How to make a silicone pen blank mould. DIY mold making

[@JamesGarwood]

Thank you all so much for watching and sharing my video! I am overwhelmed with how many people have shared my videos and it makes me so happy to know that my videos are reaching millions of people around the world! Just to let you know I have recently set up a patreon page to help me so I can cut down the hours at work and have a day a week to make more content of everyone of you! (Instead of working from 8pm to well past 1am most nights when I am making and editing videos, it's the only time I have spare!) If you could spare a dollar or two per video it would mean the world to me and when I get to $100 per creation to give something back I will be doing a prize draw every new video to win one of my pens to one lucky pateron! Click here to see my patreon page and the other things I give to my paterons! www.patreon.com/user?u=24368205 Thank you for taking the time to read this and as always, thanks for watching 😁

[@sydcrafty5498]

This was an excellent vid, you didn't over explain and you just got to the point. I have saved this vid for further use. Thank you.

[@AusMiner]

Love that pine cone in the blue resin. Great contrast.

[@JamesGarwood]

I really like that one too, I meant to make some more pine cone blanks for Christmas but I didn't get time to cast any, I think they would of sold really well at Christmas, never mind, there's still next Christmas!

[@AusMiner]

@@JamesGarwood Yes I learnt the hard way too. I now know what will sell at different times of the year, and plan on building up stock in advance rather than having the last minute rush again.

[@waynee.2856]

Very nice video and blanks. The blue pine cone blank is my favorite.

[@JamesGarwood]

I think that is my favourite as well 😁

[@CaseyMartin707]

Fantastic video James! So many small but great tips in here that I never would have thought of. Like the vibrating machine trick, etc.

[@JamesGarwood]

Thanks Casey! I figured loads out from my first attempt at a mould so this one went very well. I still haven't turned your blanks yet 😖, I'm waiting to see the perfect kit for them, since they are so nice 😁

[@stephanie09.11]

The end result is the best part.

[@Rogerthat10-1]

Beautiful blanks! I just got back into turning after a long time not doing it. Thanks for sharing. I subscribed!

[@JamesGarwood]

Thanks Roger!!😁

[@MrOsmanvurucu]

Good job(very nice invention for vibration)

[@JamesGarwood]

Thanks! Anything to get as many bubbles out as possible, a palm sander would work as well

[@dylskee888]

Great video my friend! Thanks for sharing, I'm getting the confidence to try this myself pretty soon! Keep up the good work!

[@JamesGarwood]

That's great! Good luck! Let me know how you get on 😁

[@olgacolonforeversky]

So beautiful

[@busterwest1644]

Finally got to make this mould, worked out superbly, just waiting to get some pigments to cast my own blanks. Thanks for sharing this, very much obliged

[@JamesGarwood]

Awesome buster, I hope casting goes well for you!

[@busterwest1644]

Worked wonderfully. Made a second mould, can now create 6 blanks at a time. Love it thanks once again your a star

[@Highlandboxes]

Beautiful blanks thanks for sharing

[@JamesGarwood]

Thank you Pam and thank you for watching!

[@busterwest1644]

Excellent instructional video, MDF all purchased and ready to make my mould box.. Really appreciate your measurements and instructions etc and the final product looks perfect. Thank you

[@JamesGarwood]

You're welcome! I'm glad it helped out! This is the maximum I could fit in my pressure pot, if you have more room you could make the outside walls and the walls between the blanks thicker, it will help keep the blanks straighter, but this one works great, it's in my pressure pot right now full of resin, I've made at least 100 blanks from it 😁, please tag me in it if you put it on social media so I can see your mould 👍🏻

[@busterwest1644]

HI James, 66 and looking forward to retirement. Have decided to get a lathe and start pen / resin / wood turning as a hobby and am learning a lots from you guys who kindly share knowledge on You Tube.. Would be a steep learning curve without these videos so my thanks. Social media??? not for me lol.. All the best James

[@JamesGarwood]

It's a good hobby, get ready to be hooked on it! If you have any questions feel free to ask 😁

[@md.moinulislam9467]

MASHAALLAH khub valo video.......

[@john8872]

Liked the video. What kinds of woods were you using around the 7 min mark of video? After watching through the video I did pick up on the types of woods you cut and was impressed at the progressive style in which you presented this to us.

[@Kepler648]

Well done ! Fantastic !!!!

[@JamesGarwood]

Thank you very much! I hope you found it helpful :)

[@RLGamerX]

Amazing, great video!

