[Katherine Swift]

I’m glad to hear you are taking resin safety seriously. While the resin is curing, there is a potential for fumes.

I have a video in this article that explains how I handle room ventilation when I’m creating with resin: https://resinobsession.com/resin-frequently-asked-questions/can-epoxy-resin-make-you-sick/

[RQ]

For a pressure pot to be effective, the resin should stay in (under pressure) the entire curing time. This will ensure that the air that has been compressed (Positive pressure = microscopic bubbles, too small to see) doesn’t re-expand and put those bubble back into your casting.

Vacuum pressure will make the air expand/bubbles grow (negative pressure = bubbles expand). This allows the air to expand, move up and be popped, thereby creating a bubble free pour (yes, you should release the vacuum after a minute or so, to allow (with help) the bubbles to pop.

I’m going to postulate that if you are using pressure, you want the bubbles gone, but it will be in the working during curing process, (casting pen blanks, Jewelry stuff, e.g. small stuff); if you need to remove the bubbles, but you can’t put the entire piece into a pressure pot (Haven’t found a pressure pot to handle a river table yet), then ‘de-gassing’ your resin in a vacuum chamber will allow you to remove a lot of the air before you pour. (large(r) pours = $$)

Although I haven’t tried it myself, but everything I’ve said here (from what I’ve read) also applies to silicone mold making as well. That’s on my experiment list for next week! (Going to try that next so I don’t hand over a small fortune in molds)

[Amanda]

Forgot to ask, is acrylic casting resin a thing? The originals from my doc are made of CNC routed acrylic, and they’ve held up pretty well. If acrylic resin is a real thing, does anyone know where I can find it, and whether it requires a pressure pot or curing oven?

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Keith,

A pressure pot is meant to reduce the bubble size of resin already in a mold. The resin should be kept under pressure during the entire curing time.

You can try using a vacuum chamber to remove the bubbles, but it’s been my experience that it takes the bubbles to the top and makes foam (like beer).

[Emily Hayes]

Hi, I have started gathering the required materials and am looking for a good outdoor space to work with casting resin. We have plastic folding tables and I was wondering if I put down wax paper or garbage bags would that protect the table from the resin? My dad thinks that the resin if spilled could melt the table due to the exothermic curing reaction. I also was thinking through the set up and my thought was to set up the table, cover it and then use my silicone molds. For drying and curing I was thinking of using old tupperware or boxes to cover the pieces. The project would stay outside and we live southeast of houston where it is usually hot and humid. Would any of these described conditions cause any problems for my epoxy resin pieces? I am already aware that they may not have as long of a pot time because of the warm temperatures, should I be aware of anything else?

Thank you,
Emily

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Rolan,

We have a quick-curing polyurethane resin in our store that you can use in molds: https://shop.resinobsession.com/products/alumilite-amazing-casting-resin-16-oz-opaque-white

[Axel H]

Hello and good evening all,

Just an update for anyone who might benefit from this info…

It turns out that the liquid pigment I was using is water-based. This threw off the curing process enough to cause bendy, yet brittle, castings that shattered with the slightest of ease.

I cast my next batch in the same mold, with the same ratio with NO pigment. This resulted in EXTRA hard, sturdy castings that can actually be dropped from much higher without a SCRATCH, not to mentioned chucked at the wall fairly hard with NO damage.

Hope it might help someone, and have a good night all!

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Axel,

Welcome to the world of resin! I’m glad to hear you are doing some QC testing of your keychains before letting customers use them. Smart!

Unfortunately, it has been my experience as well that any hard-curing resin can shatter when it hits a hard surface. You can use a softer-curing resin for your keychains, but they will dent when they hit the floor. Unfortunately, I haven’t found a good ‘best of both worlds’ resin for a project like this. Softer curing resins are also going to show more scratches and wear than the harder curing resins.

I wish I had a good answer for you.

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Alexis,

Congratulations on getting engaged!

Unfortunately, resin isn’t a good choice for a project like this because the heat of curing will melt the chocolate.

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Courtney,

Any time you can create a resin ‘hot box’ in a cold room, that will definitely help with curing. This article will give you some ideas on how to cure resin in cold temperatures: https://resinobsession.com/resin-resin-resin/how-to-get-your-resin-to-cure-in-cold-weather/

I like to use the plastic cups in our store for resin mixing. You can buy them here:
https://shop.resinobsession.com/collections/tools-and-supplies/products/1-ounce-reusable-plastic-mixing-cups
https://shop.resinobsession.com/collections/tools-and-supplies/products/large-10-oz-reusable-resin-mixing-cups

There is a video on those pages that show how I like to clean cups to use them again.

As for the resin safety, it’s my opinion that you can never be too safe. This article details more about how to use resin safely: https://resinobsession.com/resin-resin-resin/epoxy-resin-safety-precautions/

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Jenny,

As long as your glue is fully dry before pouring resin, it won’t impact the curing or clarity. This is the one I recommend: https://shop.resinobsession.com/products/ultra-seal-sealant-and-glue

If you don’t seal the fabric before using it with resin, it can take up moisture stains and change colors.

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Mone,

What a fun project! Unfortunately, any resin tray that falls on a floor with either dent or bend (soft curing resin) or will break (hard curing resin). Unfortunately, there isn’t one that does both.

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Tom,

I think that’s as good a plan as any. You want everything to be as dry as possible so it doesn’t interfere with resin curing.

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Gay,

I know we’ve also been in touch with this by email, but I wanted to answer you here too.

I can understand your concern about the length of curing time. It is normal for this resin to take 24 to 48 hours to start to harden. The thinner the pour, the longer curing will take. More details about this resin can be found as a part of the mixing instructions here: https://resinobsession.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Resin-Obsession-deep-pour-casting-resin-mixing-instructions.pdf.

To make sure this resin cures, you need to keep the curing area warm the entire time, which is 48 to 72 hours.

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Betsy,

Welcome to the world of resin! I’d love to help you with this.

Unfortunately, all resins are going to yellow over time. Resins with UV inhibitors and stabilizers help extend the time before yellowing occurs. However, things such as mixing off ratio (even though it still can cure without tackiness), putting over an improperly cured lacquer, excessive heat, and or constant exposure to sunlight can speed up the yellowing process. How long the epoxy will last in its clear state is very difficult to predict.

As for the best resin, it depends on what you are making. There is no ‘one size fits all’ resin. Our resin buying guide details the resin we sell. You can get a copy here: https://resinobsession.com/resin-frequently-asked-questions/resin-buying-guide/

For what you want to make, you need a casting resin. These mix thin to allow bubbles to easily release. For pours of 3 ounces or less, the Resin Obsession super clear resin is what you want:  https://shop.resinobsession.com/collections/resin/resin-obsession-super-clear-resin
For pours of 3 ounces or more, the Resin obsession deep pour casting resin works great:  https://shop.resinobsession.com/collections/resin/resin-obsession-deep-pour-resin

A heat gun works great to remove surface bubbles. We have some in our store here: https://shop.resinobsession.com/products/wow-embossing-multipurpose-heat-tool-heat-gun. This article also shares some of my best tips for handling bubbles in resin: https://resinobsession.com/resin-frequently-asked-questions/resin-bubbles/

Resin can break if it’s dropped on a hard surface. Softer-curing resins will dent and not break.