Post #663533 by Hale Tiki on Wed, Jan 9, 2013 6:36 AM

Hey all. No progress on the branding irons yet. Had to do Tiki Tuesday last night. We did our Tiki White Elephant, and I came home with some nice Siestware and two mugs from the Mai Kai.

However, I did do some testing with materials for a super secret swag lamp project that I'm working on. I can't say what it is, but I now know the following:

1. The material is perfect for swag lamps.
2. It's nearly indestructible. I beat it with a hammer, and I can't get it to break. I tried using a vice, throwing it, nothing. It's in the mid 70's on the D scale for Shore Hardness, for those of you whom that makes sense to.
3. The light is slightly diffused, making for excellent transmission.
4. It tints REALLY well.
5. It's a heck of a lot more cost effective than traditional resins.
6. It's got a high heat resistance, making it safe for use with lighting.

I've got quite a lot more work to do before I'm ready to start building, but there's a bit more testing/molding to do, and I'll keep this space updated with the progress. When I'm done, they'll be for sale in the Marketplace. It'll be the first of it's kind, and I'm super excited.

Here's the first two tests. The orange was the first, and had far too many bubbles to be acceptable. The blue was the second, and is almost completely air bubble free. I found only 5 near the back of the item while polishing.