[@JamesGarwood]

Thank you Rodrigo! I hope it helped you, if you make a mould tag me in it on Instagram soon can see :)

[@realyeoman]

To vibrate the bubbles out of mix, set a 4 by 4 off center in your lathe, switch it on, not too fast and put your mold on the bed of the now vibrating lathe. Works a treat

[@RichardHubbuck]

Fill lines: genius.

[@KeithBarrowat54a]

Hello James,new subscriber here! Just starting to get into resins,and was looking for a good pen blank mould,and found this-excellent.I’ve watched a couple of your videos now,your work is brilliant.Thankyou for sharing them. Cheers,Keith. (Woodturning at 54a)

[@JamesGarwood]

Thank you Keith! I'm glad it's helped you get into resin casting, it's really good fun, if you do make one of these please tag me in any social media so I can see! If you have any questions please ask away, happy casting! 😁

[@dennysmith4973]

Keith Barrow I Agree 100%

[@JamesGarwood]

@@dennysmith4973 thank you Denny 😁

[@billy19461]

Great video!

[@JamesGarwood]

billy19461 thank you Billy! I don't like talking on a video very much :/

[@redlady652005]

Amazing!

[@gardeningdianne]

Very nice James. I was a bit dubious about the pine cone when I saw you cutting it up. But, I believe that turned out to be number one choice for me after I saw it finished. Do you have videos of the blanks into finished pens? Well done and I cant wait to try it myself.

[@JamesGarwood]

I do love a pine cone pen, I've made a few now, I really liked the beech burl and green resin, although I'd have blue resin instead since it's my favourite but this one was for an order I had, there is a link in the cards on this video to making pens from the blanks but if you can't find it it's in my videos, I hope you do have a go at a pine cone pen, you need very sharp tools because the insides of the pine cone are really soft and want to catch, good luck Dave! 😁

[@gardeningdianne]

@@JamesGarwood I will be trying to make my own blanks very soon. I just need to source where I can purchase all the items in Australia. I will let you know how I go because this is one project I would certainly love to try.

[@JamesGarwood]

@@gardeningdianne my pressure pot started life as a paint sprayer and I converted it to a pressure pot with a few extra bits, Zac Higgins has some KZbin videos on converting a spray pot to a pressure pot which I found really useful, I can't help on where to get one from in Australia but I found mine on eBay, I hope that helps a bit! Good luck! 😁

[@frankmayo1410]

The vide is very good just one important part is missing. Where did you get the silicone ? what type? I want to make this just don't know what silicone or where to buy it.

[@Dusty727]

Great job! Some people use vacuum instead of a preassure. What do you think? What's better?

[@JamesGarwood]

Thank you, I sometimes use a vacuum to pull out the big bubbles but you will not pull all the bubbles out with a vacuum, pressure crushes them down so small you can not see them anymore. If you need to decide between vacuum or pressure for making resin blanks it would have to be pressure 😁👍🏻

[@Dusty727]

@@JamesGarwood Oh great! Thank you for your fast answer and the information 👍🏻

[@munawarsoomro8958]

Nice video, thanks. Quick question, how do you keep wood and pine cones from floating up?

[@JamesGarwood]

Thank you, I cut them a little oversized so they wedge in enough to stop them floating 😁

[@Arcticknight1989]

Great video, what model is that sliding table saw? I want that!

[@bengerman9648]

So this may be a stupid question. I know fruit rots when left exposed to the air. Would a solid fruit like an apple be possible to make into a pen since it would be sealed? Just curious!

[@yellow9904]

Amazing

[@JamesGarwood]

Thank you AnonAlpha!

[@norm5785]

Thank you for sharing

[@ceo.haitham320]

Hi bro, I'm asking about the pressure pot, why we use it?

[@jilliannitz1884]

Those were beautiful blanks. Maybe this is a silly question but is it expensive to cast your own blanks? I love giving pens as gifts and am tempted to delve a bit more into acrylics but the blanks seem a bit pricy. I thought about making my own but I wonder if it will actually be cost saving or just expensive.

[@JamesGarwood]

Thank you, it's a long question, once you have all the tools it's not as expensive as buying your own but it's close, what's nice is the limitless possibilities you can put into the resin, and also other things you can make with resin, I've just this week made a new wood and resin phone case which is on my Instagram page,

[@stevejones6242]

Did you use a Presser Pot to put this Mold in as it Cured?

