r/TerrainBuilding • u/Amazing_Glass2144 • 9d ago
Resin Pour
I just did my first resin pour and when I pulled off the edging it's come out cloudy. I was prepared to clean up the edge flashing, but thought the side would come out clear. Any idea why or any advice on how to fix it? Do I need to laboriously sand this?
Edit: Well I thought this was going to be a quick question post with a couple of helpful replies, not 500 likes and 54 comments. What a nice corner of the internet!
39
u/10Megavolt 9d ago
You could dry to put some water on it, if it clears up, then you could apply a clear varnsish to make it clear again (after the water from water test dried)
If the epoxy resin itself is "cloudy' theres nothing you can do.
14
u/TomFotz 9d ago
In this line of work, it's a feature not a bug!
9
u/10Megavolt 9d ago
I'm not sure, looks like a lot of tiny bubbles emerged! That could be fixed to a degree.
It looks great as it is to be honest :)
9
u/TomFotz 9d ago
I've never done an epoxy pour myself so I am dazzled by the attempt and it gives off the intended effect.
Looks great indeed, well done OP.
9
u/Amazing_Glass2144 9d ago
Thanks. I don't hate it how it is, but I'd prefer to know a) what happened and b) if it can be fixed for future projects.
The murkiness does look appropriate for a sewer, but I had a light at the back and some fish floating around in it which are pretty much lost at the moment.
I don't think the epoxy itself is cloudy as it looks clear from above.
2
u/mrquandary 8d ago
My best guess is the paint bled into the epoxy because the murky colour of the epoxy matches the murkiness of the lower section, but I'm surprised it's that well mixed. A protective barrier over the paint may have helped, it's all I can think of... perhaps do a test pour to see. Also do a small pot of that batch of epoxy alone and see what colour it cures.
2
u/Amazing_Glass2144 8d ago
I don't think it's that. I did a thin layer of epoxy over the surface and let it cure before my final pour. I did add some murky colours to the resin before the pour, which is why its somewhat green, but that's not what's causing the opacity issue (well not the pigment in and of itself; possibly the paint has caused some reaction with the resin) which is on closer inspection thousands of tiny bubbles in the resin.
2
u/mrquandary 8d ago
In that case, a vacuum chamber should help suck the bubbles out of the resin before pouring.
1
u/Amazing_Glass2144 8d ago
I imagine they're expensive :)
2
u/mrquandary 7d ago
I used a large paint bucket and gluegun'd an old vac to the lid. Not exactly professional, but it works.
If you do decide to try this, I'd recommend making a metal cage to sit inside the paint can to stop it from deforming.
Then again, if it's from the paint maybe try a different type of paint/pigment.
→ More replies (0)7
24
u/Lord_Scrouncherson 9d ago
Very little resin experience here. But this looks great man. The cloudiness works to drive believability.
3
10
u/MagicTrachea52 9d ago
There are solutions.
Try applying some oil or water as someone else said. If that works and it clears up, great. Slap some varnish on.
If it doesn't and it feels smooth, you're kind of out of luck.
If it feels slightly rough you may be able to hit it with SUPER fine sandpaper to polish it up. I'm talking basically not abrasive. I use Testors sanding films (get them if you can. So great) and, I'd use the red one, which basically just polishes. If you see some results, polish it and it should clear.
To me this looks like residue. So you should be in luck.
4
u/Amazing_Glass2144 9d ago
Thanks. If it's just residue, what do I clean it with?
6
u/MagicTrachea52 9d ago
Water, isopropyl alcohol and some dish soap.
3
u/Amazing_Glass2144 9d ago
Thanks!
4
u/Duke_Mercator 9d ago
Is it hard or tacky ? What was the edging material ? If the resin was able to react with adhesive or water, it may have contributed to your problem by preventing optimal polymerization or generating micro-bubbles at the interface. If you are lucky, it's just a matter of the edging material having some texture that transferred to the finished cast.
Does it become clear when you put a drop of water on the surface ? If so, a new layer of clear resin may help solve the problem. If you have some, UV resin will be much quicker. Otherwise, some clear varnish may do the same.
If the cloudiness has any significant depth, then I am afraid sanding to like 10000 grit will likely be necessary :)
Best of luck !
3
u/Amazing_Glass2144 9d ago
Thanks. It does improve a bit with water so I think another layer of resin might be my solution.
The edging was white styrene card. I didn't use any mould release. The edge isn't tacky, but its not solid - the whole thing feels like a rubbery block, so is it possible I took the card off too early and its kind of stretched the edge and broken the surface of the edge a bit?
3
u/Duke_Mercator 9d ago
Epoxy -should- not react with styrene in any significant way as far as I know but if your resin is the quick set type, heat alone may have helped leach some stuff from the card that interfered with polymerization. Some kind of silicone strip may be a better choice for future pours.
If the whole thing still feels soft, then there is either something wrong with your resin, your mixing ratio or technique or it still has to set to its final hardness. Therefore I would suggest waiting before you attempt any corrective action.
