Resin art experiments

I’ve been enjoying experimenting with resin art this past week. I’m using UV resin, alcohol inks, silicone molds and cups, and a few plastic tools that came with the molds.

So far I’ve learned

– safety first! Wear appropriate chemical-resistant gloves (nitrile or neoprene), eye protection, and have ventilation, and wear mask when sanding finished pieces or using alcohol inks.

– stir slow when mixing in colors to minimize bubbles

– there will always be bubbles. I use a low power heat gun just run it over the pieces before they cure, moving in small quick circles to prevent moving the resin with the force of the air. You can also use a lighter

– flaws are very apparent in resin, and cheap molds with flaws make flawed resin pieces. In one of the pieces I made butterfly, flower, and a dragonfly inclusions, and tried to set them into a coaster mold. The mold was warped so the resin didn’t settle correctly

– decoupage ephemera including paper can be used with resin!

– I’ve tried a few brands of uv resin, the cheapest I could get online, and some more expensive art brands. I can’t speak to longevity of finished items since I’ve only just started, but so far the cheap uv resin seems just fine. It cures up just as fast, clear, and hard as the more expensive stuff.

– it’s all in the light, higher power uv light cures better.

– You can make a curing station with minimal expense. I used a an old popcorn bucket with a hole covered with mesh. The base is foam wrapped in aluminum foil. inside is a tin can sleeve ( both ends removed) with an acrylic block on top. This gives me two levels so I can cure more things at once

– Some need more light than others: dark molds, large thick pieces, and pieces with dark colors

– doesn’t seem like you can over cure