[Erin]

 Sadly Im in the UK so that isnt an option, though I have asked on another forum about available equivalents (slightly different reason, surface curing of polyester resin) – no suggestions yet, however.

I stuck the feather using mod podge hoping it would both seal it and alter the index of refraction. Ive put it in the resin tonight so will see how it looks tomorrow, though it did look suspiciously transparent again.

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Monica,

The first thing I would ask you is whether or not you have experience with any of all three of these resins.  There are pros and cons to each of these, but ultimately, you need to use the one you are most comfortable with.

How are you going to make these beads?  Plastic mold?  Silicone mold?  That will also impact my answer.

If getting your castings bubble free is very important to you, then epoxy is the way to go.  The other two are much quicker curing and may not let you get all the bubbles out before it starts to gel.  The polyester and polyurethane resins are nice in that they will finish harder, which would be important if you expect your beads to be in a high impact situation.  Here’s a post on our blog that may help you as well:  https://resinobsession.com/resin-frequently-asked-questions/what-kind-of-resin-should-i-use/

Share some more details here and I can refine my answer some more.

[Katherine Swift]

Strange!  Is it sinking too?  Are you using a coarse glitter or a fine glitter?  Is your resin curing okay otherwise?

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Eleonora,

Here are a few of my thoughts:

1.  Are you mixing the recommended minimum amount?  Its almost like your resin isnt getting hot enough to cure.  Since resin is a chemical reaction, you need a minimum amount to mix together in order to produce enough heat.

2.  How old is your resin?  You mention that its yellow.  Maybe its past its good shelf life?

3.  How have you been storing your resin?  If it is indeed old, maybe it also has some water contamination.

4.  Perhaps youre experiencing the change of seasons I hear a lot about.  Living in Florida, I havent run into this problem, but I have spoken with several other resin artists in Northern climates that have curing problems moving into the warmer and cooler parts of the year.  Maybe your resin temperature hasnt caught up with the ambient temperature yet.  Try warming your bottles for 5 minutes in a warm water bath before using next time.

Let us know what ends up working for you.

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Sarah,

73 degrees should be warm enough for your resin to cure.  Was it at this temperature for the entire time?  If so, I would wonder if your resin was measured and mixed properly.  If it wasnt that warm the entire time, I would make sure to have it at that temp the entire curing time.

As long as your resin is just a little sticky on the surface (not gooey), another layer of resin over top should be fine.

[Dan]

Hi Katherine,

thanks for the response.

Is there a polyester resin in particular that you would recommend? Also, is polyester resin generally as good for embedding dried flowers as epoxy? I somehow feel like flowers would fall apart more easily in polyester resin than epoxy resin, while curing. Ive been wary of using polyester for this reason.

[Katherine Swift]

Hi,

This is a pretty common occurrence with quick cure polyurethane resins when vacuum casting.  I checked with the Smooth On (the product manufacturer) online directions for this product, and they say vacuum casting is not necessary.

If anything with polyurethane resins, pressure casting is a better choice.  It will make the bubbles very small and keep them that way while curing rather than trying to suck them out.

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Sally,

I like to use nitrile gloves.  The nitrile gloves we sell on resinobsession are also approved for use for medical personnel when administering chemotherapeutic agents.  (meaning they are not very permeable to chemicals)   

In general, I dont like to use latex gloves because sometimes latex can inhibit curing (mostly with silicones), and it is also more permeable than nitrile.

I also wonder if youre having a reaction to the latex instead of the resin?

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Denise,

As soon as you mix your resin and hardener, the chemical reaction starts.  Whether you pour it in the mold or leave it in the cup, it’s going to start curing after the specific pot time.  You either need to find another use for the resin left in the cup or plan on mixing less.  If you need ideas for leftover resin, here are some:  https://resinobsession.com/resin-resin-resin/leftover-resin-small-resin-projects-to-put-it-to-good-use/

[Katherine Swift]

Roberta,

There are many reasons why your resin isn’t curing.  The two big things that I would suggest you start with are that you are

1.  Measuring accurately
and
2.  Mixing thoroughly

I would say these account for approximately 75 percent of curing problems that I help people with.  Beyond that, its almost case by case dependent.  Heres a link on our blog with some other troubleshooting articles: https://resinobsession.com/tag/troubleshooting/

[Katherine Swift]

Terri,

Here are my thoughts:

1.  The mold release may not have been dry.  I like to use a light mist, then let it dry for about 20 to 30 minutes before using the mold.

