy from beginning to end, but it does extend the timeframe which keeps the reaction from running away as it heats up unchecked, and eventhough the refrigerator is an insulated box it's not keeping the heat in, the refrigerator by its very nature moves heat out of itself. The relevant petroleum metaphor is more like the difference between lighting 1 litre on fire in a room, or lighting 1 litre a thimble full at a time in the same room... the same amount of energy is released, but 1 of those scenarios is going to be a lot more scary.

[@liaca27]

@@martyjehovah Do you have any recommendations to improve upon what he did ?

[@JesperMakes]

Mandatory viewing for all epoxy woodworking makers out there. Even if you don't do massive deep pours theres still lots to take away from this video. Great testing and explaining. that's the quickest sub from me ever. Cheers from Denmark

[@BMSculptures]

Thank you so much Jesper!

[@_john_doe_]

As another epoxy user, all the tips was great pretty much the same advice that I give myself. Might give you a bit of a warning concerning freezers/refrigerators, they are not made for continues use and will brake if they are running all the time and well it won't be nice if they brake down during a large casting. Think I've seen industrial coolers that made for continues use however. Looking forward to all the coming carvings, keep up the great work.

[@BMSculptures]

Im not sure I follow? Dont all frigerators/feezers continuously run? Once they reach the set temperature I realize they stop until it changes. Am I missing something?

[@_john_doe_]

​@@BMSculptures Oh, sorry for not being more clear. Blame it on English not being my primary language and not being a refrigerator expert, and definitely not for being too lazy to see that it wasn't well written. ;) So to correct myself. A freezer/fridge is made to be "used continuously", but the compressor that creates the cooling is not made to be run continuously. In normal use cases, the compressor only starts when the temperature goes above a set value and then turns off again, just as you said. But if you then put something that generates continuous heat, the compressor will have to run until heat no longer is generated, which makes it run for longer than what it was designed for. Think the term used is duty cycle, if you want to look into it more.

[@_john_doe_]

Might also say that I think it's fine to make off-label use of them, but then you should be aware that they are not made to be used this way and have some kind of safety measure if it fails. I also have off-label use of a freezer, but in my case, nothing critical happens if should fail. ;)

[@zakkaryzoah1386]

It’s fun to watch you experiment with materials. I like that you see limitations as opportunities. It’s a truly artistic way to see things.

[@BMSculptures]

Thank you!

[@petergledhill7380]

Great video and amazing sculpture. One tip I use is to thinly precoat the wood with epoxy before using in a deep pour. This stops any bubbles being created by the exothermic reaction with the wood

[@rachelwalsh1388]

Peter Gledhill ~ now thatsounds like a great idea, it makes a lot of sense when I imagine it in the making process.

[@roskoeheat]

I worked in plastic fabrication for 10 years….that’s beautiful work man! A+

[@daylen577]

Surely there has to be a way to calculate the amount of energy generated for the volume of resin, and then a way to tune your fridge to take out exactly that same energy, balancing out the rise in temperature without stopping the reaction? A more scientific approach to this would be very interesting to see

[@TheBigWizzard]

I think embedding a thermometer in the resin and using that with a controller to keep the resin at the right reaction temperature might be best. The problem here seemed to me like the fridge was to efficient

[@graemepatterson]

@@TheBigWizzard but then you'd have a big hole in the cast......

[@TheBigWizzard]

@@graemepatterson i think a few cm deep hole into the outside of this giant block won't hurt :D

[@FrenkieWest32]

@@TheBigWizzard a few cm of the outside of a giant block isnt going to be the same temperature as the middle

[@FrenkieWest32]

This would be very complex. Neither the block nor the fridge will have homogeneous temperature and the heat conductivity between fridge and resin is also difficult to know.

[@melindaostergren8115]

I really appreciate that you asked viewers their opinions of music or hearing you talk. Hurrah for narration!

[@BMSculptures]

hahaha Glad you liked it!

[@cerealphobe8440]

If you pour with the opening at the top of the jug instead of the bottom (so it pours past your hand instead of under), it'll come out faster and smoother and not "glug" as it comes out. Less bubbles :)

[@jonlassak1141]

That's a good tip! I learned that a few years ago for pouring oil in a vehicle.

[@thomasmcfeely8869]

That's totally AWSOME. I worked in a fiberglass pattern and mold shop when I was younger and the variables we had to overcome were outrageous. I saw you put the packets in for moisture. My tip for that is condition the room air also. An air conditioner keeps the relative humidity fairly low and constant. I wouldn't doubt if barometric pressure could effect it. Best of luck, love the Rhino. Maybe I'll give it a go again.

