[Katherine Swift]

Is your resin curing soft? It sounds like it is getting scuffed with wear.

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Lillian,

There could be a few things going on here that are keeping you from the best finish.

1. Are you using enough resin? If you aren’t mixing enough resin to cover your canvas, it will pull away in areas and leave ‘fish eyes’. This article walks you through how to figure out how much resin you need:
https://resinobsession.com/resin-frequently-asked-questions/how-much-resin-do-i-need/

2. Acrylic paints don’t always work for coloring resin. They attract moisture, which can cause curing problems in resin. Colors designed for resin will give you the best results. We have a section of resin colors in our store here: https://shop.resinobsession.com/collections/colorants/Liquid

This article explains more about resin coloring: https://resinobsession.com/resin-resin-resin/how-to-color-clear-epoxy-resin/

3. Bubbles in resin are aggravating aren’t they?! This article should give you some ideas on what you can do differently: https://resinobsession.com/resin-frequently-asked-questions/resin-bubbles/

Good luck!

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Amanda,

You need to use a resin that cures very hard. That includes polyesters, polyurethanes, or a hard-curing epoxies like the Resin Obsession super clear resin and Resin Obsession deep pour resin. You can buy them all in our store here:

Super clear resin: https://shop.resinobsession.com/collections/resin/resin-obsession-super-clear-resin

Deep pour resin: https://shop.resinobsession.com/collections/resin/resin-obsession-deep-pour-resin

Quick-curing polyurethane resin: https://shop.resinobsession.com/collections/resin/products/alumilite-amazing-casting-resin-16-oz-opaque-white

[Ariednne]

I work with both epoxy and UV resin depending on the type of project.

I found UV resin works really well especially if you get the high quality brand from Japan. I use the brand Padico. Their latest product is called Star drop which is a UV-LED resin . The best thing about it is that it can also be cured by LED or UV lights.
Pro: LED cure A LOT faster than UV, it can literally cure in seconds, so you don’t have to worry about frequent UV exposure. you can use a small LED tourch from local hardware store.

Cons: Curing with LED leaves an oily film on the surface of the resin that just stays there. But that can be easily fixed by simply wiping it off with tissue or put it under the UV light for a minute of two.
And pricy compared to epoxy. But if you get the bigger bottle than it will be a lot more cost efficient.
But sometimes you can’t put a price on time right?

I am not sure what kind of project you normally do but I say the UV resin is definitely worth a try.

Ps, I use it to make ear studs that are 6-8mm in thickness so they are not confined to project that are thin and flat. What I do is I put the mould (clear not opaque) directly on top of the LED tourch.

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Dallas,

I’m sorry to hear things are so frustrating for you. It sounds like you are doing a lot of stuff right, so let’s see if we can’t add to that.

I’m not sure how much the change in elevation is playing with your resin. I suspect it must be something because when I use the super clear resin in dice molds, I don’t have this problem and I am in Florida (sea level). The humidity shouldn’t be a problem as it’s humid here all the time and that hasn’t impacted my results.

Is there a way you can keep your molds on the heating pad the entire time that the resin is curing? It sounds like the mold may be cooling off before the resin does which can sometimes lead to bubbles. If you can put a dome over the molds to keep the heat in while curing on the heating pad, even better.

If that doesn’t work, you are going to have to resort to either vacuum casting or pressure casting the resin. Vacuum casting would work here as along has your casting all the way into the sprue of the mold. The vacuum will bring the bubbles to the top of the resin, but they generally don’t pop (think beer foam). You are going to cut/sand the sprue off, so the fact that it has bubbles isn’t a big deal. Otherwise, you can pressure cast the dice which will also get you bubble free results.

Let me know how it goes for you.

[Debbie]

I recently purchased UV resin for quick fixes, never used it before. I have a small UV black light that does cure the resin perfectly except for pitting. I used a butane torch thinking it would pop any bubbles before curing, same as it does in two part resin but it burned the resin. A heat gun doesn’t do anything. Any ideas?

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Guliz,

Unless you have some kind of barrier between the two colors, they will mix, even if you wait for them to get thicker.

It sounds like your resin was cold. Cold temperatures can cause longer curing times.

[Rhonda J. Hunter]

It sounds like a fast curing resin is needed, as well as the brush, mixing small amounts of resin as a time.

[Kim]

I’ve just started trying resin and alcohol inks, and have found mixed information online about safety which is making me anxious about carrying on with my new hobby. Im worried if the resin/ink fumes are dangerous to me or to others in my house (including pets). I dont have space for a dedicated crafting room. I live in UK so keeping back door constantly open would make room too cold and also impractical if have to leave open for full 24hours curing time. I dont use a ventilator mask but getting one only helps protect me not others in my house. Advice would be appriciated thank you.

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Christina,

Each chemical that goes in to formulating resin, silicone, or other plastics has to be tested and tested again for curing properties, for safety and to make sure they don’t leech into food. Products that don’t have a ‘food safe’ designation have either not been tested or have been tested and not found to be safe for food contact.

[Katherine Swift]

8. Painters tape should work for this.

9. Yes, provided it’s something that is designed for resin. If it’s not designed for resin, you may not get the color you were expecting.

10. What effect are you trying to get with your back layer?

11. The resin needs to be in the gel phase before you pour the next layer, otherwise the two layers will blend. If your previous layer, though, is not cured before pouring the next layer, any heat production is additive to the next layer.

12. It might, but because of the nature of wood, bubbles are still a concern. You can fully dry it first, dip it in some resin, then let it cure on a piece of wax paper. That will seal bubbles in. Because the resin is in a thin layer, it should make it easier for them to come to the of the resin and escape before curing.

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Chris,

Yes, you are right in that cold resin can lead to bubbles. Here’s a few things you can do to try to avoid bubbles:

https://resinobsession.com/resin-frequently-asked-questions/resin-bubbles/

One of the things mentioned in the article is to warm up your resin first.

Using a hot box is also a good idea. One of our resinistas shows her hot box for resin curing in this article:
https://resinobsession.com/resin-resin-resin/resin-casting-in-cold-weather/

Low humidity isn’t a problem. If anything, it probably helps a little.

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Jane,

This is the mold release I like to use: https://shop.resinobsession.com/collections/tools-and-supplies/products/petrolease-non-silicone-food-grade-mold-release . I use it on all my molds, whether plastic or silicone.

Baby oil won’t work as a release as it will interfere with the resin curing. Petroleum jelly can work but I have found that it is impossible to get it on evenly. You are going to see streaks in your castings.

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Joyce, I don’t think resin will work for what you want to do. It isn’t flexible after curing and also doesn’t have the ‘grip’ that people would expect when using a pot holder.

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Mark,

I don’t know that I would use spray foam for something like this as it will likely release bubbles into your resin while it’s curing.

Perhaps you could use a clear acrylic plug as a filler? You can resin either end.