Easy cast clear epoxy resin and scratch proof

Jewelry Discussion
1

hi can i have some help with epoxy resin, specifically easy cast
clear resin… POLISHING. i have a mold of gem shapes and i put
resin into them and they are curing. alright does anyone on these
forums have on how to sand them and polish them so they
are supper shiny and mirror like glossy and also scratch PROOF is a
big one. is there some kind of clear SCRATCH PROOF glaze i can apply
to the resin pieces after i sand the backs down with i assume (very
fine) grit wetordry 3M sandpaper. (because in the molds they shrink
and leave a spoon like dip) and i prefer flat back resin.

anyone know anything? like what i have to get and do to achieve the
look? i want scratch proof because well, the piece would be ruined
if anyone ever ran their fingernail hard against it… being resin is
scratch resistant somewhat but NOT SCRATCH PR00F

2

I’m sure someone out there may have suggestions but it does sound
like you’re trying to make a teapot out of chocolate.

Tony Konrath

3

Nothing is scratch PROOF. The best you could do is diamonds but that
would probably cost prohibitive. Just make the art and let the buyer
treat it as a cherished object…or not.

4

Laura,

Here is Sheri Haab’s site showing the polishing compounds. There is
also a link to step by step polishing of resin as well as using
resin molds.

http://www.sherrihaab-shop.com/resin-supplies/resin-jewelry-kits.html

Rose Peterson Myers

5

thanks, does anyone know why it says a muslin wheel is needed? i
tried googleing muslin wheels and i still couldnt get anything to
make sense. what is a muslin wheel. and why does it say to use
stitched muslin wheel for cutting compound and then UNstitched for
polishing compound? cant i just use a microfiber cloth or something?
whats so cool about muslin wheels?

6

I just took a class in alternative materials and did a lot of work
with resin. Easy cast casts very soft. It doesn’t take a good polish
like acrylic plastics do. White rouge will give you a semi decent
finish. If you want a better polish you can paint a fine even coat of
the resin over your piece. Put it in a vacuum to degas it and let it
set. Its very hard to get a perfect clear coat so you might want to
stick to white rouge. You can’t make it scratch proof, its to soft a
resin.

Hope that helps.
Vin

7

Stitched muslin is harder and won’t round off edges. Tripoli or
preferably Vonax will polish resin, if you use Rouge it will melt it,
it gets too hot. Doing it by hand will take forever, (unless you like
polishing;) )

regards Tim Blades.

8

well i think im getting a dremel stylus. i just have to find some
muslin wheels for it i guess. i think vonax is a brand only avail @ uk
stores?

9

Hi all,

I was playing with cold casting enamels only this weekend (for the
first time, most amusing and some good results). Anyway, I was using
tempura powder as a colouring agent, mixed into a West System clear
and thin epoxy mix (with a 20 minute get time and a 4 hour hardening
time), all laid into sterling silver cloisonne cells which were a
flat cufflink face.

For polishing I was getting excellent results sanding through the
grits from 150 stepping down to 1,200, all by hand and with water to
prevent heat build up. To get a final polish I just used a cloth
stretched tightly over a flat surface (the surfaces I was polishing
were flat as well), dampened with a bit of white spirit and well
charged with Hi-Brite (sometimes called white diamond, sold for
polishing stainless steel, cuts very fast to a shine which is just a
shade under rouge). Hardly took any elbow grease at all. These were
flat cufflink faces, so with one cufflink in each hand I could do
two at a time, the sanding took ages, but the polishing itself was
probably only about 3 to 5 minutes each.

CP
Chris Penner
collarsandcuffs.co.uk

10

so rouge is better at polishing than hibrite?