What I've Learned so far from using Resin - A Beginner’s Point of View.

I have just started using epoxy resin and want to share a few basic things I've learned so far. I'm sure some of these are not fully tested and are just some of the mistakes I have come across in my first few weeks of using this medium. I’m sure some of these items will become separate blog posts as I learn more about them, but I thought I would share these from a beginner’s point of view. 

1. Not all resin is made the same. 
1. I originally thought that all resin domed when cast in a mold. I found out the hard way that was a misguided notion. The resin which I purchased was actually a self leveling epoxy resin.  
2. Some things float and others sink. 
1. I started adding items to my resin right away. The first thing I added was dried baby's breath. I had been watching videos where people pour some resin into a mold, add dried flowers, and then pour some more resin on top. What I was missing was that you had to let the first layer of resin with the baby's breath cure before adding the second layer of resin. My first few pendants cured with part of the baby's breath sticking out of the resin.
2. I also tried making things "float" and found that some things actually sink in resin. I tried adding a gemstone to a partially cured (at the sticky but soft point in the curing process) resin pendant, hoping that the gemstone would float and partially protrude from the top of the pendant. I came back about an hour later to find the gemstone starting to sink. Thankfully, the resin was still not fully cured, so I was about to cleanly pull the gemstone out of the resin. 
3. Using nail polish to dye resin is tricky.
1. I did get some pretty cool effects when mixed nail polish with my resin. Unfortunately, if the nail polish was too thick, it would float to the surface and the resin would cure around it, leaving a soft blob of nail polish on the surface. 
2. I tried putting a layer of resin, adding nail polish, curing, and then adding another layer of resin. This seemed to lock the nail polish nicely into the middle of the resin. To my surprise, the nail polish all changed into a gold/orange tone. I had used purples, blues, and gold and they each ended up with a very similar gold tone. 
3. The best way I found,so far, to use nail polish is to add a layer of resin, let cure, paint the nail polish onto the resin, let dry, add a final layer of resin. Once that was fully cured, the color stayed true to the original nail polish. 
4. Not all acrylic paint mixes the same in resin.
1. I first used black acrylic paint in a set of resin pendants and they turned out so nice that I got excited to add other colors of acrylic paint. 
2. My white did not turn out as nicely. For some reason the white acrylic paint gave the resin a grainy finish. 
3. I do not fully understand what the difference is, because I've used red and blue and they have given the resin a solid color similar to when I used black, but I have tried the white in two separate batches and both have ended up with a grainy coloring. 
5. Silicone is amazing.
1. I read that you need a mold release when working with resin in molds. I know this could just be me being lucky but the silicone molds I have been using so far have been so easy to demold. 
2. I have by no means mastered this but you can make your own molds using 100% silicone sealant. I did try this, although my mold came out a bit rough, the resin releases from the silicone fairly easily. 
6. Packing tape works wonders for open back pendants. 
1. I just pressed packing tape onto the back of the pendant and added the resin. Once the resin was fully cured I pulled the packing tape off. Of course there was some residue left from the tape adhesive but that was easy enough to clean off the resin. 
7. Creating a geodes effect is not as easy as it looks. 
1. I unsuccessfully tried this once. The darker colors over took the lighter ones. This technique is going to require some practice.
8. Bubbles
1. I actually do not mind the effect that the resin creates bubbles within the resin. 
2. The problem comes when the bubbles are on the edges and it creates a void on the otherwise smooth surface. I've been able to counteract this for the most part by running a toothpick around the edge of the mold to pull the bubbles away from the edges. 
9. Not all molds are made equal.
1. Ring molds are much more difficult to get the hang of than open pendants. 
2. As I said above, creating your own silicone mold is not an easy task. There seems to always be gaps in the layers of silicone.
10. Sanding to a clear finish is not easy.
1. You have to work your way through sandpaper until you get to the very fine grit. I have by no means gotten the hang of this. Hence #11 below.
2. I've read that you cannot polish epoxy resin using sandpaper but you can add a sealed coat of resin to create the shined finish. 
11. Clear nail polish can save a project as well as colored nail polish.
1. This only pertains to fully cured resin projects. #3 above talks about using nail polish in uncured resin. 
2. I wasn't able to master the sandpaper thing but I found that using a clear nail polish fills in the scratches that the sandpaper leaves behind.
3. Adding a color to the back of a clear pendant adds a nice dimensional look to the piece. 
4. I recommend sealing the nail polish. I used an acrylic spray sealant. The acrylic spray I use dries in minutes. You can also use a resin spray. I haven’t used the resin sprays yet.  
12. Mixing matters
1. It is important to measure the correct amount of each part for epoxy resin.
2. It is also important to thoroughly mix the two parts together. 
3. If one of these two are not done correctly, the resin does not cure properly. I had a few castings come out sticky and one set did not fully cured and stayed soft. 

A few things I want to try next:

1. Adding photos to resin. I've read that I will need to seal the paper before adding it to my resin, so I want to do a little more research before tackling that project. 
2. Coasters. My brother recently moved into his first apartment and I think matching coasters might be the perfect housewarming gift. I have to practice creating geodes first though. 
3. Marbling effect.
4. Resin bar top. The main reason I started to "play" with resin is to create a resin bar top for our basement. 
5. Using a heat gun to remove bubbles. Right now I'm using some very small molds to create pendants. I'm somewhat scared to use my heat gun on it. All I can imagine is resin flying everywhere. I'll have to try this on larger pieces that I can hold easier and have more control over. 
6. Silhouettes.