[@mattcochran9236]

Love the channel! Have you thought of putting straps under the form before you pour the epoxy and mounting some kind of pulley to the ceiling to get it out when it cures?

[@BMSculptures]

That is a fantastic idea.

[@bradschrock3163]

@@BMSculptures only thing to watch out for is hanging it off of standard wood trusses. Bottom chord of it may not be rated for the weight of large epoxy pieces

[@papaduck459]

Having worked with many times of epoxy from quick cure to deep pour, what you touched on here is EVERY epoxy maker's worst nightmare. I remember doing a deep cast and the exothermic reaction was so bad that my cast ended up looking like a faux tray of ice cubes. My wife asked me why I was making epoxy ice cubes with a snicker in her voice. Lesson learned at a costly expense to me.

[@BMSculptures]

hahahaha yeah its the worst

[@Jasonsix4]

The rhino looks great already & cannot wait see the video. You could have a block & tackle set up, put the straps down prior to placing your mold in etc. this will save your back (you only get 1 back)

[@BMSculptures]

That is one great idea!

[@nicholastautuhi5031]

I only do very small pours, but I learned heaps from this. Have lost a few really beautiful pieces of timber recently due to this heat issue, so thank you for posting this.

[@GG-cn6es]

Same as painting. A lot of people get discouraged when their paint scratches off the next day. You gotta let it cure for a week or 2 before it really hardens up.

[@microchrist6122]

Stoked for the Rhino

[@BMSculptures]

Soon!

[@dreyhawk]

Wow...I'm so glad I found your channel! My son and I are interested in working with resin and I'm learning so much! Thank you for sharing your amazing talent and how it's done.

[@AdrenalineTheory]

This has been done and you can use any chest freezer by just adding a temp controller. That allows you to only have it kick on at whatever temp you set. You can avoid all the issues you faced this way.

[@SynergyAVE]

His unit had a temperature adjustment. How could he have avoided all the issues if he did not know what temps to set the unit at? It was an EXPERIMENT.

[@AdrenalineTheory]

​@@SynergyAVENot the same thing. Also, you know what yemp based on what epoxy you use.

[@woodbutcher3887]

Thoughts 1. place a manual chain hoist on a barn door track above to help hoist the block out. do NOT hurt your young back 2 can you put a vacuum pump on the complete refrigerator and just leave it running and 3 can you place a timer on the refrigerator power cord to slowly let the temp come up just by powering down the unit for longer and longer times. thanks for sharing your work and teaching us. You do great work.

[@BMSculptures]

Hey Larry, Thank you for all the tips, these are all fantastic. I am very interested if my vacuum pump would be powerful enough for this 16 CU/ft Refrigerator. I also wonder if the fridge walls are strong enough to hold strong during the vacuum.

[@mikaylawendel9769]

Wow... the rhino already looks awesome! Sadly, I don't know much about epoxy so I can't really be of any help, but I definitely want to experiment with epoxy in the future so thank you for creating this video!

[@BMSculptures]

Well thanks for watching! Rhino should be finished in the next couple of weeks or so!

[@charmio]

I got halfway into the video and literally had to restart once I realised the guy really knew his stuff. Good tips.

[@-Deena.]

I know it's probably extremely politically incorrect but...gulp, now you are what I call a man! 🔥🔥🔥

[@BMSculptures]

Top notch

[@ColonelSandersLite]

One thing I would suggest - Look into those temperature probe setups that are geared towards smoking meat. They have them such that they can have 4 probes simultaneously with wireless display unit that you can read from anywhere in the building. Put a couple of probes inside the epoxy itself in locations you intend to cut away anyways. Hook the freezer up to something that will let you control the power supply. This would let you monitor the epoxy's actual interior temp and adjust the cooling as needed without having to open the freezer up. The probes would *probably* end up being consumed in this sort of application but *maybe* you might be able to retrieve them in the end if you wax them.

[@seeps9353]

Those units are "air tight" meaning making the whole fridge into a vacuum chamber is possible... at least enough to run it at the end to help with air extraction.

[@BMSculptures]

I will look into it. Not sure if my pump would be large enough.

[@rthomp03]

If you vacuum out most of the air from the fridge, that will dramatically decrease the cooling (and likely damage the fridge). Without the air convection, heat will no longer transfer from the epoxy to the fridge coolant system. You'd be much better off doing the vacuum chamber before pouring rather than trying to combine steps. Also note that most refrigerators aren't rated for continuous duty. If it has to run continuously for several days to keep the epoxy from thermal runaway, you're probably going to burn out the coolant pump much faster than expected, and that would not be covered under warranty because the owners manual will specifically warn against it.

