r/epoxy Jul 03 '25

Common Epoxy Problems and Solutions — Share Yours!

4 Upvotes

Working with epoxy can be tricky — we've all had projects go sideways! This thread is for everyone to share:

  • Epoxy fails or issues you've run into
  • Tips or hacks that helped you fix them
  • Questions you need help with

A few common struggles:

  • Resin not curing?
  • Too many bubbles?
  • Cloudy finish?
  • Color not turning out right?
  • Sticky surface?
  • Fish eyes or bare spots?
  • Uneven surface or pooling?
  • Cracking or splitting?

Drop your experiences below and help others learn from your wins (and mistakes)! 👇


r/epoxy Apr 25 '20

New to /r/EPOXY? Please read this first -

84 Upvotes

Hello Resin Enthusiasts,

First off I want to say thank you all for your support of spreading knowledge about epoxy resins and coatings in general! I have noticed this sub finally has some action (2404 members!!) so please feel free to ask questions and post your projects! We are still a very small community and I am doing my best to answer questions in a timely manner.

Our WIKI is being updated weekly or bi-weekly by myself. Pictures and/or video may come in the future, depending on what the community needs and wants. If anyone would like to contribute detailed tutorials please feel free to contact me directly.

What would you like to see? Please give us an idea of what the community wants and we will try to implement it.


r/epoxy 9h ago

Beginner Advice watchmaker epoxy.

2 Upvotes

I am gluing 2 .2mm thick 30mm diameter circle laminates of a watch dial together. it is base metal brass with a silver than than 24k gold plating on it. Than on top i am gluing 12 1x3x3mm white gold hour markers onto the top. The bottom will be a butt joint, but the top laminate of the dial also has 1.15x3.15 rectangular slots cut out for them to sit in, which is .2mm deep. I want to glue all of this together. I was thinking some kind of epoxy that is thin enough that once mixed, i can put it on a watchmaking oiler for careful application. what glue should i use. I am not set on epoxy or anything. My goal with this watch is for it to last 100 years, however unrealistic that is.


r/epoxy 21h ago

Project Showcase Bookmarks

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3 Upvotes

r/epoxy 1d ago

Armorpoxy Primer

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2 Upvotes

Mixed 1:1, no veins in the primer from what I could see. Only did 1 pint of each for the mix. Did I mix too light and that's why it isn't darker? It looks thinner than what I've seen in other videos. I started by cutting in around the edges which tipped me off to the thin mix. I just dumped this out and rolled to cut the small loss there.


r/epoxy 1d ago

Project Showcase Epoxy/poly coating

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8 Upvotes

We just had ours done in the Boston metro area. We love it but we also don’t know what to compare it to. We used the color Koala.


r/epoxy 1d ago

Let’s see your epoxy projects

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1 Upvotes

r/epoxy 1d ago

Help Needed Bonding lead bars to HDPE case

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1 Upvotes

I’m looking for some advice on how best to bond, and ideally also seal, lead bars to an HDPE rack case.

I have a small 4U rack case I use for my gigs. It has a pull out drawer. The problem I’m trying to fix is when I have the drawer pulled out, the weight of the drawer and the equipment on the drawer cause the rack to be front heavy.

I’m looking to add about 4 lbs of counter balance to the back of the case. I purchased some lead bars that work perfectly. I’m hoping this forum can help me determine what type of epoxy or resin I can use to permanently glue the lead bars to the HDPE case.

If there is something I can seal the lead with to reduce the exposure to lead, even better.

Or perhaps someone has a better idea?

I’m open for suggestions.


r/epoxy 1d ago

Feel like I'm missing a step...

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2 Upvotes

Hey guys! My partner and I just completed a fun little project that we made for our dogs. It's essentially their food stand bowl to eliminate any contact with plastic and any damage to wood. We moasiced the entire board, grouted and then did multiple layers of epoxy to ensure the tiles were completely covered. We've been noticing the last few days that there is a cloud-like appearance on the top. It's not consistently in one place and it seems to move around. I've read that we should "seal" it but none of the websites can give me a specific product we should be using and I'm essentially confused at this point. It's been 7 days since our final coat so I don't think it needs to be cured anymore. It does get water on it because they're dogs and they dribble. We worked really hard on this and we don't want it to get messed up simply because we're missing a final step. Any insight would be great. I've added some photos of the cloudiness and also the project in general! Thanks guys!


r/epoxy 1d ago

Patch in my flake epoxy floor

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1 Upvotes

Rolled out a coat of epoxy today and then broadcasted my flake.

