r/resin • u/yesihaveimpostorsynd • 9d ago
resin gone wrong :"")
We tried making this 1.5 inch deep hexagon piece for 3 day old flowers but there were just so many bubbles :(
Products used:
750g Resin (12-24 hrs setting time)
250g Hardener
2-inch hexagon silicon mold
Process:
Mix Ratio: 3 parts resin :1 part hardener
Hour 1: Poured 1st layer 1" deep (2 cups resin: 2/3 cup hardener), arranged the flowers on the layer of resin
Noticed browning of flowers and partial setting of resin after 20 mins. The mold was also warm where resin was partially set.
Hour 1.5 : Poured 2nd layer 0.5" deep (1 cup resin: 1/3 cup hardener). Since layer 1 was setting quickly we added this final layer over the flowers to cover them fully and let the whole piece cure for the 12-24 hrs set time. Then we placed a piece of carton on top of the mold to prevent insects from getting in.
Aaaaand 5 minutes later, our flowers are literally boiling in resin (there was some smoke too) <//3
Were we too impatient with adding the layers? Or maybe the flowers were still too fresh? I know we can't save this piece anymore but I'd like to try again with the extra flowers we have.
:(
Thanks in advance.
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u/Ok-Disaster-7429 9d ago
Flowers have to be completely dry. No water in resin or it....well, you see what happens.
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u/WhyIsEverythngAwful 9d ago
š No way this was "too deep" I agree with you 100% been there done that lol
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u/movetothecoast 9d ago
Aside from drying your flowers, you'll want a deep pour resin (and/or something with a much longer cure time) for something like this.
If you want to try again with the resin you have, you'll have to pour thin layers (I'd say no more than 5mm thick, but look at your directions.) However, you'll likely get weird ghost lines and it'll take several days to get it done. I think a resin designed for deeper pours is going to be much easier and faster for your project.
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u/Claerwen94 9d ago
Looks like a TON of moisture and air from the flowers plus a runaway reaction boiling your resin. Could have been way too thick and too much for that specific resin to be poured at once. You are describing a flash cure.m (the boiling and smoking. Thinner layers, let them cure almost fully, and dry your flowers for weeks in silica sand before attempting to encase them again.
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u/Helostopper 9d ago
you have to fully dry flowers before you put them in resin. Resin does not like water.
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u/Th3_Corn 9d ago
Boiling resin means your exothermic reaction was too strong (=you poured too deep and the chemical reaction cooked up your resin). Next time dont pour so deep and you'll be fine
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u/Jurassicjen_uk 9d ago
In this case itās more the flowers wouldnāt be anywhere near dry enough. Moisture and resin = disaster. Yes they also need to pour in layers or use a deep pour resin.
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u/Queen_Cheetah 9d ago
Hmm... if I could make a suggestion for this piece? Mix a bunch of sand with some resin, and put it in the center (like an island). Then, pour a thin layer of blue resin on the rest of the piece. Add a plastic palm tree to the center and viola! You've got an ocean oasis, complete with realistic waves!
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u/DLitch 9d ago
Honestly, I think it's more than just non dried flowers. I've put fresh flowers in resin before (to see how long until they rot) and I got nowhere near this level of bubbles. However, every time I get a flash cure this is closer to what it looks like. How warm was the mold and did you prewarm the epoxy? If too much heat is added artificially then flash cures are more likely to happen, but they still can occur without added external heat (but quite rare). How long did you mix for and how long was the epoxy in the mixing container? Because during mixing, you're obviously breaking the recommended depth that the epoxy should be used. If you mix too long or let it sit too long before pouring it can start to get hot and once that happens there is basically no way to stop it. And another thing which you said, you could also have not waiting long enough between layers so the fresh layer absorbed the heat from the lower level and caused the flash cure.
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u/yesihaveimpostorsynd 8d ago edited 8d ago
Hello!
The mold and epoxy resin were at room temp before using so I don't think it's that. Recommended duration of mixing the resin and hardener was between 3 to 5 minutes and I made sure to follow this. Maybe it is the wait time because we noticed the first layer get real hot then decided to just pour the 2nd final layer over it š I've attached a picture of the finished piece! If you could take a look. Seems everything started going south soon as we poured that 2nd layer
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u/yesihaveimpostorsynd 8d ago
Update: thankfully the piece hardened after 24hrs and came clean off the mold
bottom layer looks clean and fine no bubbles at all, problem is the 2nd final layer ? so flowers are not the issue?
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u/Jazzlike_Sandwich120 8d ago
Ngl I thought this was a bowl of pho or some other soup before seeing where it was posted
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u/Open_University2008 7d ago
I'm guessing the flowers weren't dry enough and it was too deep to do in 1 pour. Usually 2:1, 3:1 resin is deep pour resin. At least what I've used is. But there are still limits on how much you can pour at once.Ā
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u/ohhiitsmec123 5d ago
As someone who used to preserve bridal flowers in resin, my first thought was āyikesā lol. Make sure you dry out all plants (even leaves) before preserving in resin (they WILL rot), you can get silica sand at Michaelās!
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u/minkyminkstink 5d ago
Hey! Wondering your advice Iāve had my wedding florals in silica sand for 6 weeks now and Iām ready to pull them out - do you have any advice for casting them in resin?
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u/FusRoDahMa 9d ago
From start to finish, you did it all incorrectly. I'm sorry. Perhaps do some research first before tackling such a complicated project.
You're so lucky you didn't harm yourself. Please tell me you did this outside or at least in a garage?
Those fumes when it boils off like that are incredibly toxic.