Small Bubbles! The WORST enemy! I thought I'd take a moment to share some personal stories and resin tips I've learned after four years of creating products with resin!
- I've tried heat guns, but they end up leaving the resin with a strange texture, almost looking like oil on the surface. It would also let out a resin smell in the air that I was not too pleased about. I placed this aside.
- Alcohol spray. This works, but I also noticed that it would leave a strange texture on the surface. I was trying to achieve a clear, smooth surface, and it seemed like this method would vary as the amount I'd spray would also never be the same.
- Waiting for the resin to settle. If you wait for all the bubbles to rise to the surface once you're done mixing, they say it can help avoid these small bubbles. I think the perfect amount of time to leave it sitting is about 5-10 minutes. Any more and you will be losing time with working resin, it's going to get hot and thick fast!
- Popping them by hand. This works, resin seems to be forgiving and can remold into the surface once the bubbles are removed or popped. But this is so time-consuming, and you have to watch it like a hawk.
I use epoxy resin and have found that the best method to avoid these bubbles is by getting an incubator!
You can find incubators in many places, and they have a variety of sizes, shapes, and styles! I find that with this, I can control the environment. With the constant temperature, this helps the bubbles come to the surface and pop or come to the surface so you can pop and fill them in (this is mostly with organic material like flowers since oxygen is hidden everywhere in it!). It also is great to keep the resin out of sight and mind so you are not worried about something falling in it or knocking your piece over!
I have a Vevor incubator which is normally used for reptiles, but it works perfectly for resin! It is an investment that is so worth it and time saving!
Thanks for reading!