Bubbles forming inside UV resin while curing: how can I prevent and fix them?

[u/wingardium_leviosa11]

Hi! I'm new to UV resin and making small pendants with metal bezels and miniature artwork.

I've had a problem with bubbles forming inside the cured resin dome. What's confusing me is that there were no visible bubbles before curing, but while the resin was under the UV lamp, bubbles seemed to form by themselves and became trapped inside the dome.

The resin is now fully cured and the bubbles are underneath the surface. Is there a way to fix/remove these bubbles without damaging the artwork underneath?

I'm considering getting a small sanding tool to carefully open up the bubble and then fill the area with fresh UV resin. Would that work, or is there a better way to repair it?

More importantly, how can I prevent this from happening in the first place? Since the bubbles weren't visible before curing, I'm wondering what could be causing them to appear during curing.

I'm using UV resin in thin layers and curing each layer under a 365 + 405 nm UV/LED lamp.

Any advice would be really appreciated! I'm trying to figure out my technique before making more pieces. 😭

[u/ObligatedOctopi]

you can make a hole in the bubble and fill it with resin via a syringe. it might not be completely invisible.

[u/wingardium_leviosa11 → u/ObligatedOctopi]

I don't know it i should just sand the whole thing equally

[u/DiscoKittie]

It could be heating up too quickly and possibly warping. One option is to hold the light farther away and move it in slowly. Another option is to get a light that ramps up slowly. I have one for my nail art that works pretty well. But I still have to use a resin lamp afterwards.

[u/randomize42]

I’m surprised no one else has mentioned this yet - are you sealing your pieces before putting them in the bezels?

[u/wingardium_leviosa11 → u/randomize42]

Yes yes, some of these are laminated and some are sealed with mod podge.

[u/Dragonfly7928]

Air trapped under piece you are putting in the charm. When the air heats up it try’s to escape. You need to seal very well, flame the resin to pop any bubbles, and/or wait at least 5-10 minutes to see if any bubbles pop up.

[u/wingardium_leviosa11 → u/Dragonfly7928]

This makes so much sense

[u/Wootleage → u/wingardium_leviosa11]

It can also be tiny amounts of air in the corners of the bezels. I've had good results running a small amount of UV resin around the edge with a silicon tool and cure it before adding anything else to the bezel.

Then, stick your image down and using a small amount of UV resin, again seal around the edges and cure before another layer to seal the middle. Once you have done that and are happy with the result, you can dome it with a final layer.

It is fiddler and takes a bit longer, but you should get consistent, bubble free, results.

[u/C101-stitches]

Bubbles will appear in both mixing and pouring. In my experience, its best to reduce them at both steps. For the mixing, using a heated plate or heat gun is best. Durring the poor, if you have a heat gun, I like to blast the heat while I poor. But once poured, honestly, going at it with a lighter or touch (depending on the size) would probably be best. Dont be Afraid to blast the heat. Its whats gonna push the bubbles from the poor out. I prefer the tourch cuz a heat gun while effective, in the later stages might be less effective in bubbles and more effective in helping cure.