[@ianthomas3653]

@@BMSculptures Don't try that. The fridge isn't air tight, but even if it was a vacuum like that creates a ton of negative pressure and when it goes wrong it implodes then explodes. I have seen it happen and its violent.

[@bjbenterprises]

Very bad idea. A fridge is not built to withstand vacuum pressures needed to effectively degas the epoxy. See Mythbuster's rail-car imploding experiment for a visual example.

[@RayMrRobert]

That vacuum chamber is what I’d call essential for all pours, not just deep pours. You were right. Cooler temps avoid abundant exothermic reaction. I’ve poured a lot of acrylic and you aced this. Beautiful sculpture.

[@AtomkeySinclair]

The bubbles in the 2nd try would look excellent throurgh the lens of a curved surface because they would warp with respect to the observer's movement if you had a lathe that could handle turning it into a cylinder.

[@SmEiF-]

led lights in the right area would also look good in it. city sky,

[@mrjoseywales1865]

There's another KZbinr that I follow called "Positive Couple" out of Russia. He does a lot of very deep epoxy pours and doesn't seem to have any issues with bubbles, etc. He doesn't even use a vacuum chamber. The epoxy is made locally and is almost water-like and takes about 7 days to cure. I doubt the product is sold in the US but thought it was worth mentioning. Love your work, thanks for sharing!

[@BMSculptures]

I have actually been following them for a while now... Unfortunately if you pause the videos and zoom in you will see a lot of the time there are fractures ad bubbles throughout their large pours... I study their videos A LOT! They do some amazing work.

[@nenaelliott8058]

Thanks Blake, I don't work with resin but have a lot of friends that do and have had problems with deep pours. I'll pass this video along. They'll be excited to learn something that works. Thank you.

[@BMSculptures]

Thanks Nena!

[@RicardoIlardo]

I couldn't say which is better: your technique, your art or your sense of humor 😂

[@BMSculptures]

Great question.... They are about the same amount of time- around 10 days to fully cure, however when pouring in layers, I am CONSTANTLY checking on it, torching bubbles, not to mention dust build up between each layer. This method is pour it and forget it! So much better.

[@denverruff1024]

Amazing work brotha. I've done a lot of small pour stuff, and you've inspired me to work up to bigger pours and styles. Thank you for sharing. Amazing.

[@marcusjay8103]

I just got a new freezer and I'm in love. Needed it to store dried mushroom/mushroom powder for long term storage. It also goes to -41°c which is perfect for us home DMT chemist's 😉

[@Stacy_SJA]

DMT chemist?!? Are you located in Portland by any chance?? 😆😆😁😁😁😁

[@marcusjay8103]

@@Stacy_SJA left some contact info but all got deleted 🤔

[@BMSculptures]

That is awesome!

[@JeanMarvin2000]

You are truly a MASTER of art !!!! These sculptures are a insane. I get so much euphoria of looking at them. Thinking about how much work this is to make them scares me.

[@BMSculptures]

It scares me to. Been going on a full month on this rhino. It is almost finished.

[@johnhall9609]

I have done small like poker tables or night stand type table!! And I used glazed coat and I found out ,it cures a lot faster for something like a one inch thick pour ! If it’s room temperature!! And I also did a table in the winter time, and it wAs like it didn’t wanna cure up at all!! But it’s a totally different type of epoxy!! But it works well!! I have never done a thick pour like yours!! Cuz the epoxy is so expensive!! Lol … but I believe I’m gonna try a thick pour cuz u gave me ideas!! Thanks for sharing your video!! Love the walnut burl!! God bless everyone!!

[@alexto1]

Not sure if this has been asked before: how do you clean the funnel after the pour so that it's usable for future pouring? Thank you so much for sharing this!

[@SkewToob]

I've done deep pour castings and I've used the fridge to slow down their curing. I haven't tried it yet, but I believe that coating pourous items you plan to cast with an epoxy topcoat would go a long way toward removing bubbles from those castings altogether.

[@BMSculptures]

Yes absolutely. I use penetrating epoxy for that. I should have mentioned it.

[@justiniddings2957]

Great idea getting a fridge/freezer! Too bad you can have it as your vacuum chamber as well (or maybe you could). I did a deep pour (5inch) and since it was winter time, put my resin outside over night, and let it cool. Brought mine inside after 1.5 days and it was tacky, let sit for the rest of the night, and was ready to turn on a lathe after only 2 days total. Great video, great looking Rhino!

