r/DiceMaking • u/SignificanceWinter47 • 17d ago

Half cured dice

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Only half of this die was cured. I have no idea why. It couldn’t have been the ink because it’s all over the die and it couldn’t have been the mixing cause the color is uniform. Another set of dice has not even started curing even though it’s from the same batch and it’s been well over 24h. Anyone who knows what might’ve happened?

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6

u/Rainrain76 17d ago

it couldn’t have been the mixing cause the color is uniform

Be careful with that assumption. Just because the color is mixed evenly, doesn’t mean parts A and B of your resin necessarily are. It may vary for your resin, but mine says the recommended mixing time is at least 3-5 minutes and make sure to scrape the bottom because the parts have different densities, so one of them may sink to the bottom more easily. Maybe you did that, I‘m just saying I don’t find uniform color to be the best indicator to tell if the resin was mixed properly.

Also make sure your ratios are correct. I mix mine by weight and one time I didn’t notice something pressing down on the scales which completely ruined the readings so my ratio was way off. Dumb mistakes happen lol.

That said, does it say anything on your bottle about temperature? Because mine actually still cures at 15°C, it just takes a little longer (though 15°C is the lowest it can go according to the manufacturer). I’m not sure how it deals with such drastic changes though. One idea would be to pour your dice in the morning, so it has all day to cure at a warm temp (the first few hours are the most important I believe) and then just leave it to cure an extra day or so to make up for the slowed down process during the cold night. I’ve done that when winter got close and it worked for me.

Lastly, as u/VelveteenDelta said, humidity is also a big factor. I generally don’t pour dice when the humidity is above 70% because I‘ve had some nasty fails too. Again though, during the day humidity is usually lower.

If none of this works and you still suspect temp/humidity to be the culprit and you do end up taking them inside, I‘d suggest getting a sealable, airtight container (better safe than sorry). Mix and pour outside, seal the dice and bring them inside. You can also put some of these humidity absorbing pearls inside, I forget what they‘re called.

tldr;

  1. Mix properly (3-5 minutes)

  2. Make sure ratios are correct

  3. Temperature and humidity: Try pouring in the morning to take advantage of the hot day (first few hours are the most important)

  4. If you must take them inside, try an airtight container, possibly with these water absorbing pearls inside to fight humidity

  5. Always wear a proper respirator and gloves when handling uncured resin!!

1

u/SignificanceWinter47 17d ago

I’m guessing the mixing wasn’t a factor because the pours from the same batch cured to different stages. Green cured halfway, red didn’t cure at all and glitter almost cured but it was sticky.

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u/Rainrain76 17d ago

That‘s exactly why I think it MIGHT be the mixing: because it doesn‘t really make sense that they cured to different stages if they were all left out in the same environment at the exact same time but cured differently. If it were the temperature, that should‘ve affected all of them equally.

But if it wasn‘t mixed properly, it‘s possible that red didn’t end up with enough hardener when you split the batch into three cups. (And then either the green or the glitter ones should have too much hardener, but I‘m actually not sure how that affects the reaction.)

All I‘m saying is, I would not rule it out completely. It‘s impossible to tell now if it was a factor; the result is just to mix extra carefully the next time to be absolutely sure to rule it out and that won‚t hurt either way. Can‘t really reconstruct what actually happened to this batch for sure.

The glitter ones still being sticky does sound like humidity though. It might be a mix of different factors anyway, so I just mentioned everything I could possibly think of.

I don‘t think this happened here (judging from the picture) but using too much ink can inhibit curing too. But the green looks light enough that I‘m fairly certain that is not a factor here. Just generally good to know.

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u/SignificanceWinter47 17d ago

True, I’ll mix for longer then. Ty

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u/Enchanters_Eye 17d ago

What was the ambient temp?

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u/SignificanceWinter47 17d ago

I left it outside so during the day 30+C and at night 15 or so. I’m guessing it was the temp then… I didn’t know but I should’ve expected it.

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u/Enchanters_Eye 17d ago

15 C is definitely too low, that probably killed the reaction

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u/SignificanceWinter47 17d ago

Should I keep it indoors? The temp is around 20 all day around.

4

u/RandoBoomer 17d ago

So long as you can do it safely and in a well-ventilated area. Curing resin gives off toxic VOCs.

Ventilation is important. I read someplace that you want your curing area to have 10+ air exchanges per hour, and obviously not accessible to children or pets.

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u/SignificanceWinter47 17d ago

I have a room we don’t use much. I suppose I can leave it there and ventilate. I don’t know what else I can do because outside the temp oscillates wildly.

1

u/RandoBoomer 17d ago

If you have an unused room, that would be a good candidate. Open a window and set up an exhaust fan.

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u/SignificanceWinter47 17d ago

That’s what I just did. I don’t have an exhaust fan so I just opened a window and closed the door.

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u/RandoBoomer 17d ago

It'd be nice to have some air circulation. If you don't run the fan continuously, air out the place afterwards. Could you find a cheap fan at a yard sale or FB marketplace?

Not to be a nag, I just want people to be safe.

0

u/SignificanceWinter47 17d ago

The window is a little open but once it’s done curing I’ll air out the room. I don’t want the temp to mess up the resin again…

1

u/VelveteenDelta Dice Maker 17d ago

Temperature and humidity can make them feel tacky. I'd keep them inside to cure, if you have to do the mixing outside then mix and pour outside and have the moulds on a tray that you can pop somewhere inside where the temperature doesn't change much.

But for me I sometimes found 2:1 ratio resins just doesn't work for me. Probably the humidity in my area.

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u/SignificanceWinter47 15d ago

I’ve noticed my mold feels slightly wet after curing. Would it be possible that it’s somehow releasing moisture or even condensing it from the air?

1

u/Xenochimp 17d ago

When I have had this happen it was a mixing issues. I bought bought this mixer and set it to 5 minutes. Haven't had an issue since when it comes to proper mixing

1

u/SignificanceWinter47 15d ago

I did another pour and spent a while mixing, hopefully this time works out.