[Katherine Swift]

HI Kate,

I haven’t used resin over plaster of paris so I don’t know how it would work. If getting the plaster wet will change the appearance, then yes, you will need to seal it before applying resin.

As for keeping it from pooling, rotating the sculpture is the best way. Either constantly rotating in a horizontal line or flip vertically while curing.

Good luck!

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Agni,

I’m not sure resin is the best choice for a project like this. It’s going to be hard to keep the resin ‘in place’ the entire time it’s curing, especially without making a mess.

Have you not had luck finding a wood filler that would work for something like this?

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Latoya, it sounds like your cup and resin aren’t rotating long enough during curing.

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Jennifer,

Warming should definitely help. Sometimes bubbles can escape from a wooden stick, so a plastic stick may be helpful. We have some in our store here: https://shop.resinobsession.com/collections/tools-and-supplies/products/resin-obsession-stir-stix-stirstix-plastic-paddles

Your room is a little cool too. Low 70’s F is best for resin curing.

[Angela Vitello]

Hi Phuong, this is happening to me too! I use Resin Obsession resin and a silicone mold. The side that is in the mold is curing just fine and doesn’t have a blurred effect after wear but the side that I “dome” after the first layer cures is getting blurry upon one day of wear. It isn’t curing soft either! I am wondering if it’s because the resin layer on the dome is too thin to cure properly? Like I said, at first it appears to cure just like the other side but then only blurs after wear. I’m really unsure. I might try a finishing spray, I’ll get back to you on those results!

[Tori]

Will that color change happen in the 24 hours that the resin is curing if they are not dried enough? I pressed my own flowers and they didn’t change colors when I put them in resin and now that my resin is fully cured Im hoping they will stay that way since I am new to pressing flowers.

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Raven, it sounds like there is moisture in the molds that is affecting your resin curing.

[Carolyn]

I am pouring resin into coasters and then I scatter pieces of brick all around the bottom. Then I place a laminated picture that I have cut out and put glue to totally seal it! Then I use a torch to get rid of bubbles! It looks fine but while it’s curing some bubbles appear near the edges of the picture. So small and some large. What am I doing wrong? Temp in room is 74 and humidity is 40%! I do not warm my resin!! Please help me with this problem. I’m using resin from Hobby Lobby called Aluminate! Thanks!

[Raven]

I will try that next time. I have honestly never tried to apply any layer during curing process so that will be a nice new section to add in my notes and I bet the process would be much quicker. Thank you so much for your advice!
-Raven

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Carolyn,

You will have to find a way to support the toobie while the resin is curing.

[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.