[Katherine Swift]

This question comes from Noemi:

I have recently received a rose from someone very special and I wanted to keep it.

With the help of the information on your website I decided to make a resin paperweight, for the first time ever working with resin.

I got all the materials, dried the rose with silica gel and made the mix.
Once I took the mould out I found this not so cute bits and imperfections.

I was wondering if you had any advice on how to polish it, if it is even posible.

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Noemi,

Was this casting made with polyester casting resin?

[Noemi]

Hello,

I used this:
Water Clear Casting Resin
Mouldcraftwater© resin is used to make paperweights, preserve medical and biological specimens, and is widely and successfully used in the making of costume jewellery.
Water Clear Casting Resin can also be used by modellers to make ponds and streams or various water effects in landscapes.

I don’t know if it is polyester, sorry.

[Noemi]

Hello,

I used water clear casting resin, I don’t know if this is polyester, sorry.

[Katherine Swift]

Based upon your description, it is likely that it is either a polyester or polyurethane resin. If this is true, the good news is that you can sand your casting to remove the blemishes, then buff with a polishing wheel and compound. Start with a coarse grit sandpaper, then work down to a 1000 grit or higher. I then like to buff the casting with a cotton buff in a polishing cabinet (a flex shaft is an alternative) with fabulustre compound.

[Noemi]

Hello Katherine,

Thank you for the information, now I have hope that it can be fixed.
I obviously don’t have the equipment to do it, but I’ll try to find someone that can do it for a fair price.

Best regards.

[judy kameny applebaum]

Hi Katherine,

I have a similar question. I have been sanding rough edges with increasing numbers of grit – but no matter how I do it, it takes the shine off. If I paint the edges, it doesn’t wind up smooth, and then I’m still in the same boat – I’ll have to sand it again, and take the shine off again. I don’t have a ventilated space (in fact I’m working on my dining room table), so spraying it with a clear finish or resin spray coating isn’t an option. How do you avoid taking the shine off when you sand just the very edges of a piece?

[Katherine Swift]

What’s the highest grit paper you end with?

[Judy]

1200. I’ve also tried a color-coded set that ends with 1 micron as its finest – although that one seems to do almost nothing.

[Judy]

Should I be using a Dremel or other type of buffing wheel to polish my pieces? Would that restore the shine without applying yet another coat of resin?

[Katherine Swift]

If you are using an epoxy, a dremel tool and compound isn’t a good option. Have you looked at the Novus polishing compounds? https://shop.resinobsession.com/collections/tools-and-supplies/products/novus-resin-polishing-kit I have found that if you sand down to 2000 grit or higher, then use the Novus, it does pretty well. Here’s a video on my results here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wm89lAqDCqo&t=1s

[Judy]

Hey Katherine,

Yes, I do use the Novus polish – I guess it just doesn’t make it as shiny as I’d like, as it would if I put another layer of resin on. But then of course, I may have drips which need to be sanded, and then I have the same issue all over again!!!

[Katherine Swift]

I think you will like the Novus better if you can sand down to a 2000 grit or higher sandpaper first. I also like these polishing/sanding papers as well: https://www.riogrande.com/Product/3M-Tri-M-Ite-Imperial-Polishing-Paper-Assortment/337308 I will take my pieces through all six papers before using the Novus.

[Judy]

The reason I was asking about a buffing or polishing wheel is to try to save time, since I’m now producing more pieces at once. It’s really time-consuming to do them each by hand. Would it harm epoxy pieces to use one? Why isn’t it a good option?

[Katherine Swift]

Epoxy generally doesn’t do well with a buffing wheel. It can’t generally cannot withstand the heat generated during the process. You can see what I’m talking about here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iszf4VO459U

[Dorothy]

I’ve been trying to figure out how to cast a full rose. Can you please tell me where you got your mold and how you cast it so bubble free? Thanks in advance!

[Katherine Swift]

We have a large selection of molds in our store. One of the paperweight molds might work for you. Click this molds link:

https://shop.resinobsession.com/collections/molds/paperweight

To make it bubble free, dip it in mixed resin before putting it in the mold. This will break the surface tension and reduce the number of bubbles around the rose.

[Katherine Swift]

This article explains how to sand resin: https://www.resinobsession.com/resin-frequently-asked-questions/how-to-sand-resin-smooth/

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