I have cast a lot of clear resin and its notoriously difficult in
large casts. perspex would be ok for the mould if the shape is simple
you will get a better finish against a hard surface. Recently I have
been using a clear resin that starts off blue and goes clear when
cast. (from www.specialplasters.co.uk ) It is less tacky aginst rubber
moulds than the previous ones. The problem being that clear resins are
very air inhibited because the wax that would be added to reduce this
effect makes the resin opaque so cant be added. when you embed you
have to let the first layer almost set so the objects dont sink but
the fist layer going of before the next causes bending of the cast.
weighting it down while still green will usually flattern it. If you
wait too long before adding the next layer you will see a defraction
line when looking at an angle.




On Sat, 5 Jul 2003 01:47:56 -0400, "G. M. Lupo"
wrote:

I'd like to try to create a top for a coffe table using resin but will need
to custom build the mold. The item would be one piece that's 48" long, 17"
wide and 5/16 " thick on top, with a lower portion that would fit down into
the table and would be 46" long, 15" wide and 5/8 " thick. I'd also like to
embed items in the tabletop, which is what made me think of using resin for
the project. I'd also like to put six small holes around the top for screws
to affix the top to the table. For a project of this size, what would be
the best material for creating the mold?

Matt Lupo
matt at lupo dot com