# Silmar 41 bonding to Alumilite



## PlaguedJack (Aug 5, 2019)

So as most of the guys on the blank making end know, Alumilite doesnt bond to itself very well, or alot of other non-natural materials. However I'm curious if anyone has tried to bond Silmar 41 to Alumilite. I'm contemplating designing Alumilite Blanks that are shaped like "worthless wood" and then finding a resin to use to fill the gaps. Including are a couple of images of finished products using my Blocks


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## Lucky2 (Aug 5, 2019)

Hello Jack, welcome to the site, there sure is some amazing colors at work there, I love how they look.

Len


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## PlaguedJack (Aug 5, 2019)

Lucky2 said:


> Hello Jack, welcome to the site, there sure is some amazing colors at work there, I love how they look.
> 
> Len


Thank you, have been pouring alumilite for almost 5 years now lol.


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## PlaguedJack (Aug 5, 2019)

Also a couple of other combos I've done.


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## MRDucks2 (Aug 5, 2019)

I haven’t had any issues getting Alumilite to bond to itself, though I have read that others did. I believe for what you are tryouts no to accomplish, it may be better to cast over Silmar 41 with Alumilite rather than the other way around if you want to try the two together. 

This is because the shrinkage of Silmar 41 is hard to predict. I have used PR pieces in Alumilite with issues, just nothing with the amount of flat surface area you are going to try.

Liquid diamonds may be a better option if you to try mixed material. It bonds pretty well and has minimal shrinkage. 


Sent from my iPhone using Penturners.org mobile app


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## brownsfn2 (Aug 5, 2019)

MRDucks2 said:


> This is because the shrinkage of Silmar 41 is hard to predict. I have used PR pieces in Alumilite with issues, just nothing with the amount of flat surface area you are going to try.



This is so true and was the first thing that came to mind for me as well.  Since Silmar shrinks when curing you could possibly have it pull away from the surface of the Alumilite leaving gaps or air bubbles.

Good luck.  Always cool to see what new innovations come out on this site.


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