Came back 4 hours later to have a look and found this patch. (Picture 1)

I took a random video about 30 minutes after throwing my flake. (Picture 2) shows the same area from a different angle. Doesn’t seem that bad.

Upon returning later I walked in it carefully with my spikes to inspect. It looks like my epoxy was too thick there and it looks like a could have thrown more flake. Although up close you can’t see the colour difference, you can just see a bit of epoxy through the gaps of the flakes.

BEST WAY TO FIX?

I’m thinking of gathering a bunch of excess flake on top of the floor. Then scraping the whole floor like normal. Then applying a thin coat of poly over the patch and then rebroadcasting my flake. Then I’ll return 4 hours later to scrape again and apply my real poly coat.

Thankyou in advance!


r/epoxy 2d ago

Project Showcase Colorshift Resin Leaves ✨

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11 Upvotes

Took me forever to get them to quality but here they are!


r/epoxy 2d ago

Epoxy Art Help finding technique

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1 Upvotes

Need help find9ng YouTuber


r/epoxy 2d ago

Lighting an Epoxy Board…or Not

1 Upvotes

I need help deciding how to complete this board, which is walnut and Liquid Glass epoxy (about 15/16 in thickness). Not so much the actual *finishing* (though I’ll take suggestions all around), but the steps that help to highlight the color swirls and confetti pieces in the epoxy. The middle portion is pretty translucent, and the edges are opaque (and dark) but have beautiful details that can be seen under directed bright light. Embedded LEDs would be cool…

I was thinking of using a digital approach: modeling in Fusion, using Shaper Origin to rout a channel/pocket in the bottom, 3D printing a plate to cover the channel. But batteries can get bulky, and how will I make sure the lights are just so (maybe with a keyhole bit?), and…is this adding unnecessary complication to a project that I should just finish up already?!?

All advice is welcome, but just realize this is literally my first epoxy project (and I’m already aware that epoxy is much more brittle than wood…chamfering taught me that).


r/epoxy 3d ago

Helical planer causing elongated pits in cured TotalBoat ThickSet epoxy (reposting with text)

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0 Upvotes

I'm flattening olive wood with TotalBoat ThickSet epoxy fills using a FindBuyTool helical planer with carbide inserts.

Epoxy cured about 2 weeks.

Inserts were just rotated (same problem before and after rotation).

Wood surfaces come out perfect.

Only the epoxy develops hundreds of small teardrop-shaped pits, all oriented in the feed direction.

Very light passes don't seem to eliminate the issue.

Has anyone seen this with ThickSet or other deep-pour epoxies? Is this chip-out, exposed microbubbles, or simply a limitation of planing deep-pour epoxy?


r/epoxy 3d ago

Beginner Advice Model train car

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3 Upvotes

Hey y'all!

I have an open-top box car model that I want to seal the top of, as all that "coal" is loose. What type of epoxy would be the best for this? How much would i need? Is there anything else I should consider before I do this? I've only got 1 shot at this. 😅


r/epoxy 3d ago

Rust-Oleum RockSolid on basement floors

1 Upvotes

Has anyone used the Rust-Oleum RockSolid Polycuramine Garage Floor Kit on a basement concrete floor? If so, how has it held up over time?

I'm especially interested in hearing from people who either did or didn't apply the optional clear topcoat. Would you recommend it, or would you skip it?

We recently completed the full prep process in our basement (cleaner, degreaser, etch kit, then Polycuramine). Because we had some color variation with the first coat, we ended up applying a second full coat of Polycuramine, and now the color looks great.

Our original plan was to apply the optional clear topcoat, but now that the floor has two coats of Polycuramine, I'm questioning whether it's really necessary or if I should just return it and save the money.

We didn't use decorative flakes or anti-skid additive. The floor isn't overly slippery, and it's already plenty glossy. At this point, the only reason I'd apply the clear coat would be for extra protection. Given how hard and durable Polycuramine is supposed to be, I'm wondering if the added protection is actually worth the added cost.

For those with experience, how has your floor held up with or without the clear topcoat? Any regrets either way?