2.  Even though youre using a space heater, resin does best when the room temperature is in the low to mid 70s F.  Maybe you could try to create a tent or hot box to hold the heat for the resin while its curing.

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Lan,

Heres a few of my thoughts:

I don’t think you need to go to the trouble of putting the caps on wax paper and gluing them all together.  I think you will do just fine gluing them to the bottom of your tray after you fill them.  You will for sure want to glue them to the tray to keep them from floating up when you pour the resin.

As for filling them, you can certainly do resin, although that much resin can get expensive.  I have seen others use glue or caulk, but I dont have any experience with that.

I would not use polyester resin for this project.  The surface that is exposed to air will be sticky, even after curing.  That means your entire tray will be tacky once you’re done.  I would go with Envirotex Lite (you can find it in our rein section) and pour it in two layers.  One to get mostly up the sides of the bottle caps, but not completely cover them.  The second layer would be enough to cover the caps completely.  When this resin cures, it will be very glossy and shouldn’t need any sanding.  I recommend two layers here because this resin is very syrup-y.  It can be difficult to get bubbles out if the layers are too thick.  If you’re wondering how much resin you will need, I would suggest using the guide on the blog on how much resin to cover a painting:  https://resinobsession.com/resin-art/how-to-apply-a-glossy-resin-layer-to-a-painting/

Good luck!

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Tracy,

I would suspect that the heat of the curing resin could melt your parrafin wax.  However, you could make a model from parrafin wax that you could then use to make a silicone mold from.

[Katherine Swift]

Hi P,

Here a couple of comments in ALL CAPS from the manufacturer:

1. When  the polyester resin starts to gel and harden in the silicone  mold (approx. 2-3 hr.), the resin edges receded from the  silicone mold edges. I understand that resin shrinks while  curing, but in this case the shrinkage left the sides of the  resin with a coarse surface and scratches, much like scrunched up paper. How can I make the sides of the resin  smoother? THE SIDES OF THE CASTING WILL BE DRY WHEN ENOUGH CATALYST IS USED SO CONSIDER INCREASING CATALYST BY ABOUT 20% AND KEEP NOTES OF WHAT YOU DO TO BE ABLE TO REPRODUCE THE SUCCESS 

2. I have both silicone molds  shiny surface and those with matte surface. Does this factor  affect what I wrote in 1.? It looks like the one with a  matte surface, which happens to be a large circle, is most  prone to scratches. MATTE SURFACE ON A MOLD RESULTS IN MATTE SURFACE ON THE CASTING. A GOOD QUALITY POURABLE SILICONE LIKE EASYMOLD BRAND SILICONE WILL RESULT IN A GLOSSY SMOOTH SURFACE WHEN THE ORIGINAL ITEM IS GLOSSY.

3. I have experimented with both plastic and silicone molds. It seems the plastic  molds creates smooth resin sides. I am puzzled as to why has  not been the case for silicone molds. GOOD QUALITY PLASTIC MOLDS ARE POLISHED 

4.  When working with polyester resin, Ive heard that you  should prevent air from entering for proper curing, and I  saw you cover the silicone mold in one of your videos. Does  this also help make the sides of the resin smooth, rather  than scratched? COVERING THE MOLD HELPS ALL OF THE CASTING REMAIN A BIT WARMER DURING THE CASTING PERIOD – WORK AT 70-75*F.

5. Does mold release agent/spray help maintain smooth resin edges in silicone  mold? Or, does it only prevent resin from sticking and  extending the life of the silicone mold? RELEASE SPRAY HELPS PREVENT RESIN FROM PULLING BITS OF SILICONE FROM THE MOLD WHEN REMOVING THE RESIN CASTING

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Shannon,

It sounds like what you’re seeing is where the resin is shrinking a little bit as it cools.  It produces an edge on resin charms. This commonly occurs with resin (even with brands that aren’t Ice Resin) as the surface tension between the resin and the side of the mold keeps the resin creeping up the side of the mold while the center shrinks during curing.  Im afraid sanding the cured edges is the best way to take care of this.

I talk more about it here: https://youtu.be/S6xlrNQDp_0