SUPERWET™ – the super active wetting agent and debubblizer.

Many of our customers have asked us how to lessen the chance of incorporating bubbles when pouring into the Orbix TM base formers. The Orbix formers are made of silicone rubber, which is very durable, flexible and easy to clean due to the natural slipperiness of silicone. This slipperiness is caused by the very low surface energy of silicone, which unfortunately also makes silicone very hydrophobic (water repelling) or hard to wet. To make pouring less technique sensitive we were recommending wetting the base former with a debubblizer or wetting agent before pouring. This should completely cover the surface of the former with a microscopic film to raise the energy of the surface above that of water and allow water (or water based stone mix) to flow easily over the surface. Much to our surprise we were unable to find a debubblizer that would reliably wet the surface of high-grade silicone rubber. Hence the birth of Superwet. Employing the latest advances in surface chemistry, Superwet easily overcomes the extremely low surface energy of silicone rubber. Some of the newly available high-tech components used in Superwet actually sell for thousands of dollars per kilo! Here's a good method to demonstrate the effectiveness of Superwet. Clean and dry the bottom surface of an Orbix Base Former (the large size has the most surface area.) Now spray water on the surface while holding the former vertically. You will see that the water just beads up on the surface essentially repelling from and having as little contact with the surface as possible. Now spray a light mist of Superwet onto the water beads on the surface and watch them instantly dissolve together and sheet up across the surface. The surface will now be definitely wet with the water. To test the effectiveness of dry Superwet on a surface, spray the surface with Superwet and shake off the excess and let the surface dry. Now spray a light mist of water onto the treated surface and you will see the small bit of water that you spray will sheen and completely wet the surface. Compare that with an untreated surface and you will see the radical difference that Superwet makes. Another acid test is to use the siliconized paper that is used as a backing for pressure sensitive labels. Spray the slippery side of this paper with Superwet and you will find the surface wets easily. Try spraying any other debubblizer/wetting agent on this paper and you will probably not find any that will be able to wet the surface of the paper evenly much less dry to leave a completely wettable surface. We are sure you will find Superwet to be the best debubblizer/wetting agent for any and all impression pouring and wax pattern investing. NOTE: to avoid any inaccuracy when impression pouring or investing, the debubblizer should be completely dry before the pouring or investing is done. When pouring model bases however, distortion is not a critical concern and you may find it a little easier to pour a bubble free base by pouring just before the Superwet has completely dried while the inside surface of the former is still slightly damp.