[Katherine Swift]

This question comes through email by Sara:

 I teach a high school jewelry class in Provo Utah. We have been using Easy Cast Epoxy to fill belt buckle blanks with found objects and it has been working well.  When I have seen belt buckle blanks for sale on line and at farmers markets filled with epoxy they often feel and/or look harder.  Its not that ours arent curing dont get me wrong they are hard (no mush or soft spots) but when I ware one consistently I have noticed that it does scratch and sometimes if you press your thumbnail into it (with conviction) you can see a slight impression.  I have added a coat of spray paint and it smoothes out, but it begs the question is there something better? Will the polyresin set harder and be more durable?  There is a lot of information out there from hobby crafters, I have tried to sift through youtube videos & blogs but there is a lot of info.  Some are saying use boat resin, some are saying fiberglass, I think that I need a professionals opinion.  Any assistance would be great in helping my students further their love for resin crafts.

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Sara,

What you’re experiencing with Easy Cast resin I would say is pretty typical.  Even when it cures fully, it is softer than when compared to other resins.  The polyester resin will cure harder, but it’s not a good choice for what you’re doing for two reasons:

1.  The surface exposed to air remains tacky.  That would mean your entire bezel surface would be sticky to the touch.

2.  The smell is horrible.  It’s not something I like to work with without using a NIOSH respirator for fumes.

Since you’re using it with students, an epoxy resin is best.  Two that we sell that I recommend trying are the

Resin Obsession crystal doming resin — good for bezels and coatings: https://shop.resinobsession.com/collections/resin/resin-obsession-crystal-doming-resin
Resin Obsession super clear resin — good for molds: https://shop.resinobsession.com/collections/resin/resin-obsession-super-clear-resin

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