Finally, I am making progress, with my big 3-D Crystal Dragon cuff! I decided to order a quart of a new, super expensive, super clear rubber urethane. I am still running tests, but, so far, so good. What a steep learning curve there is with this new resin. The temperature has to be just right, the pressure has to be 60psi minimum, the wind has to be out of the east, etc. The cure time is 16 hours under pressure, then another 6-8 hours at room temp, then into the heat box for another 16 hours at 160 degree F. That is a long time to wait, until you can de-mold, and see if your casting was successful.
I am loving how this new resin looks. Here is a test sample shown against the brass cuff. The brass backing will allow the dragon cuff to be infinitely adjustable.
The clarity of this new resin is amazing. Except for the brass end strips, my prototype is almost finished. For two years, I have been working out the details of this design. I am so excited to see my crystal dragon cuff design come together! NOTE: Compared to optical glass, which has an index of refraction of 1.50, this new resin has an refractive index of 1.488. That is pretty close to crystal clear.
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