[Katherine Swift]

This question comes to us through email:

HI; my name is Carol. I live in Canada. I have a large fairy garden in my yard and want to put a big fake koi pond in it. It would hold about 1 gallon of epoxy. I am new to this and have done a fair amount of researching on building one but not one of them covers the 4 season outdoor factor. What resin would I buy, would it stay clear and would it hold up to the 4 season as it would be out there all year long. I plan on making polymer clay koi and other water related items to submerge into the pond. I might also, if I find it is possible to make a waterfall running into the pond.

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Carol,

You definitely have a few challenges here. First off, you are going to need an industrial resin to get this done. I would suggest looking into marine resins. While those resins are meant for ‘hard’ outdoor use, they aren’t going to solve all your problems. These resins are generally polyester resins, which will yellow faster than other resins over time. Polyester resins are also very hard and tend to be brittle. I don’t know how well it will tolerate heat/cold over a period of days to weeks.

Have you considered making the pond removable from the ground? You could put the pond in the ground for the 6 or so months of the year the weather is nice. If you did that, a polyurethane resin could also work better here. They tend to be harder/stronger than epoxies and you have more clear formula options as compared to a polyester resin.

As for the waterfall, the best thing would be to find a waterfall mold to use (or make your own). I have had the misfortune of pouring quick cure polyurethane resin (pot time of 3 minutes or less) and it freezing into a waterfall as I was pouring it from the cup. I’m not sure that I would recommend that for your pond. LOL.

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