cflbasser Posted April 24, 2004 Report Share Posted April 24, 2004 Has anyone ever experienced foaming plastic? I have been heating plastic, salt and color in pyrex cups in a microwave, then adding the glitter at the point that I'm about ready to pour. As soon as the glitter hits the plastic, it begins to foam. I can continue heating and stirring slowly and eventually the bubbles will work there way out, but its awfully annoying. Is it possible that there is a small amount of moisture in the glitter that is causing this? Also I do live in Florida where we have almost 100% humidity all the time... Could this have something to do with it? Any ideas??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrs5kprs Posted April 24, 2004 Report Share Posted April 24, 2004 Sounds like you might be adding the flake to plastic that is too hot. Have had some similar experiences...cooling the plastic a bit before adding the flake helps. More stirring helps, as does the addition of stabilizer. Bubbles are a pain. Shaking your liquid container to mix the plastic will also cause bubbles. Have also had bubbles with improperly mixed (not thoroughly) plastic, esp 536 LC. NOT a negative on 536LC, just a note on my own stupidity for not mixing correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsworms Posted April 24, 2004 Report Share Posted April 24, 2004 What brand of plastic are you using? I always had a problem with 3-G bubbling. I never have a problem with MF or Calhoun as long as I keep the containers well-sealed. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigZ Posted April 24, 2004 Report Share Posted April 24, 2004 I agree with Chris, 3G is a pian in the arse. I had an imitation volcano when I used it in a lee pot. It smoked it foamed, it wasted the liner of the pot. Shaking the plastic would do it too if there is too much air in the plastic since the air pockets would heat faster than the plastic and result in a mess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova Posted April 24, 2004 Report Share Posted April 24, 2004 I have found that with the micro I don't try to heat it to temp all at once. I set it for about 2 min. then stir; then I set it for 1:30 and then stir again. Then I complete the heating. I add all of the ingrediants before I heat making sure to stir well(color). I don't have the bibbling problem any more. It is a little slower to get the plastic to pouring temp; but at least I don't have a great big mess to clean up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
earthworm77 Posted April 25, 2004 Report Share Posted April 25, 2004 The glitter might be suspect. Are you using LC glitter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigZ Posted April 26, 2004 Report Share Posted April 26, 2004 I should have read the post better...and understoood it. It's when you add the glitter it starts foaming. That could be a couple of things. Either the glitter you are using is junk, or the plastic is TOO hot, OR you need to add some stabilizer to your plastic. I always add salt and gltter last, the only foaming problems I have had are with cheapo crap plastic. that actually foams/bubbles at working temp (3G). I would get a different type of glitter (poly) and see if it behaves the same. Good Luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fireball Lures Posted April 26, 2004 Report Share Posted April 26, 2004 Sounds like my experiment with aquarium salt, but sounds like your case is mild. Has the salt been sitting in an open container it will draw in moisture from the air. Thus when you add it to the plastic you are adding a small amount of water to the plastic which creates the bubbles. Nathan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cflbasser Posted April 26, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 26, 2004 I'm using Calhoun Plastic with LC glitter/color. I have been adding the color and salt to the plastic, then heating in the micro for 30 - 45 seconds blasts, stirring in between. Once I get it to that liquid consistency, I add the glitter. And that is when it begins to foam. Maybe the plastic is too hot when I add the glitter, I'll try letting it cool for a little and then add the glitter. Can I add all of the ingredients before heating, or will that mess things up? Also, I may need to get some heat stabilizer. Thanks for everyone's replies... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova Posted April 26, 2004 Report Share Posted April 26, 2004 I add all of the ingrediants before I heat and I don't have a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cflbasser Posted April 26, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 26, 2004 Cool... I'll give that a try... Thanks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercury Posted April 27, 2004 Report Share Posted April 27, 2004 Now it could be somthing like the extra moisture thats also in Calhouns plastic. It looks like foam and will cook off. It does take some heating to do this though. I was talking with Al's Worms about thisa while back and since FL is a high humidity area this could be the case. While cooking the plastic it could still appear milky and go un noticed. This could be the same sort of thing. Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsworms Posted April 27, 2004 Report Share Posted April 27, 2004 Fireball brought up a great point too (nice to have you back Nathan). If you're adding salt to the mixture, keep it well sealed also. I don't have a humidity problem where I live, so I can keep my salt in the open air, but I'll bet some of you guys in those humid areas would have some serious problems if your salt is left open. As for the flake, if you're using a poly-coated glitter (MF, Lure Craft, Jann's, etc.), that shouldn't be the problem. I have added flake at all points of the heating process and never had a problem with bubbling. It's usually caused by excessive moisture somewhere in your materials. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