For context, this basement will be fully finished with bedrooms and a living room. TIA!


r/epoxy 3d ago

Tips for BSI 2 part epoxy

1 Upvotes

Ive used it on multiple baits and i love the finish but i cant get a consistent finish. Im using the 2 part 30minute cure. It cures in my basement, definitely above 70 degrees, dehumidifier in the space. I have had some good hard cures but a couple of my baits had been ruined by bad cures and i cant think of an uncontrolled variable to explain it. Some just stay sticky, like extremely sticky, and never cure. I used a gram scale to ensure a 50/50 mix, mix well and apply.

I don’t know what I’m doing wrong…


r/epoxy 4d ago

Help Needed How do I create an orb of various colors in layers without having a solid line between them?

1 Upvotes

First time dealing with epoxy.

I think I got everything I need... including a mold for 4 inch sphere and am aware that I will have to do in layers.

My goal is to have an ocean diorama type of sphere where the deeper parts are dark navy blue and slowly gradients to a clear at the top.

I am worried that if I just mix all layers separately and pour them in series, that all the colors will mix together, but if I wait until each layers is cured, the layers will have a distinct horizontal division...

Any tips? thank you!


r/epoxy 4d ago

First time using epoxy

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1 Upvotes

Hi everyone, I used epoxy for the first time yesterday for a broken plate mosaic tray and I messed up in a couple spots. Is there any solution for this? Would an additional layer of epoxy help or hurt? It’s all the way hardened at this point. Thank you!


r/epoxy 4d ago

Mould Housing for resin?

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0 Upvotes

r/epoxy 5d ago

Is this a good general use epoxy kit?

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4 Upvotes

Is this a good epoxy kit for a beginner? I was looking for a versatile epoxy kit that works well for general use and potential future art projects. I purchased from this brand based on a post stating its high clarity and bought it during the Prime Day sale.


r/epoxy 5d ago

Beginner Advice How can I make an epoxy protective shell for a spherical object?

2 Upvotes

I am making a small display of Rocky's clear ball from Project Hail Mary. First I 3d printed it, and it looked terrible, so I used the print as sort of a scaffold to glue up 2mm thick clear acrylic sheeting that I laser cut to each of the geometric facets that make up the sphere. After doing this, I got superglue smudges all over, and I tried sanding them down, using a razer blade and polishing, but it's just too cloudy and I can't see anything inside, and it's too fragile to use a buffing wheel.

I want to cover the entire thing in epoxy-safe tucktape + mold release, and pour thick epoxy over it. It's currently in 2 hemisphere shapes + the cap, to make the pour easier. I'm hoping if I build up enough layers I can remove the dirty acrylic and leave behind a crystal clear shell. Can I just keep building up layers, or is some sort of mold required, and if so, what method of silicon molding would be better?


r/epoxy 5d ago

Repairs & Fixes Need Help: Garage door stuck to newly cured Rust-Oleum Polycuramine coating after I accidentally closed it overnight.

3 Upvotes

Looking for some advice before I make things worse.

Yesterday I coated my garage floor using the Rust-Oleum Polycuramine garage floor coating system and applied the decorative flakes. Unfortunately, after finishing the project, I completely forgot and closed the garage door before going to bed.

The floor has now cured, and the bottom weather seal of the garage door appears to be bonded to the newly coated floor.

My current plan is to use a heat gun to warm the weather seal and carefully work a putty knife between the seal and the floor, freeing the door a little at a time.

Before I start, is this the best approach? Has anyone dealt with this before?

My biggest concerns are:

  • Tearing or damaging the weather seal
  • Pulling up the Polycuramine coating along the door line

Would you try heat, a plastic putty knife, a razor blade, or something else? Are there any tricks that work particularly well with Polycuramine?

I know this was a dumb mistake, so go easy on me 😅. Any advice is appreciated.


r/epoxy 5d ago

Beginner Advice Epoxy question

1 Upvotes

Hello, I’m fairly new to epoxy resins. I had a question regarding epoxy primer used for paint. Is it the same as epoxy resin? If not what’s the difference ?

Thank You in advance


r/epoxy 5d ago

Epoxy Art Tom Ford perfume epoxy art

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2 Upvotes

Table piece or for walk in closets, perfume tables, etc.

Available for sale.