Do you want to cast beautiful river tables, coasters, statues or coat your artwork, pour on a flat surface?Дepending on what you are looking for you need to pick either a Casting Resin or a Coating Resin. When it comes to picking the right Resin, it's important to have your end goal in mind. Non-Toxic (although this is mentioned on your bottle you must still follow the safety precautions mentioned below).With super confusing names and adjectives in each of their names which Resin should you be picking? No matter which Resin you choose here are some characteristics it must have. So there are heaps and by heaps, I mean literally endless brands and even within brands so many options to pick from. Which Epoxy Resin is the best for your project Its many limitations include the limited range of pigments that can be mixed in with it, the specific thickness to which it can be layered, difficulty in getting rid of bubbles and the scale of the projects you can work on. UV Resin is ideal for small projects like fixing jewellery eye pins or smaller parts of certain crafting project but it's nowhere close to as durable as Epoxy. Well, I'm here to tell you the truth is far from it, and if you've tried any of those viral DIY's you know they're an absolute lie. So you've seen a whole bunch of 5-minute craft videos and you're like UV Resin is so easy, you just need to squeeze it out in a cute little cup, mix in some mica powder or pigment, spread it, lay it under the UV lamp and BAM! It's ready. Pot life of Resin refers to the amount of time that you have to work with the Resin till it thickens to a point where you cannot pour it anymore. Mixing ratio is the exact ratio in which part A and part B must be mixed. You need to follow the guidelines mentioned by the brand you're using because no two Resins even within the same brand are formulated the same way and messing with the ratio, proportion and method of mixing can lead to disasters trust me.Д¬uring time is the amount of time it will take for the Resin to completely turn from it's liquid state to the solid-state. Your mixture starts giving out heat while it's setting from the liquid to the solid-state, so if you've ever noticed the cup becoming super hot after you've mixed your Resin well this is why.Дepending on the brand you use and chemical formulation of the Resin, you will mix it in a specific ratio either by weight or volume it will begin to thicken and have a pot life of a certain amount of time and will fully cure within a certain amount of time. Once you've mixed the two parts in the correct ratio either by weight or volume (I'll talk more about this in blog post next week) the chemical reaction begins and it sets off an exothermic reaction. The process of curing in thermosetting polymers can either occur due to the introduction of heat, this can either be external like in case of UV Resin where it's exposed to UV light or it can occur by mixing in a catalyst which is essentially the hardener when it comes to Epoxy. It's a type of plastic that is irreversibly hardened by curing (in more common terms setting) from a liquid state to a solid-state. Now it's time for a little lesson in Chemistry, the subject which I barely managed to pass back in School but when it comes to Resin you can take my word for it. What is Epoxy Resin?Д®poxy Resin is a two-part liquid system, where one part, part A is the Resin and the second part, part B is the hardener. To keep things simple every time I mention Resin I'm referring to Epoxy Resin unless mentioned otherwise and I always mean the mixture of the two parts not just part A. There are heaps of different types of Resins out there and their applications vary across a whole bunch of industries from coating cooling towers ( I know this because a friend of mine does it!) to dentistry, as sealants, primers, paints adhesives the list is endless but when it comes to arts and crafts projects the Resin used is always either Epoxy Resin or UV Resin. The Resin used in art and craft is totally different and synthetically derived.Д«ut first things first now that you know me and are reading my blog I don't want to be a sour grape but it's not 'Raisin' as much as I love raisins and it was the only dried fruit I'd ever eat as a kid when you talk about the art medium it's Resin - Reh Before you start dreaming about beautiful, golden tree goop I need to stop you right there that's not the Resin we're talking about today.

How to use resin art