[@JamesGarwood]

I didn't with this one, I just let it sit over night on my bench, you can put it in a pressure pot but it is important that you de-gas the silicone first, any air bubbles that are in the silicone are going to crush and distort your blanks when you cast resin in it, so if you haven't got a vacuum chamber you can do what I did in the video, vibrate the silicone so the bubbles rise to the top and pop them with a cocktail stick, pouring the silicone slowly from a height will also stretch the bubbles and make them pop, I hope that helps!

[@frederickb5217]

bonjour comment s'appelle le bois que vous avez utilisé merci beaucoup pour votre réponse

[@claytonschmohe1786]

What was the powder you added to the resin to give it that translucent appearance? Edit: Nevermind! Just saw the part where you list off the materials!

[@JamesGarwood]

I'm glad someone looks at the description 😋

[@MaydaysCustomWoodworks]

Awesome job man. Career cabinet and furniture maker here. Love the work. How long have you been wood working? I judge quite a while by the tool setup and work you are doing.

[@JamesGarwood]

Thank you , I've been a cabinet maker for 17 years now, making furniture and kitchens, I looove making things from wood, 😁

[@JamesGarwood]

What stuff do you make?

[@MaydaysCustomWoodworks]

@@JamesGarwood I am also a cabinet maker. Used to be a professional fighter for 11 years working for Bellator and the UFC. Michael "Mayday" McDonald. Now I am full time cabinet and furniture making. You can see some of my work at Facebook.com/maydayswoodworks

[@JamesGarwood]

There's some awesome work there, that fish tank unit is cool and I like the island full of storage space, nice work 👍🏻

[@MaydaysCustomWoodworks]

@@JamesGarwood thanks man. I love your work as well. I'll be following.

[@elitefleet6402]

hi i have the same pressure pot how do you keep it under pressure? or do you leave the air open, if so what pressure do you fill it too and what is you blow out valve.

[@JamesGarwood]

Hi, I had to blank off the air pipe for the spray gun and get a few more bits to make it safe, I would have a look at Zac Higgins on KZbin, he has a video on how to convert a pressure pot for casting resin, I'll see if I can find a link to it

[@JamesGarwood]

Here it is, tell him I sent you over! kzbin.info/www/bejne/rICUpHdpp9uNmqM

[@E.K939]

Nice work human! I woud have said "Nice work dude" but someone got offended by it.

[@ForestWizardLookingForPotion]

How was someone offended by that??? Saying "dude" isn't a problem at all unless it's about formality!

[@E.K939]

@@ForestWizardLookingForPotion It was my cousin and we don't have the best Relationship.

[@calebfink9360]

Sorry if I missed it somewhere, but what kind of silicone did you use? It turned out great btw!

[@JamesGarwood]

Thank you 😁 it was the cheapest stuff I could find on Ebay, I think someone else asked in the comments and I found a link, the mould is still working fine now with no splits or tears in it and I've made well over 100 blanks with it so still is fine 😁

[@calebfink9360]

@@JamesGarwood ah ok I just had to scroll a little farther. Polycraft was the name. And I found it on eBay too: www.ebay.com/itm/Polycraft-GP-3481-F-RTV-Silicone-Mould-Making-Rubber-1-1kg-Kit-Red-Catalyst-/230910256867 And I can't argue with the price either, $28 for 1.1kg is a steal!

[@dmcintyre15]

Where do you find the Burl pieces you used in this video?

[@JamesGarwood]

Hey dmcintyre, I get most of them off of eBay, there are some great sellers on there, thanks for watching 😁

[@markr.1584]

Where did you buy the silicone

[@JamesGarwood]

I got it off ebay, I can't remember what brand but others have asked in the comments if you have a look 👍🏻

[@mvecellio1]

Thanks for the video. I made one for 2 blanks. I noticed that when the blanks come out of the mold they are tacky on the sides touching the mold. The tops are fine and the blanks are solid. After a couple of days outside the mold the tackiness goes away. I never had this issue with plastic molds. I leave the blanks in the pressure pot for 48 hours and I mix the Aluminite correctly. Have you had this issue? Thanks for a great video. Mike.

[@JamesGarwood]

Sorry for the late reply! I do find the alumilite clear cast does feel like it is not fully cured on all the sides, if I squeeze the blank I leave fingerprints in the blank, but if I leave it until it has fully cured (7 days in the instructions) they are much harder, make sure your mix is extremely accurate or it will not set up 100% ever, I know from experience 😋

[@mtrbranco]

Hi James, Great video! Can you please tell me where did you bought your pressure pot? Thank you!

