At first glance this looks like something you’d only find in a dentist’s office. But in my shop, dental temporary crown and bridge material has turned into one of the cleanest support materials I’ve ever used for precision machining.
Why It Works in a Machine Shop
The resin sets stiff, bonds firmly, and holds parts exactly where you need them. But here’s the kicker: it releases cleanly with a bit of hot water. That makes it a kind of “sacrificial soft jaw” material—one that you can form directly around a part, machine against, and then dissolve away without leaving residue or requiring elaborate fixtures.
How I Use It in Practice
Let’s say I’m working with a thin or fragile flat stock part that can’t tolerate vibration or clamping pressure. I’ll machine one side of the stock, then flip it over and fill the void with this material. Once it hardens, I have a perfectly flat, rigid support underneath. I can then machine the other side all the way through without chatter, flex, or the need for custom soft jaws.
When the job’s finished, I just dunk the part in hot water. The resin softens, releases, and the part comes out clean—no chiseling, no solvents, no ugly clamping marks.
The Results
This workflow consistently gives me parts that are fully machined, perfectly supported, and free of distortions. It’s especially useful for fine or thin geometries, small-batch prototyping, and one-off precision jobs where making a dedicated fixture would be overkill.
Why I Recommend It
Strong, rigid support that doesn’t deform under machining.
Easy, mess-free release with hot water.
Inexpensive compared to industrial “fixturing wax” or custom fixtures.
Comes in convenient cartridges ready to use with a mixing tip.
This stuff was designed for making temporary dental crowns, but in a prototyping environment it’s one of the smartest hacks I’ve come across. If you do fine machining and need reliable support that disappears when you’re done, it’s worth keeping a few cartridges on hand.