Making a resin casting smooth

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    • #8066
      Katherine Swift
      Keymaster

      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.

      resin paperweight

    • #8069
      Katherine Swift
      Keymaster

      Hi Noemi,

      Was this casting made with polyester casting resin?

    • #8071
      Noemi
      Guest

      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.

    • #8072
      Noemi
      Guest

      Hello,

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

    • #8073
      Katherine Swift
      Keymaster

      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.

    • #8078
      Noemi
      Guest

      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.

    • #8091
      judy kameny applebaum
      Guest

      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?

    • #8095
      Katherine Swift
      Keymaster

      What’s the highest grit paper you end with?

    • #8107
      Judy
      Guest

      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.

    • #8109
      Judy
      Guest

      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?

    • #8110
      Katherine Swift
      Keymaster

      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

    • #8148
      Judy
      Guest

      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!!!

    • #8149
      Katherine Swift
      Keymaster

      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.

    • #8151
      Judy
      Guest

      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?

    • #8154
      Katherine Swift
      Keymaster

      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

    • #10195
      Dorothy
      Guest

      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!

    • #10201
      Katherine Swift
      Keymaster

      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.

    • #85648
      Katherine Swift
      Keymaster
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