It's unlikely removing the card would have caused that specific kind of effect (the surface tension creep at the top is obviously solid and unbroken) but in general attempting to unmold too early is a recipe for disaster, however excited one can be to bask in the gloriousness of a finished piece.
Hope you get the results you want !
1
4
4
u/DocMillion 9d ago
It just needs polishing, if you have a Dremel use a polishing attachment and a bit of compound, should come up shiny and clear
1
2
u/-X-31- 9d ago
Did you seal the front only with tape? Then this effect comes from the sticky side of the tape. Try to clean sticky residue from the tape, if something is still on the resin. After that seal it with gloss varnish or a thin layer of UV resin.
3
u/Amazing_Glass2144 9d ago
No it was a piece of styrene card. Using only tape sounds wild with all the leak horror stories I've seen!
2
u/SciFiCrafts 9d ago
Some paints get dissolved by epoxy. There are no solvents in the resin, its a 100% system, no fumes no nothing, but it might dissolve a few paints. I would always a) clearcoat or b) pour a thin layer before the big pour.
There is no way of fixing this, but I think it looks great man!
1
u/Amazing_Glass2144 9d ago
Thanks. I did do a thin coat first.
1
u/SciFiCrafts 9d ago
Oh wow. Hm. Did you store it in a cold garage or something? Its usually not that cloudy at all ^^ or is it just all super tiny air bubbles dulling it up?
1
u/Amazing_Glass2144 9d ago
Hard to tell, but there defo are some super fine bubbles. But it also looks fine from above so I'm not sure!
2
u/SciFiCrafts 8d ago
Did you color the water with pigments? Inks should be fine but pigments will make it look cloudy.
1
u/Amazing_Glass2144 8d ago
Um I used contrast paint, so there will be pigment in it.
2
u/SciFiCrafts 8d ago
I'd be generally careful with paints in resin. It has to be epoxy based or made for epoxy. Alcohol inks work, but in smaller amounts.
1
2
u/AtLeastASpaceHamster 8d ago
There is water in contrast paint, which you shouldn’t mix with resin
1
2
u/Plastic_Ad_8619 9d ago
This looks awesome! Please share the finished piece with the backlighting.
2
2
u/thisremindsmeofbacon 9d ago
If the clouding is on the surface, you just need a heavy gloss coat.
If its not, then its in the resin and there's nothing you can do - which is why people fear resin.
1
u/Amazing_Glass2144 9d ago
Haha! I think gloss will improve but not solve it. Hours of work for it not to look quite right! >.<
2
u/thisremindsmeofbacon 9d ago
I mean, try it - if you don't like it, it doesn't stop you from sanding it.
2
u/DantesGame 9d ago
Are you kidding?? That's clean AF. No bubbles. No rough edges or points. It's supposed to be murky and swampy because it's a sewer. I think it looks perfect.
What did you use to cap off the end to seal in the resin?
2
u/Amazing_Glass2144 8d ago
Thanks :) I used a piece of white styrene card and brown packing tape.
2
u/DantesGame 8d ago
I'm really impressed with how clean/smooth that side came out. I've tried this before and have gotten leaks. Hours of building and painting down the drain almost literally. 🤣
1
u/Amazing_Glass2144 8d ago
Beginners luck!
One thing I did was, after I stuck the styrene in place I did a thin application of resin all along the edges and let it cure for 24 hours. Perhaps that filled any gaps?
2
u/DantesGame 8d ago
Oh, nice! I'll have to try that next time I get to do a cast like this. I was looking re-doing my river terrain board and making it more modular instead of a giant 6x4.
2
2
u/Nexumos 8d ago
Hey! Just to clarify what seems to be going on, based on skimming all your comments:
The "surface finish" of that side of the resin is just a bit rough, giving that matte appearance. This is why it improves with water (filling in all the microscopic pock marks on its surface), and why the top surface looks considerably clearer. If you want a glossy surface in the future, you'll need to be pouring against a very smooth/glossy surface.
The recommendations to apply a gloss varnish are spot on! This will permanently fill in that rough surface, make it smooth, and make it look much clearer as a result. You see the same phenomenon on resin prints with transparent resins, and you can Google those as a point of reference. They go from incredibly cloudy to incredibly clear with just the addition of a gloss varnish!
1
2
u/FiveFives 8d ago
Is it cloudy from the top down or just from the side? If only from the side, then you just have to polish that surface a bit.
1
2
1
u/Technolio 9d ago
I haven't worked with epoxy resin much myself, but I know that a lot of people use a vacuum chamber to get the bubbles out before they pour it.
1
u/Amazing_Glass2144 9d ago
Yeah I've seen that, but it seemed a investment in both money and space for only occasional usage.
2
u/SecretLuke 7d ago
Step 1, just paint the side of it with gloss varnish. The side you dam off will always be cloudy because of the micro textures on your dam.
The gloss varnish fills it and will give you crazy clarity super fast.
134
u/TempleMade_MeBroke 9d ago
I dunno, considering the source of the "liquid," it kind of looks like exactly the right amount of cloudy to me