FAQ

The sky’s the limit with Clear Resin! Add a glossy, protective finish to artwork, create stunning fluid art geodes and ocean paintings, pour into molds to make decorative items like jewelry and keychains, and craft functional pieces like coasters, tumblers, trays, and cheese boards. Go ahead - let your creativity run wild!

Clear Resin sticks to many different surfaces, including wood, paper, photos, canvas, fabric, glass, ceramics, clay, stone, tile, sculpture, and more. We recommend doing a test before starting your project to make sure Clear Resin will stick to your surface.  Clear Resin won’t stick to plastic, vinyl, silicone, wax, or parchment paper. This is why these materials make the best choice for resin tools and work surface liners. After you’ve finished your project, lay wet plastic tools to dry on the liner. The next day, the cured resin will peel off and the tools can be used again.

When coating artwork, Clear Resin will settle to about an ⅛ inch thickness all on its own. (In fact, our resin calculator is based on a ⅛ inch pour.) However, if you want a thicker layer, like for pouring into a mold, pour the resin in stages, with each layer no thicker than ¼ inch. Pouring layers thicker than ¼ inch can trap bubbles, and the resin could even overheat. You can pour in stages a couple of different ways: either pour the next layer while the first layer is still sticky (which takes about 3 hours) or let the first layer dry completely (which takes about 24 hours), scuff it up with sandpaper, clean it off, and then pour the next layer on top. The sanding marks will disappear when you pour the fresh resin on top, so don’t let them worry you.

Clear Resin is a premium product with all the important safety features you want from a resin, like being non-toxic, non-flammable and low odor. It’s made with high quality ingredients and doesn’t contain things like solvents that can harm your health. Clear Resin doesn’t release fumes or VOCs either, so you can use it without worry wherever you like to work, whether that's at home, in a studio, or in your garage.  And, if you prepare it according to the label directions and let it fully cure, it’s FDA-compliant and safe for use as a food contact surface. When you’re using Clear Resin, work in a well-ventilated area and wear disposable gloves to prevent your skin from getting irritated. 

The temperature of your workspace is important when working with epoxy resin. Ideally, you want to pour in a room that’s around 75-85F (24-30C) for the first 24 hours of the curing process to help the resin cure evenly and reduce the chance of surface defects.   If the room temperature is too hot, the resin might overheat and flash cure. If it’s too cold, the curing process slows and the resin might not cure at all (until it’s moved to a warmer spot). If the temperature fluctuates in the first 24 hours of the cure, it can result in surface defects like dimples and wrinkles. For the best results, keep your workspace temperature stable for the first 24 hours within the ideal range of 75-85F (24-30C).

Resin bubbles can be frustrating, but there are ways to deal with them. The most effective is to run a flame torch one or two times over the resin surface and watch those bubbles disappear! However, if you’re working with a silicone mold, use a heat gun instead as a flame torch can damage silicone. Unfortunately, a hair dryer isn’t effective at removing bubbles (although it’s great for creating cool effects in fluid art pieces.) To minimize bubbles from the start, your resin and hardener should be at 75-85F (24-30C). If the resin is cold, place the bottles, with the lids tightly fastened, in a warm water bath to bring the product up to temperature. Make sure to wipe the bottles dry before pouring. Stir the resin and hardener slowly to prevent excess bubbles. Some artists like to let the resin sit in the mixing cup for a few minutes so bubbles can rise to the surface and pop, but be aware that resin can get hot and flash cure if left sitting for too long.

24 hours after pouring, Clear Resin will be dry to the touch and ready to be handled. This is a great sign that the curing process is well underway. Over the next couple of days, the resin will continue to cure and will reach its maximum hardness at about the 72-hour mark. If you notice the resin is still a little bendy, no need to panic - it might just need a more curing time. Be patient and let it continue to do its thing.

Clear Resin’s working time is approximately 35 minutes, and the clock starts ticking immediately after you’ve mixed the resin and hardener. The resin will start to gel up and eventually will become too thick to pour or spread. Time flies, so it’s a good idea to have your artwork prepped and all your tools ready before you measure and mix. One important thing to note: if you warm the resin and hardener in a water bath, you'll lose about 10 minutes of working time.

Clear Resin can be tinted with several colorants including mica & pigment powder, pigment paste, colorant made for resin, and even glow in the dark powder. Acrylic paint is water-based, so it’s best to only use it in small amounts. Limit the amount of colorant used to no more than 6% of the total resin and hardener to avoid affecting the curing process. Oil paints are not recommended due to poor mixing with resin, and solvent-based colorants like alcohol ink should be used with caution since they’re flammable (so don’t use a torch) and will negate Clear Resin’s non-toxicity. 

Cured Clear Resin is heat resistant up to 120F (50C), but it’s best to let it fully harden for 72 hours before shipping artwork or putting functional items (like coasters or trays) to use. If exposed to temperatures higher than this, the resin may soften, but don’t worry - it’ll harden up again as it cools down. It’s a good idea to avoid leaving resin objects in hot places for too long or putting anything hotter than a cup of tea or coffee on the surface.

There are two options that work well: 1. Wearing gloves, use a paper towel or baby wipe to remove as much resin as you can. Then, clean the remaining residue with acetone or isopropyl alcohol on a paper towel. Repeat the process until all traces of resin are gone. Finally, wash the tools with hot soapy water and let them air dry to use again next time you resin. 2. Let your plastic tools dry on a work surface lined with either vinyl, silicone, wax paper, or parchment paper. The next day, the cured resin should come off easily. If there are any stuck-on bits, you can use sticky tape to remove them.

To remove a bubble, hair, or dust in your cured resin, start by wearing a mask and sanding down the whole surface of the piece using coarse sandpaper. Once you’ve sanded out the defect, wipe the surface clean with damp paper towel and let it dry. To restore the surface, pour a fresh layer of resin on top and protect the piece from airborne contaminants with a dust cover. (Don’t worry - the sanding marks will disappear once the new layer of resin is applied.)

Clear Resin has a shelf life of 1 year if unopened, and 6 months after opening. Over time, the hardener may turn yellow due to oxygen exposure but this will not affect its curing capabilities. This discoloration will be diluted when the hardener is mixed with the resin and will be absolutely undetectable when the mixture is tinted or poured over dark surfaces and wood.