[@BetweenDreams999]

I love your work!! I don't plan on doing any resin work.....I just find it very interesting and you do fabulous art with it!!! Thanks!

[@BMSculptures]

Thanks for watching Karen!

[@renegomez6173]

Very helpful tips regarding letting the epoxy sit in the mixing bucket before pouring

[@felixhernandez9354]

I have multiple projects that are a learning lesson! And this video just saved me some time and more lessons! Thank you so much for sharing

[@rcisneros8567]

Wow. I love how this guy combined DIY and art. Beautiful. Subscribed.

[@samahsaeed1261]

I'm happy that I watched this, I always trying to do more with epoxy and I have many what ifs in my mind and I think I've checked almost all of them, awesome

[@TigerCarpenter]

really cool tips indeed! I live in tropics where the temperature is 36C = 97F all day long, and at night it drops few degrees. I never needed to heat up the epoxy pours, I have no bubbles whatsoever. the 12 inch deep epoxy pours are bubble free, fractures free, and despite of me having no experience, it worked as a charm from day 1. also after 24h or even 20 hours, the epoxy is pretty much cured, and I can start using tools to shape it

[@denisfilion-je3mw]

Hey Blake, Great video. I haven’t done any epoxy projects yet. I’m just watching videos so when I do start experimenting I will have a good base. I have a million things I want to try. Unfortunately I don’t have your talent to be able to do great carvings. Im glad I saw your video. Your one of a kind and inspiring me to start creating sooner than latter. I’ll be checking your other videos for sure. Thanks man…

[@cricrisuper4676]

Breaking the rules!! Including those about moving a freezer! That's dedication! : )

[@OrangeRauy]

Seeing how regularly and finely the bubbles are spread inside the second experiment, I think that could still make for an interesting and beautiful sculpture.

[@BMSculptures]

I agree. I will turn it into something in the near future!

[@gregmoon2351]

I use a old fridge/freezer for a sand blasting booth. I laid it on its side with door opening up, will need way to hold up to load/unload. Makes it easy to do loading. How ever the compresser will have to be in original position to work properly.

[@bcamj65]

I wonder if it would help to rig the fridge with a connection for the vacuum pump and how much vacuum you could pull before the door seal allowed air to pass.

[@alachance2010]

Hey so get a temperature switch and you can put it in the freezer so it will turn on above a certain temp. This will allow the reaction to happen at a target temp and not have to manually monitor it.

[@pumpkinheadproductions]

Curious if you've refined this approach in subsequent pours\projects? This one you had to turn off the refrigerator and let the resin slowly warm in side the closed fridge...is that your typical procedure now? I have a deep pour coming up and I'm wondering if my fairly cold garage (42 degrees) will work as the refrigerator and\or if at some point I'll need to move it inside to jumpstart the reaction.....

[@heyheytaytay]

If I ever win the lottery I'm commissioning Blake to do multiple pieces for me XD they're all so cool and unique.

[@BMSculptures]

Thank you! I hope you win

[@JamieBainbridge]

This is the way to do it, great experiment and findings. Maybe you could attach hooks to the outside of the box or ratchet straps underneath the box, lift it out with an engine crane. Especially if you do a bigger pour.

[@Bloktarino]

quickly becoming my favourite YT channel. The Rhino is going to be insane!

[@BMSculptures]

wahoo! I appreciate it!

[@NIGHTOWL-jf9zt]

I never understood using a vacuum to remove bubbles when there is a chance they are going to be introduced when poured. I always thought of using a siphon type of device to draw the liquid from the bottom of the container, through a tube into the project slowly causing a laminar flow.

[@bjbenterprises]

Your curing issue at 9:14 is due to the difference in concentrated mass of epoxy. The upper layers have a much thicker/greater concentrated mass of epoxy, so the exotherm will be higher. Down low, your epoxy thickness is much thinner up against all that wood and the exotherm will be much lower effectively slowing down the cure.

[@lloydhall6943]

Thanks pal you just extended my creativity

[@44Paws]

Blake from BM sculptures... You do absolutely astonishing work 😍 Amazing! Love and blessings, from Vancouver Island, BC 🇨🇦🐾

[@TheFarCenter]

That’s some patience, can’t rush a good thing well done.

