Acrylic monomer? Anyone ever mess with this stuff?

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Stormy151
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Mar 25, 2005 9:14 pm

Acrylic monomer? Anyone ever mess with this stuff?

Post by Stormy151 »

I got some of this stuff recently, and it's neat!

You can glue with it, cast with it. Hard as a rock once its cured. It's a powder, and you mix it with a liquid. I've been playing with it a bit.

Thinking of trying and fill windows with it for backlighting. I tried on some sample pieces and it seems to diffuse the light very evenly, and gives a nice sort of scale effect. Sands pretty smooth.

Anyone know anything about it? Other than use it outside because it stinks to high heaven? :D
macfrank
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Location: Los Angeles, CA
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Re: Acrylic monomer? Anyone ever mess with this stuff?

Post by macfrank »

Stormy151 wrote:I got some of this stuff recently, and it's neat!

You can glue with it, cast with it. Hard as a rock once its cured. It's a powder, and you mix it with a liquid. I've been playing with it a bit.

Thinking of trying and fill windows with it for backlighting. I tried on some sample pieces and it seems to diffuse the light very evenly, and gives a nice sort of scale effect. Sands pretty smooth.

Anyone know anything about it? Other than use it outside because it stinks to high heaven? :D
I love this stuff - it's used both by dentists/special effects folks to make fake teeth and by women everywhere who need to fix or make fake fingernails.

The stuff comes in various colors, but is typically clear. When it hardens, it can be polished to a glass-like transparency, and it's about as hard as styrene.

The two main disadvantages are cost (how much did you pay and for how much material?) and - like you said - the stench, which is sharp and penetrating.

Frank
Stormy151
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Mar 25, 2005 9:14 pm

Post by Stormy151 »

I got a 6oz kit- (4oz powder, 2 oz liquid) We started carrying it at work, so I got it at 5% over cost- which came out to just shy of 10 bucks. I got this stuff:

www.plast-aid.com

The nice thing is, while it stinks like crazy when you're working with it- it doesn't smell at all once it's cured.
macfrank
Posts: 8726
Joined: Fri Oct 11, 2002 6:55 pm
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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Post by macfrank »

If this stuff weren't so expensive (compared to resin) it would be my primary casting material. The stuff I've used can be easily polished until it's water clear, and it sticks well to styrene.

Other than the stink, it's really easy to use.
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