[lillian]

I mixed some resin on Saturday morning, and today it still seems “soft”. I see a slight fingerprint if I touch it, or crease if I put my fingernail to it. Should it take this long? What can I do differently next time? Im using SuperClear product. I have to admit too that I experimented w/ color by adding a pinch of spice (mustard & chili powder) which added a nice hue to it.

Any suggestions on speeding up the process?

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Lillian!

Thanks for sharing your question.  Without knowing exactly what you did, Im going to go through and talk about a few areas that might be a problem (which may or may not apply).

1.  How old is your resin?  We recommend only purchasing enough resin that you can comfortably use within 3 to 6 months of purchase.  Eventually, moisture will collect in your bottles, which will affect how it cures.

2.  Are you keeping your resin in a climate controlled environment?  If the temperature changes a lot, moisture will collect on the inside of the lids which can drip into your resin and affect cure hardness.

3.  Did you measure it properly?  I know some people will talk about a little more of this, or a little less of that, but the Resin Obsession super clear resin mixes as two parts resin to one part hardener.

4.  Did you mix it thoroughly?  This is usually where I have goofed.  You need to mix the resin for approximately 3 minutes, scraping your sides and your mixing utensil as you go.  (There is a video on our youtube channel about this as well —  http://www.youtube.com/resinobsession)

5.  Were your mixing cups dry?  If you had reused them, was there any leftover residue?

6.  Perhaps your spices werent as dry as you thought.  I would suggest drying them in a 150 degree oven for a few hours next time before adding to your resin.

7.  What was the temperature of the room you were making your resin project in?  Was it at least 70 degrees?  Was your resin warm as well (i.e. not cold like keep in refrigerator or something)?

The take away point here, resin hates moisture.  You have to make sure everything is dry.  (and a note to anyone else who reads this, if your resin hasnt cured after the cure time, its not going to)

Ill make a couple other comments too about your resin project.

Is it tacky to the touch (like touching a piece of tape)?  You can try sanding the top off the resin or pouring another layer on top of it.  If its more goopy, then youll have to toss it.

In general, epoxy resin isnt as hard as other resins, so even if your epoxy resin properly cures, you can dent a fingernail in it if you want to.

[lillian]

 Thanks so much for these suggestions!

I do remember thinking my bottles were a little cool (not very lukewarm) but assumed it would be ok. I cant remember when I purchased the kit (under previous owner) but Ill try a project again but keep it clear and see how that works.

When I popped the pieces out of the molds they do have a tacky, gummy bear feel to them 🙁 so sad because their really pretty lol, guess Ill use them as a reminder of what NOT to do next time!

Thanks again!

[Katherine Swift]

You bet.  🙂

[Belinda]

Using Easycast, I did a casting last week that worked really well. I put a few objects into a shallow bezel and had no problems at all

Last night I did a pour, again a thin pour into shallow bezels. I measured carefully, all my cups/stirsticks were dry, but after mixing, I noticed the resin was setting up quickly. I did my pour and when I checked this morning, the resin is very tacky in the settings. Ill probably have to toss it all. 🙁

The only difference I can think of was the temperature in the room. It was very cold last night. I briefly warmed the bottles but it might not have been warm enough.

For this sort of project, is there a preferred resin? Ive always used the Easycast. Michaels carries a 2/1 type, I dont know who makes it but it seemed expensive.

[Katherine Swift]

Belinda,

Based upon what youre telling me, I wonder if you warmed it up too much.  The first thing I think of when someone mentions that their resin started setting up very quickly is that it was very warm to begin with.  Warming speeds up the curing time?

Can you pour another layer over the top of your bezels?

[Katherine Swift]

We have troubleshooting articles here that may be helpful as well:
https://www.resinobsession.com/tag/troubleshooting/

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