[Seda Gün]

Seda Gün
Guest
I have a problem about flowers’ color changing when the resin curing. I use the flowers for a year I did not have this problem but my flowers turn to yellow in resin for 5 months.I mix resin correcty besides I use new flowers but their color still fade. I use same food colouring and I use same parchments when I painting and making dry the flowers. It can related to used parchments or food colour? (My flowers are white Queen Anne’s Lace.)

[Seda Gün]

I have a problem about flowers’ color changing when the resin curing. I use the flowers for a year I did not have this problem but my flowers turn to yellow in resin for 5 months.I mix resin correcty besides I use new flowers but their color still fade. I use same food colouring and I use same parchments when I painting and making dry the flowers. It can related to used parchments or food colour?

[Katherine Swift]

Here are 12 reasons why your resin isn’t curing: https://resinobsession.com/resin-frequently-asked-questions/12-reasons-why-your-resin-didnt-cure/

[CarlyAzuma]

Hello All, as per my experience a longer curing time, might have poorer quality bulbs which would need replacing quicker and have a potential issue with producing lots of heat (fire risk). I wouldn’t want to go too cheap on something like this as I would worry about whether the unit has sufficient build quality and screening to protect me from the UV rays.

[Sina]

Hi everyone! I’m also resin obsessed but this issue of cups sticking to coasters (no tackiness at all on surface) is very disheartening when I’m trying to make a functional product/artwork! In saying that – I notice the BOTTOM of my coaster (the part that was not exposed to air) is perfect and has no issue with cups sitting and sticking to it but my artwork or feature is usually on the top. So – I work with a bunch of engineers (and a few work with resins of all types); but, because they use resin for purposes of manufacturing tankers – they were pretty amazed of the idea of resin coasters lol. To my amazement they could tell the top of the coaster was def less cured than the bottom despite how both seem super hard to me. Anyways, I am merely sharing this info with my fellow resin obsessed people (just in case you did not know).
They advised the following:
1. As many know, the temperature of the room in which your resins are left to cure plays a factor in the curing process, so for instance; my studio is in my garage which is super cold as it’s winter now in Aus and the colder the room – the more moisture/condensation in the air or on the coaster therefore disallowing the surface to FULLY cure. SUGGESTIONS: *Cover the whole project with a container. *Post cure your coasters or *Place a silicone lid on top to mirror the bottom (like sandwiching your resin) so the heat is in a confined space and should cure as the bottom would. In saying this – I haven’t tried this and as my engineer buddies said; would probably take some trial and testing.
2. Post curing could help (the instructions regarding this is usually found in the data/spec sheet) – the supplier of the resin should have this info on their website etc. If not, call them to get it. (p.s I tried this according to my resin data sheet, and – I cracked my coasters so beware – the over exposure to heat). The idea of post curing is to release ALL moisture from the resin. (Another engineer said, UV exposure could work good too).
3. You must ensure the resin you are using has a high tolerance to heat exposure – info usually found in the data sheet as well. This could also play a part in your resin not fully curing.

FINALLY, the biggest suggestion I got which is working OK for me at the moment (a little more time consuming though) is to WORK BACKWARDS, so that the bottom of your coaster, will be the top (considering it fully cures). It’s more fiddly, but the end result – a functional coaster.

SO – I hope this info helps. Check out my page – @serenitycanvascreations – I will be posting up some more info/vids and updates on this issue. P.S I am a super amateur resin user though.

Happy resining. x

[Katherine Swift]

This article explains 12 reasons why your resin isn’t curing: https://resinobsession.com/resin-frequently-asked-questions/12-reasons-why-your-resin-didnt-cure/

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Brent,

What a thoughtful idea!  Heres a few suggestions for you:

1.  It sounds like you’re new to resin jewelry making?  I suggest downloading a copy of my ebook.  It sounds like you have tried a few castings only to have them not turn our right.  I think my book could give you the basic information you need to get started.  Book link: 

https://shop.resinobsession.com/collections/books/products/resin-jewelry-making

2.  Were you hoping to dip your finished resin casting into molten gold?  If so, I don’t know of any resin that will take that kind of heat.  I would suggest finding a gold setting you like and creating a resin cabochon to go into that setting or directly casting the resin and clover into that bezel setting.

3.  Including flowers and such in resin can be tricky.  Have you sealed your items before including them in the resin?  They need to be sealed to make sure they don’t take on water marks or so that the moisture in the item (if it is fresh) doesn’t interfere with curing.

