I have been in search of the perfect resin. My latest experiment is with Durenamal. I like how easy it is to use. There is nowhere near the mess of 2 part epoxy and dyes or UV resin, both of which don’t cure very hard. So far Durenamal seems to cure quickly in an oven at 150 degrees for 60 minutes and appears to be very hard. My question is, how can I get the colors to be opaque. I have yet to try adding a little white, but I am curious if there is another set of opaque colors. There isn’t a lot of information online about Durenamal, so I am open to any discussion that people are willing to post. Thanks…Rob
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If you would be willing to post pictures of what you are trying to accomplish, and also your successes and failures, that would be very generous.
Rio Grande and Shor both mention an opaque range, but don’t really say which colors are available in opaque.
These guys seem to be resin specialists, and I bet that a call or email to them will get you the right information.
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Hi,
very cool! good to know! thank you!
julie
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There isn’t a lot of information to be found about durenamel. Rio no longer sells it. I bought what I did from Shor. They only offer a short video that covers the basics. I have worked with enough resins to get the basics, I would just like to find out if they offer an opaque option. There have been references to it, but nothing specific that I can find. My research includes what I can find from RBC Industries. I will add what I know when I know it…Rob
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I have been experimenting more with Durenamel and like what I see. It is a lot easier to work with than typical 2 part resins that then has to have dye added. It is also a lot less messy than 2 part resins. You mix the colored part with the catalyst, stir, pour and place in a 150 degree oven for 60 minutes. It comes out hard and gets harder with time. For me, the hardness is important as I can then sand and polish it if I have to. You can buy it from Shor International, but they seem limited in what they have. I have had real good luck talking directly with Bob Hanley at RBC Epoxy. If you ate looking for a clear or colored epoxy that cures quickly and hard, give Durenamel a try and share your experience. I know that this sounds like a commercial, but I have been looking for a long time for an epoxy that I can work with and am very happy so far with it…Rob
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Good advice, Rob!
I have been using DurEnamel for some number of years. I was surprised that Rio stopped selling it and like you discovered, Shor International stocks the basics. (Nice people to deal with too)
I have had an issue with the resin solidifying over time and had to dig to find a solution … The resin crystalizes, not all will but most I have turns solid. You have to warm it up to make it liquid so you can measure it out and add the hardener. Frustrating if you don’t know this.
Happy enamelling
TerryV
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Rob…Rebekkah tells me that Durenamel is used in Props Shops for making theater and movie props that require strength and dependability. That may be another direction to investigate. …Don
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Ask her where she gets it. It appears to be a bit elusive…Rob
I asked the people at RBC about shelf life and they said 1 year. I have used a lot of resin that is older than a year. I also wonder how long it was on the shelf before I bought it. I think that I found out what happens when you leave a little water inside a bezel that you then pour durenamel into. After 60 minutes at 150 degrees in my kiln it came out exactly the same as it went in. Otherwise, I have been happy with my durenamel experiment and the people who make and sell it. Rio still sells the hardener, but not the resin. I couldn’t get an answer why. If you have any suggestions on mixing primary colors to get others, I would be interested in hearing them. Right now all I get is brown. I have been mixing the colored resins together before adding the hardener keeping the ratios at 2:1. Also any suggestions on how to polish durenamel would be appreciated. Thanks…Rob
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This is my first real durenamel project. The pendant is a two piece, top pierced and the bottom solid. They are each domed a bit to create a cavity when they are soldered together. After adding the jump ring, I pushed green durenamel into the cavity with a syringe. I over filled a bit. Once it cured, the overflow was easy to remove with a fine abrasive wheel and then light polish…Rob
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The colour looks fabulous, Rob