[@tracybowling1156]

First, you are learning a ton and teaching what you learn is the biggest gift you can give a person. That's how I feel anyway. I cannot wait for the rhino. I do so enjoy your videos. This one was excellent! Oh, and Happy Memorial Day Weekend! ☺️

[@BMSculptures]

Thank you so much Tracy. Happy Memorial Day weekend to you and your family as well!

[@Sickzero]

If you could add small lights in the wooden parts of the bubbly pour it might look like a rainy skyline! I really like your work.

[@sallyfoote2035]

Crazy epoxy resins how strong testing it’s and how you put it inside of your own home right now 😱😱❤

[@billsimmons7754]

While I can not speak for these large quantities I have used epoxies that would go off way faster than they could be consumed. This would result in the smoking and cracking even though there were just a couple of ounces involved. This epoxy would start to go off at room temperature in the prescribed mixing time. I would typically refrigerate the epoxy prior to mixing. I would place the glass bottle on a metal surface with a small amount of ice after mixing to keep exothermic reaction heat in control. These epoxies have a positive feedback from heating, ie the hotter it gets the faster the reaction becomes creating even more heat. I read once that most chemical reactions double or half with a 7 degree C change in temp. Interestingly the reaction time of the human body changes approximately 50 percent for a 4 degree F change. If it was not for lack of humidity control I would recommend refrigerating the epoxy prior to mixing. One could probably safely lower the temp to a few degrees above the dew point of the room prior to mixing. You made some good efforts to reduce moisture issues in the refer. I think the fan could be counter productive. Condensation is most likely to occur when you open the refrigerator to add the epoxy. The moisture for this condensation is going to come from the warm room air. I would turn off the fan during the pour as this will introduce room air in to the refrigerator. Great presentation.

[@tripives1858]

Just a thought, but, with the seals on the freezer, you should be able attach valves and a pump to the freezer itself, and use it as your vacuum chamber.

[@craigcurtis2961]

To fine tune your temp, set freezer on full cold, but plug the power cord into a $20 digital temperature controller and place its temp sensor where you want. It will provide/turn off power to maintain what you set, plus you can see the actual temperature.

[@themicdfiles1865]

That’s a crazy pour! I have the same buffer and use butcher block oil all the time. Dude, 17 gallons for two pours? That’s a lot of money.

[@Epiphalactic]

I think something that would work really well for this is if you got a programmable PID controller of some sort that you could essentially for the first couple days keep it at refrigeration temperatures then the next couple days keep it at like 50 the next couple days 60 the next couple days 70 and then maybe do like a week or a week and a half long cycle of heating up where you end with the part at room temp, or even add a small heater so the last couple days you're ending at like 80-90 degrees to finish out the cure. Then you can set it off somewhere for a while to fully cure before you cut into it. Or even use disposable thermocouples to measure into the resin to activate the cooling.

[@Smallathe]

Very cool. I poured a large mug of epoxy for a project and did that at night during winter (+10c). So cooling actively is a must. My release agent is margarine. I tested it with many types of slow and fast cooling epoxy and it worked just fine.

[@BMSculptures]

haha margarine!??? that is a first for me hearing this.

[@Smallathe]

@@BMSculptures Do a small test: take a board give it a light margarine coat and using a drop or two from each of the epoxy brands you have - and see if it works ... :)

[@GC_Glassworks]

What kind of vacuum pump do you use for these pours? I haven't had much luck with anything under 5cfm and am wondering if I should get a 8-12cfm pump for crystal clear results. Thanks! 🙏

[@richardfrank9250]

In the 2nd one I think the bubbles add to the beautiful what are you going to do with that 2nd piece?

[@flamingomtn]

Did you find a project that you could use the piece with the bubbles? Thanks for sharing your experience.

[@pamelawalsh8153]

I do castings where parts of them are 3", but using a deep cast doesn't give me the visual affect I want. So have been putting them in my fridge for a while. Keep the heat down enough that the epoxy doesn't wreck my silicone molds

[@accordionchick]

Very educational. Much appreciated. I just got done doing a piece that was perfect til the final pour and then I got lots of cracks and volcano bubbles. Totally ruined my piece. Had no idea about the exothermal thing. I’m scared to do any more big pieces. $$$$$$$$$😮

[@philyoung8914]

I’m also a fan of vacuuming resin for bubble removal. There is a big trap though when dealing with viscous or cool resin - the vacuum process can create micro bubbles which are too small to rise to the surface and thus remain suspended. To overcome this I pressurise the resin - the pressure collapses the micro bubbles. NB There are new deep cast resins on the market that can pour 30+ litres and have an exotherm max of 60 degrees C. I’m waiting for delivery so I can test some.