[@JamesGarwood]

Ricardo Branco I bought it off eBay, it did need customising to be used for a pressure pot though, it is a paint sprayer so came with a spray gun and lots of hose, there are videos on KZbin on how to convert them but be careful because it's a bit dangerous because of the high pressure, I got the bits I needed off eBay also, Zac Higgins has a really good video on converting one and loads of casting videos as well, check his channel out, good luck! :)

[@mtrbranco]

James Garwood Did you bought it from a seller on UK? Thank you for your reply!

[@JamesGarwood]

Ricardo Branco I Germany rings a bell but it was a long time ago, it was free delivery though

[@mtrbranco]

James Garwood Thank you! Do you have an Instagram account? Either way keep up the awesome work. I will keep on checking for new videos from you,

[@JamesGarwood]

Ricardo Branco I can't find the one I bought on my eBay but there is a 10 litre one for under £100 then you'll need about £10-20 of bits to convert it, I do have a instagram account, it's the_cabinetmaker :) I have some more videos being edited that just needs finishing :)

[@MrBarrynicholas]

Thumbs up!

[@JamesGarwood]

Thank you Barry! 😁

[@liondirk]

What was the car behind your saw? And if you made it, Very well done sir!

[@JamesGarwood]

That is my soapbox I made for a local soapbox race, it was out for a few repairs and the BBC wanted to show it on the news which was awesome, I've got some cool pictures on my Instagram of it, search the_cabinetmaker on Instagram or there's a link in the description 😁

[@victorbaert994]

Do you use pressure or vacuum?

[@JamesGarwood]

I use both for different things, casting resin is under pressure, vaccum chamber is for stabilizing soft woods,

[@jonatangross3756]

Que se utiliza para hacer los moldes? Como se pide?

[@JamesGarwood]

necesitas un poco de silicona para hacer el molde

[@robinellis8156]

After pouring your pen blanks do you have to put them in a pressure cooker

[@JamesGarwood]

That is a pressure pot, it's different to a pressure cooker, it compresses the bubbles in the resin down so you can't see them any more, under about 50psi, you do not need to if you are really careful not to stir in any bubbles while mixing the resin

[@MrDaytrack]

Hello, James ... Love your work. Question; if I may ... You used a degassing chamber at the start of your vid to degas the pink mix for making the four molds. Then later, you used a second, larger degassing chamber that took the four molds; and their contents, and a wooden frame. My question is; if I may ... what make is 'that' larger chamber; and where do you get that one ... ? Thank you. William (Southampton)

[@JamesGarwood]

Hey William, you are right the first one is a degassing chamber to remove the air bubbles from the silicone but the second one is a pressure pot, I put the resin under about 50psi to crush the air bubbles so they are so small you can't see them anymore, it came from Germany I think, I found it on eBay and converted to from a paint sprayer to a pressure pot, I hope that helps! 😁

[@MrDaytrack]

Excellent. May I ask; what size is that tank?

[@JamesGarwood]

@@MrDaytrack 10 litres ring a bell, but bigger is better, if you can get a bigger one I would, Zac Higgins has some KZbin videos on converting a spray pot to a pressure pot, good luck and let me know how you get on! 😁

[@MrDaytrack]

Here-ya-go ... EBay ... Resin / Model Moulding Pressure Tank 20Ltr (And, they got plenty.) Sheffield UK

[@JamesGarwood]

@@MrDaytrack cool, have you got a link?

[@NamBui-ot2ox]

Before pouring, the wood must be stabilized first, right

[@JamesGarwood]

No not necessarily, if it is not soft punky wood I have never needed to stabilize the wood, the only thing I've cast that could do with stabilizing first would be the pinecones but they dont move too far after casting if they are dry

[@NamBui-ot2ox]

@@JamesGarwood In that amount, you add it to the pot and let it go

[@SaintBigAl]

Hi beautiful blanks.whats the brain thing you were cutting at 7:04 ?

[@JamesGarwood]

Hi, the brain things are wood burls, one was mallee burl and bee h burl, if you want to see the finished pens I made a part two of this video they really came out nice Here's a link if you want to see kzbin.info/www/bejne/b5ucZHeMn7Sbd68

[@michaelwenmanK7USN]

what silicone did you get. was it oomoo 30?

