[Samantha]

Hi there!

I’d like to start working with bouquet preservation and it seems to get a really clear cast vacuum degassing or a pressure pot is suggested.
I am undecided which would be the better of the two to get- the vacuum degassing allows me to place the mixed resin which is still in the measuring jug straight into it and out in a few minutes but with foam possibly left on top, whereas the pressure pot gives a very clear finish but requires the resin to be placed into the casting mould already and to be in the pressure pot for the full curing time (+-24HRS). With bouquet preservation it’s best to work in layers as bubbles can get trapped amongst the flowers, so would I need to pour a layer then place it in the pressure pot till it’s cured and then pour another layer and again place it in the pressure pot till it’s cured and so on? (This seems that it would be extremely time consuming, and would any damage be done in the pressure pot to the flowers that are still exposed and not fully submerged in the resin for the first few layers?)

Any advice of which would be better would be much appreciated!

Thank you

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Samantha,

Degassing (vacuum) is best for mold making. It brings bubbles to the surface where they may not always pop. (think the foam on beer)

Pressure pot casting squeezes the bubbles so tight that you can’t see them with the naked eye. And you’re right — you must leave a resin in the pressure pot for the entire time it’s curing.

[Tim Martin]

I do both. I use wood with holes and voids throughout. I place the mold with the wood immersed in the resin first into the vacuum chamber until it stops bubbling, usually 30 minutes or so. I then fill the mold to the top with remaining resin and transfer it to the pressure pot where it remains until cured. I use a heating pad on low which helps the resin cure in 2 days instead of 3. I made the pressure pot from a Harbor Freight paint pot.

[Samantha]

Thank you both very much!!

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