looking for a liquid that crystalises transparently

hello guys, i have this dead amd processor, not sure which socket exactly (will check later), the die is damaged on closer inspection, i don't want to throw it away so im thinking of putting it in something square as eye candy, is there any compound i can pour into a small box with the processor inside then when its dried its clear as glass? it has to be something hard

Silicon? But its not very rigid. I will hold a processor but......

Acrylic maybe? I have seen decorative materials (dried flowers, shiny penny, etc) sealed inside acylic-like material to make it a perma-sealed display stand.

I don't know what it's called actually or if you can get them. I'd be interested because I wanted to display something like r80286 CPU pictured below (uncommon package version of 286 with no pin but rather very much like original version of socket 775/1155/1156/1366/2011 with spring loaded contact on mobo)

clear fiberglass resin?

epoxy resin?

I use it to simulate water in modelism: it is hard when dryed and quite as clear as glass (if your surface is clean and your resin pure, be careful to dust / impurity).

other solution (economic and easy to do but need several try to get the right proportions):
clear varnish (~1/4), water (~1/4), PVA glue for the rest.

You mix everything in a recipient and mix during 2 or 3 minutes: put the fluid in your box and wait some hours the water evaporate (and the glue dryes, PVA glue get transparency when dried): you got a clear as glass solid.

It was my old way to simulate water (easy to make waves when not completely dried to simulate flux) when I didn't know about epoxy ^^

I hope it is going to help you

can you guys give me the ingredients to making your suggestions? and possibly a pic?
@fornoob, do you have a picture of a sample? wouldn't glue get it distorted ?

Hi again,

Hard to get a picture from it since I don't keep my stuff in my tiny room ^^'

Here are some pictures I found on the Internet for the "artificial water" which is based on epoxy:

When you apply it, it is somewhat blue:
artificial water during application

After it dries, please not that it is for modelism: we use to paint the ground under the artificial water in order to give an other more natural color to water (like green or blue...). I didn't found a picture where you can see "artificial water only" but based to my experience, it is completely transparent.

artificial water ready

For the distorsion due to glue or epoxy solutions, it will have almost the same aspect than if you did put water in your box (slightly different of course but it is still transparent).

If your box is in plexiglas or some plastic stuff, be really careful with the epoxy (it attacks polystyren and other plastic, making the plastic going white and dusty, not exactly the effect wanted). Dont use every cyanoacrylate glue (called in french "super-glue", I guess it can be the same word in english ^^): it simply makes a hole in polystyren and make other plastic turn to white too.

So, if you're aiming to use epoxy: check the material of the box and look on google if there are any undesirable effects.
If you're aiming to use glue based mixture: don't use cyano acrylate but PVA glue (no distorsion or chemical problem with it).

Automotive clearcoat, however in very thick applications it tends to shrink and crack while it cures.

You also probably won't be able to buy a small amount of it and it can be rather costly.

4GHZ_or_bust said:

Acrylic maybe? I have seen decorative materials (dried flowers, shiny penny, etc) sealed inside acylic-like material to make it a perma-sealed display stand.

I don't know what it's called actually or if you can get them. I'd be interested because I wanted to display something like r80286 CPU pictured below (uncommon package version of 286 with no pin but rather very much like original version of socket 775/1155/1156/1366/2011 with spring loaded contact on mobo)

Click to expand...

You're probably talking about Lucite. That's the transparent material that's often used for making squares with stuff inside anyways. I have no idea how it's made though.

I would say use a resin or epoxy. I made this in highschool a few years back lol.

It was made in two parts so the pick would stay upright. But after you polish it up it will be crystal clear

Silmar 41 Clear Polyester Casting Resin.
Found on this page, scroll down to the name. Sorry, they don't make individual product pages.
Catalyst is included for the amount you order.

I trust this site. I use their products for all my 'glass work.

thanks for the feedback guys
@realmadrid, why is it sparkly ? and what did you use to make it? where can i find them? (at a store, not online)

Fishing rod building epoxy is clear and hard it would work great. You can buy in lots of different amounts too. And its pretty cheap.

http://www.jannsnetcraft.com/rod-building-epoxy/

no idea what kind of store i have to visit to get these stuff

I hope this works out for you. I want to do this too!!!

i need more info on how to do it, instructions

I beleive there are kits like that, so you can make a paper weight. Like the ones you can get with a scorpion inside etc.. you would have to d a search.

if you have a boating store around, western marine ?, at which you can buy some resin (for fiberglassing a boat/surfboard) and activator (Catalyst); this stuff comes in different finishes, one of which should polish very nice and clear. you can also try a surf shop and buy a repair kit.