RESIN WOES

Mac - casting resin is not an exact science. factors such as temperature and humidity as well inaccurate mixing ratios and method of mixing all play a part in the final outcome.
Alumilite and Castolite are my favorites. but, I have had some pretty bad results in the past on small projects with no clear reason of what went wrong.

if you could tell us a little bit about your past experience with casting resins and then go into the process of your mixing method, it may help. (photos are always nice to see).

John - This is my first attempt at resin casting. The temp in my garage is around 75 degrees F. I mixed it in cups that ensured the amounts were the same. I have done some woodturning in the past so I'm not a complete rookie, but definitely consider myself a novice. I did make sure to stir it well and scraped the sides and bottom while stirring, but not as I poured. It was perfectly clear when I pulled it from the pressure pot, but as I did the final turning it got really foggy. I wet sanded it as many suggest online and then polished it, but it is still quite foggy. I'm at loss and think I'm just SOL. The biggest thing is that I don't want this to happen again as I cannot afford the wasted resources or time. Any advice?

I have been searching the web for advice for hours to try and answer an issue I have, but am having no luck and hoped you all could point me in the right direction. I am making some custom wine stoppers for some friends. I turned them roughly on the lathe and cut down 1" or so into the top. I put some pins/rank insignias in and then poured some alumulite clear coat to top it off. When I took it out of the pressure pot it looked clear, but as soon as I started final turning the stuff began to fog up and it is really bad now. I tried wet sanding and polishing, but to no avail; still looks like crap. I wrote the company for advice already, but no answer yet. Any advice?

- McNamar

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Is it just a surface 'fog' from turning, or does it go through the whole casting? Turning the resin will scratch the surface and will behave like you describe. To get it clear, you have to sand/polish back to a smooth surface - or - put another coat of epoxy over it that won't be turned/sanded. To verify it's just the surface, try putting a drop of liquid (water, mineral spirits, etc..) and see if the 'fog' disappears. If it does, then you have a lot more sanding/polishing to do

Cheers,
Brad

I am a totally ignorant about resin or anoxic work, but who knows this can be of any insight…....I have seen people using torches to melt the resin a bit, so they can get the glossy finish back….

Did you wipe some mineral spirits on it to see what it will look like with a finish? My epoxy always tend to be a bit hazy even after sanding and polishing but pop when I put a finish on them. The one project I did not finish I sanded to 6000 and polished then put a coat of wax on it to finish it.

+1 on wondering if you have actually polished it. You will need to go at least to 2000 grit and probably higher and I would finish finish with a polishing compound. Adding a clear top coat can also work if you don't want to go through the process of polishing.

I wet sanded it and then polished it using a resin/plastic polish. I'll try the mineral spirits in a little bit. Thanks for the idea.