[siobhan]

 I have been using epoxy resin for about a year now, in bezels and shallow applications, but have recently started trying to cast deeper moulds like bangles and rings. Im having terribe trouble with bubbles. I mean TERRIBLE. I can get the bubbles out of the shallow castings fine but some of the silicone moulds i have are quite deep and its impossible to get down to the resin to get bubbles out. I do the whole warming the bottles first and letting it sit and warming the moulds first etc and often theres little or no bubbles in the pot but i pour and when i pop out the bangle or whatever its got bubbles in. Not just on top but in the middle and they arent the big ones you can pop with a stick its the little teeny tiny ones. I dont know what to do, its really getting me down as every piece is ruined. I cant find a decent tutorial on how to get bubbles out of deep castings, but i know it can be done because i see all these beautiful clear bubble free bangles on etsy! Or are they just photographing them in such a way as you dont see the timy bubbles?? Please help

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Siobhan,

I’m sorry to hear you’re having a problem with bubbles.  Here are a few of my thoughts:

What kind of resin are you using?  Some resins are better suited for pouring into molds (like the Resin Obsession super clear resin).  The super clear resin is a thin viscosity resin, so bubbles are almost never a problem.  You can find it in our store here: https://shop.resinobsession.com/collections/resin/resin-obsession-super-clear-resin Certain doming resins, which are great for bezels, are too thick to use in deep molds like this without bubbles becoming a problem.

It sounds like you’re being very careful when mixing your resin.  The best bubble advice I can give is to prevent them in the first place.

You may want to try coating your silicone mold with a bit of resin before pouring the entire amount.  I can’t explain the physics here, but it has something to do with the surface tension trapping air (usually as tiny bubbles) at an edge.  You could pour some silicone in and roll it around or use one of our craft brushes to brush it on the inside of your mold.  https://shop.resinobsession.com/collections/tools-and-supplies/products/reusable-plastic-mixing-cups-with-mixing-utensils Once your mold is coated, pour in the rest of your resin.

If these tips don’t work, you will either need to vacuum or pressure cast your resin to avoid bubbles.

Good luck!

[siobhan]

 Hi Katherine,

I first of all got the envirotex lite then read that its no good for deep moulds so im just using that for coasters at the moment. I then went and got the easy cast resin which i read WAS suitable…did i read the wrong forum? :(. 

If i were to purchase your resin would it be able to be shipped to my country? (Ireland). I have just recently heard of the vaacuuming the moulds and i dont really know what that is or what it entails. Is there a link to a tutorial or something for that? Thank you for taking the time to reply

PS i tried the coating the sides of the mould yesterday and nope, the bangle and ring came out with bubbles, less than before but still a lot..i could cry 

[Katherine Swift]

Siobhan,

Yes, Easy Cast will work for molds, but it is also a doming resin.  Doming resins are thicker and more likely to hold bubbles.  Is your Easy Cast bubble-free when you pour it?  I think it tends to hold microbubbles more than other resins.  Unfortunately, I don’t have a good vacuum or pressure casting video I can share with you, but its something we’re working on.

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