ADD COLORANT (optional)

• Add just a little dye or pigment at a time until the desired shade is achieved. Generally, two or three drops of colorant per ounce of resin will provide the intensity desired. Too much colorant will inhibit the cure of the, resin.
• Remember, the color will look darker in the cup than in the casting, due to the depth of the container. Stir well to blend.

ADD CATALYST

• The size of the mold, the depth of the pour and your room temperature will determine the amount of catalyst used.
• Following the chart opposite or the resin manufacture’s label directions, add the appropriate amount of catalyst to the casting resin. It is very important to be exacting in this step to assure proper curing.

MIX THOROUGHLY

Using a stir stick or tongue depressor, mix resin and catalyst thoroughly and vigorously for at least one minute. Scrape the sides and bottom of cup with your stir stick to insure proper mixing of resin and catalyst.

POUR INTO MOLD

Make sure mold is clean, dry and level before pouring. Do not pick up or move the mold once you have poured the first layer. (See Fig. #1)

ALLOW TO GEL

• Resin will gel (to consistency of set Jell-O™) in about 15 to 25 minutes. Test the surface with a stir stick. There must be sufficient firmness to support the weight of your embedments. If surface has not reached a firm gel, wait a few more minutes and test again with your stir stick.
• Layers in a casting must not be allowed to fully cure or harden until the final layer has been poured. A fully cured layer will shrink away from the sides of the mold, allowing an additional pour to run down the sides of the previous layers. If this should occur, it would necessitate a lengthy sanding and polishing job.

PLACE YOUR EMBEDMENTS

• REMEMBER.., you are layering in reverse. The first layer you pour becomes the front of your cast piece.
• Put embedments in place face down on top of the gelled layer. (See Figure #2)

TIPS TO PREVENT TRAPPING AIR BUBBLES

• When embedding items that may entrap air bubbles on their ‘face’, pour half of your next batch of catalyzed resin into the mold before placing the embedments. Then, lower embedments slowly into the resin to expel air bubbles.
• For a dimensional object such as a dried flower, dip it into your next batch of catalyzed resin before placing face down onto the gelled surface.
• Gently press embedments with your stir stick to free trapped bubbles.

POUR ADDITIONAL LAYERS

• Additional layers of embedments will give the appearance of greater depth and a dimensional ‘floating’ look.
• Referring to the Catalyst Chart, add layers, repeating the procedure previously outlined. Be sure to allow each layer to gel before adding embedments. (See Figure #3)
• For the final layer you may wish to create a background using colorants. Generally, 2-3 drops of dye or pigment per ounce of casting resin will produce the desired color without inhibiting the cure.
• Dye or pigment is added to the resin in addition to catalyst. Make sure the previous layer has firmly gelled before pouring the final color layer. Do not overfill your mold. (See Figure #4)

SPECIAL NOTE

Also in combination with colorant you may use 6 to 8 drops of a surface curing agent per ounce of resin. Surface curing agent is used in addition to catalyst and resin to produce a tack-free surface. (When a surface curing agent is used without colorant, the appearance of the final layer will be slightly hazy rather than clear.)

REMOVE CASTING FROM MOLD

• Tap the surface of your cast piece with a clean stir stick. When cured, it will ‘click hard’ without sticking when tapped. The edges of the cast will have shrunk away from the sides of the mold and all or part of the face of the mold.
• If surface tackiness remains, allow up to several days hardening time, checking periodically.
• Grasp the mold by the edges, invert over a clean piece of Mylar™or plastic wrap and flex the mold as you would an ice cube tray. The cast, if properly catalyzed and hardened, should drop out of the mold easily.
• To minimize blemishes and fingerprints, do not handle your casting until it is absolutely dry.

FINISH BACK OF CASTING

• It is normal for the final surface layer to have a slightly textured ‘orange peel’ appearance.
• To protect table tops and provide a more finished look, you may want to cut a piece of felt or sheet cork and glue it to the base of your cast piece. Epoxy glue or bond cement works well.
• To remove minor blemishes such as fingerprints, spray with several coats of Resin Craft Surface Coat spray, which is a clear acrylic sealer.
• If an absolutely smooth perfect finish is desired, sand any rough edges with #80 grit sandpaper to create a flat surface. Then ‘wet-sand’ with #240, #400, and #600 grit sandpaper. Polish out any minute scratches with a polishing compound such as jewelers’ rouge or rubbing compound. Polishing can be extremely time consuming and can be avoided by using a color background and/or covering the back of your casting with felt