4.  As for which resin to use, I suppose that depends on how you go about making this pendant.  If I were going to do it, I would go the route of finding a gold bezel that I liked, then try to cast the resin and clover in that setting.  I would then use the Resin Obsession crystal doming resin as the resin for that project. You can find it in our store here: https://shop.resinobsession.com/collections/resin/resin-obsession-crystal-doming-resin

You mentioned which resin and catalyst to use.  Whichever you use, the important part is that you need to use ones designed for each other (e.g. don’t use a resin by one manufacturer and a catalyst from another) and be sure to follow their directions EXACTLY.  Not all resins mix the same way!

I suggest working with a few more test pieces first before trying the clover. 

Good luck!

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Allen,

I haven’t used acrylic rods in resin, so I don’t know how they would hold their shape during curing.

I would take the ‘suspension’ approach instead.

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Steph,

It sounds like your resin may have shrunk too much during curing.

[Steph Shore]

I’ve had this problem too with the curing not the cloudiness. I use a polyester resin (1ml to 100ml ratio)

[Ana Atkins]

I was exactly the same and was about to give up but then one final shot and I tried an epoxy resin that voc free and the mixture was 3:1 ratio and it worked. You see the problem we have is the curing and whatever, comes off it in the way of vapours/fumes that seems to be what effects us. With this ratio the curing time is so much longer which to me means I can make my items and be out of the room long before anything starts to cause a reaction. Before I found thus supplier (I am in the UK and they are on ebay) I did think about trying UV epoxy resin as again, we can get out of the way before curing starts. Hope this helps.

[Ronnie]

Hi, Rose! I’ve experimented a lot with UV resin, and I hope these tips/quesstions help 😀

-What color/glitters/etc. are you using in the resin? I find that you can get away with less layers (or even do certain molds all at once) if the resin is clear or light enough for the light to get through it completely. Curing the underside/other sides of the mold once it’s mostly cured also helps me with that!
-You might already be doing this, but if you pre-mix all the resin you’ll with the dyes and stuff you want in it, the layers might be more noticeable than if you have to try to replicate the same color/mixture every time.
-How big is the mold itself?
-To hide the layers a little, you could always coat the finished piece with the mixture, or even make it entirely clear and pour on the dyed resin, so that the layers aren’t visible but you still get the color added.
-Overall, I’d say that you might be able to get away with less layers depending on the specifics. I’ve found that, sadly, doing a project in layers usually makes the layers visible no matter what, but I hope you’re able to figure something out!!

[Rose]

I was working on a project with UV resin – making a Gelatinous cube (a D&D monster). I was told to do it in layers, so that I don’t have problems with curing. But the issue is that the layers are clearly visible. Did I do something wrong? Or is that just the way it is? Any help or advice would be great.

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Jensen,

I’m sorry to hear your super clear resin isn’t curing. There can be several reasons for this. This article explains more:
https://resinobsession.com/resin-frequently-asked-questions/resin-troubleshooting-tips/

Could any of these be happening to you?

[Chelsea Cameron]

Hi,

I think I have figured out how to make breastmilk jewelry with resin. After much trial and error, I have several pieces that are a year old and have not yellowed or discolored. I’m sharing this info for people who want to make for themselves not for a business.

First I take the liquid breastmilk and flash pasteurize it in a double boiler. Then I drip it onto wax paper and put it in the dehydrator for about 10 hours. My dehydrator does not have settings it’s just a plug in I think it’s around 150 degrees. I then scrape the flakes into a pestel and grind it up, if it is greasy from a high fat content sprinkle on arrowroot powder until it becomes more powdery, I was never able to get it to a complete powder, it was still a little greasy and had small clumps that I would just continue to work with a wooden stir stick into smaller pieces. I would then mix a very small amount into the resin, like 1/64 of a tsp. I would then add 1/32 tsp of mother of pearl powder to give it a shimmer. I think all breastmilk jewelry even the very expensive professional ones contain only very small amounts of breastmilk but if all that matters to you is that your piece contain some of your breastmilk then this method should work for you. If your resin is scotch tape sticky after 72 hours of curing use a clear high gloss acrylic to seal the top. I don’t know how to post a picture directly so I will post a link to my Facebook account with pictures. https://m.facebook.com/chelsea.bailey.180?ref=bookmarks Not sure if this link will take you to my profile. I have a couple posts with pictures.