My latest resin experiments feature New Classic Epoxy Resin. A 1:1 thick and hard-drying resin that is scent-free and crystal-clear, New Classic was delivered quickly, without any problems.
New Classic Resin works great, dries hard and clear, with no stickiness. There tend to be a lot of bubbles in the mixing process, but these rise up and pop given 5 or ten minutes to rest, and New Classic Epoxy Resin can be torched. Make sure to get a mold release, and carefully coat your molds. I broke a couple of my silicone molds when I failed to use a release.
I have been experimenting with different alternatives to mold release as it’s expensive and kind of hard to find unless you go online. Thus far both silicone and baby oil do the job, but you have to make sure to wipe your molds carefully with a microfibre cloth, or there will be some oil patterning on the surface of the final piece.
Regular Price is $200 (CAN) for 1 Gallon ($1.25 per ounce)
For molded pieces so far, my favorite resin is Liquid Diamonds. It is a very thin 2:1 epoxy resin, about the consistency of water. There are few bubbles, it is scent-free, and it is an excellent epoxy resin for molds that have a lot of fine details. It isn’t a good “doming” resin, being too thin for that purpose. It takes mica well, but not glitter. Glitter will sink right to the bottom of the mold. It’s a little pricy. But it’s a very reliable mold-based resin that dries hard and crystal-clear in 24 hours.
I did pull some resin out of the mold early, and it ruined the piece, but I found that it was almost sculptable at that point. Sort of like polymer clay. I haven’t had time to experiment with it but will post an update when I have a chance. Liquid Diamonds Epoxy Resin works great, dries hard and clear, with no stickiness. It can be torched, but there is little need for that, as there are often no bubbles at all while mixing the resin. I would recommend a mold release on all resin though so far I have done several test pieces with Liquid Diamonds Epoxy Resin with silicone and latex molds, and haven’t had any problems.
Regular Price is $70 for a half gallon ($0.87 per ounce)