[@JamesGarwood]

I think the stuff I used was polycraft silicone, it was the cheapest stuff I could find on eBay, oomoo 30 would do the same job

[@jasonzbell]

James Garwood James, I’m curious how this silicone held up over time? You mentioned it was cheap and I’m looking for a cheaper alternative to the Smooth-On Mold Star line. If this one didn’t hold up over time and heavy use, what would you recommend for a brand of silicone? Happy casting from California! 😊

[@JamesGarwood]

I am very happy with this silicone, it's still fine as the day I made it and I've made over 100 blanks now with it with no mould realise, if I was to make a new one I would make the walls thicker than 10mm, probably 18mm to help the blanks come out straighter, I hope that helps from the UK 😁🇬🇧

[@MrKaebee]

DO YOU HAVE TO PREPARE THE PINE CONES WITH ANYTHING BEFORE USING THEM, I KNOW THEY ARE VERY BRITTLE

[@JamesGarwood]

I tried these pine cones out in my toaster oven for a few minutes, let them cool when weighed them, I kept doing this until they didn't loose any more weight, that means they are completely dry and won't affect the alumilite resin, then you need to be very careful when turning them, thanks for watching and feel free to ask anymore questions anytime 😁

[@HISTORIAN-y9i]

Hi..great job . 8.55 what is this?

[@JamesGarwood]

Thank you, that is a pressure pot, it puts the resin under pressure to crush the air bubbles so small it gets rid of them 😁

[@HISTORIAN-y9i]

@@JamesGarwood thank you for your answear. how long time is waiting

[@JamesGarwood]

@@HISTORIAN-y9i before you can take it out? The resin I use is slow set resin and you can de mould it after 24-48 hours, full cure is 7 days but you can get faster resins

[@HISTORIAN-y9i]

@@JamesGarwood hi..how long time in pressure put?

[@JamesGarwood]

At least 24 hours

[@swy289]

What type of resin do you use?

[@JamesGarwood]

I used alumilite clear cast for my pen blanks 👍🏻

[@swy289]

James Garwood thanks

[@hubbardjohn77]

Where do you purchase your silicone?

[@JamesGarwood]

I got the cheapest stuff off Ebay I could find, where are you in the world? I now get all my casting stuff from house of resin, great friendly people who can help with everything, tell them I sent you 😁

[@hubbardjohn77]

@@JamesGarwood , thank you sir. I'm in Florida. I currently use PVC pipe for my pen blank casting, but the silicone mold just seems like it's way more versatile and user friendly. Thanks again and keep up the good work my friend.

[@JamesGarwood]

@@hubbardjohn77 no problem, I've not used pvc pipe but if you want to cast wood and resin I think a square mould would be easier, I would make it so it just fits in the pressure pot but check it fits in the vacuum chamber as well because this mould now has the corners cut off for that reason! 😖

[@fluxpistol3608]

Why not pre make it cylindrical to save time & resources?

[@JamesGarwood]

I would if it's just resin, I've got some tubes for that, this is to cast stuff in and getting wood to fit the round would be a challenge.

[@fluxpistol3608]

Ah fair enough. Figured there was some reasoning behind it that I wasn’t grasping

[@JamesGarwood]

No problem, if you have any other questions feel free to ask! 👍🏻

[@robbiejames1540]

@@JamesGarwood In your 1000 segment pen, what was the finish? It was really stunning.

[@christinachau2761]

Defeats the purpose and fun of lathing!

[@73cruiser]

Have you ever made molds for tube cast in the blank for label or card casting?

[@JamesGarwood]

Yes I have, before this one I tried to make one, not too successful though, I was thinking I could make some little silicone inserts for this mould to hold a tube for card casting instead of a whole new mould but I've not got around to it yet,

[@staxanovecvechnyi]

Это что,красивые безделушки?

[@JamesGarwood]

Спасибо 😊

[@Guidowood]

and this car behind of scenes? show me more please

[@JamesGarwood]

That's my soapbox cart, I run it down my local carnival in Cromer every year, it's made from an old door, two bmx's and ply off cuts, I was on the BBC news with it last year, you can see more of it on my Instagram page here instagram.com/the_cabinetmaker

[@corimemc]

Squiggle squiggle squiggle squiggle

[@JamesGarwood]

.... yes 🤔

[@deanslegos1990]

Ah you crazy Brits with your random U's and metric system :P

[@JamesGarwood]

Haha! Sorry for doing it properly 😂 the measurements convert to 5" and 43/79543 or something like that! I hope it helps 😋😂😂😂

[@BLASTLYNX]

Millimeters? Ewwwwwwww

[@JamesGarwood]

Haha, yes millimetres, the best way to measure anything 😁

[@Napalmgas]

Great video!

[@JamesGarwood]

Thank you Gary, I hope it helps you out 😁