[@fulmaris33]

In the 1960s sculptor Bruce Beasley cast some very large acrylic pieces, including one called 'Killyboffin', using an autoclave to reduce the exothermic reaction. Check out that principle if you want to experiment further with large single pours. I think it would be equally effective whatever the resin type. If you're going to continue experimenting with refrigeration, I suggest that after you switch it off, best leave the lid up. The fridge by its very design is insulated. It will support a building temperature, whereas an open lid will allow the heat to disperse more easily with the ambient temperature of your shop which you can keep cool.

[@fulmaris33]

Killyboffin is in the Anderson collection at Stanford. The autoclave I mentioned was used to cast 'Apolymon', again in acrylic, weighing in at six tons and measuring a breathtaking 15 feet long. It was commissioned by the state of California. I'm based in Scotland so I can't easily check out if it's still installed somewhere.

[@BMSculptures]

Hmm. I just researched it at it said it was only 28" long. Very interesting though. I wish I knew more about casting acrylic.

[@JakeWitmer]

You've helped me in my understanding of the boundaries of the process. Thank you!!!

[@GitaraMaker]

Thanks for sharing this, it's really valuable. Epoxy Resin is so thick that tiny bubbles can't escape, I failed my last project, didn't seal the wood and I tried 2" pour and there's a ton of bubbles and cracks. Clearcast Resin is better, consistency is thin that bubbles can escape easily, but so hard to work and very toxic.

[@BMSculptures]

Yes I should have mentioned in the video you MUST seal the wood with a penetrating epoxy before pouring. Try some Deep Pour X... You won't look back.

[@GitaraMaker]

@@BMSculptures yes that's what I failed to do, I saw in your other videos that you seal the wood and I forgot to take note of that.

[@rabooey]

You've just discovered the way to create plastic party goblets. Brilliant!!

[@dwaeton100]

the bubbles make me think of a snow globe that could make for a really cool sculpture

[@xuejiaoxu6778]

I have put my pressure pot in the fridge before when poring beyond the regular limits for depths and it works. Only problem I found was it is best to pre cool when using shallow pore resin.

[@BMSculptures]

Thats a great idea

[@TheMidLifeCrisis817]

Wow just came accross your channel this morning and you do some incredible work! Can't wait to see some of your other pieces.

[@dave61242]

Recently found your channel and you always amaze. I am inspired to try this myself once i get a shop set up.

[@garystewart6093]

Put some straps around tour pour box in the trunk fridge, so you can use a engine hoist jack to easily remove it after!

[@PhilipZeplinDK]

It's cool, man, sometimes I need an off day as well before I can fully harden up. Happens to everyone.

[@DannnnH67]

Would there be any benefit to making the whole fridge a vacuum. Can epoxy cure under vacuum?

[@TheManInRoomFive]

Not surprised by the temp difference in the fridge. When you turned it off/wind it down, it will seem to warm from the top (cold air is heavier than warm air) so the temp difference inside the fridge between top and bottom is probably quite large. Not sure your fan is big enough, but if you placed it in the bottom instead of the top, you might stir the air more inside fridge leaving you with a more even temperature. Cheers from Denmark.

[@douglasfathers4848]

Hi Blake, Mate I'm never going to do any epoxy casting. But I'm also not going to miss watching you mate . Love your your work . Cheers. 🤠🦢🦅🦏👍

[@BMSculptures]

haha Thanks Doug! Where is the bear emoji!??

[@chrisgenovese8188]

i dont work with epoxy (yet), but i can see this is a game changer!

[@BMSculptures]

Absolutely

[@wrennybaby]

Just gotta say, black forest wood I believe mentioned large pours should be in a very well A/Cd room because of the heat reaction, but this is fascinating

[@alinagoberman1827]

The positive couple does some RIDICULOUS pours that take weeks to cure but the result is a crystal clear pour.

[@BMSculptures]

I have studied a lot of their work. They do some great things.

[@Joe___R]

It would do you good if you had a larger vacuum chamber and mixing bucket. With a adequately sized equipment you would need to keep letting the vacuum off so it doesn't boil over the container. Another good way to reduce the bubble height in the vacuum chamber is to use some of that mold release wax on the inside top walls of the bucket.

[@BMSculptures]

Interesting about the release wax. I will try that next time.

[@jakesharp7875]

here in michigan ive poured 20 gallons in the middle of winter and it was flawless and still is to this day 5 years later

[@BMSculptures]

thats amazing.