Epoxy Resin Crafting Guide | How to Work with Resin

How to Work with Epoxy Resin for Crafting

If you are reading this, you are probably eyeing up a glossy coaster, a swirling ocean board, or a crystal clear casting and thinking, I could make that. You absolutely can. Working with epoxy resin is part art, part science, and a tiny bit of kitchen chemistry. It rewards patience, clean habits, and a gentle touch. It also has a habit of magnifying both good technique and sloppy shortcuts, so this guide walks you through everything in a calm, practical way. No fluff, just the things that help you do the work and enjoy it.

What epoxy resin actually is

Epoxy resin is a two part system, a resin and a hardener. When measured and mixed correctly the two parts react and cure into a hard, durable plastic. The magic lives in that word correctly. Every success or failure, every glassy surface or sticky patch, traces back to proportion, temperature, and time. Different resins are formulated for different jobs. Some are thin and slow, suited to deep pours and castings. Others are thicker with a shorter working time, ideal for coatings and doming. Read the label and use the resin that matches the project, not just the one you happen to have on the shelf.

Safety first, in plain English

People often skip this part. Please do not. Uncured epoxy is a chemical mixture. Strong smells do not equal danger by themselves, and low odour does not mean harmless. Take a few simple precautions and you will be fine.

Ventilation: Work in a well ventilated space. A small extraction fan or open window helps. Cross flow of fresh air beats a room full of stagnant air.
Gloves: Nitrile gloves are the standard. Avoid latex since some resins soften it. Change gloves if you get resin on them.
Skin contact: Keep uncured resin off your skin. If you spill, wipe with paper towel first, then wash with soap and warm water. Do not scrub with solvents since they can drive resin into the skin.
Eye protection: A basic pair of safety glasses is worth the tiny inconvenience.
Respiratory protection: For casual craft use with good ventilation many makers work without a respirator. If you are sanding cured resin, wear a dust mask or better yet a proper particulate respirator. Fine dust is the thing to avoid when cutting and sanding.
Fire and heat: Resin cures exothermically, it generates heat. Do not pour large volumes in one cup and leave it. Use staged pours for deep projects to manage heat.
Food safety: Only products that are explicitly rated as food safe after full cure belong near food or drink. If you are making coasters or boards, finish with a topcoat that the manufacturer states is food safe once cured.

Tools and set up

Good work starts before you pour anything. A tidy bench saves you from drips and panic. Gather what you need and set it out like you would ingredients for baking.

Mixing cups: Graduated plastic or silicone cups with clear markings. Silicone is reusable if you let the resin cure and peel it out later.
Stir sticks: Flat wooden sticks make it easier to scrape the sides and bottom while mixing. Silicone spatulas are good for larger batches.
Accurate scales or marked cups: Some resins mix by weight, others by volume. Follow the brand guidance and measure properly. Kitchen scales with one gram resolution are usually fine for small craft batches.
Moulds and forms: Silicone moulds for castings, or sealed wood panels for coatings and art boards. Make sure moulds are clean and fully dry.
Heat tool: A small heat gun or a quick pass with a torch to pop surface bubbles. Heat gently and keep it moving.
Work surface protection: A silicone mat or baking paper. Resin sneaks everywhere. A protected surface lets you relax and focus.
Level: Resin self levels. Your table should be level too, or your pour will creep toward one edge.
Timer: Keep an eye on working time, also called pot life. A simple phone timer helps you plan the steps.

The three pillars, proportion, mixing, temperature

Everything rests on these three. If your project fails, one of them is the culprit nine times out of ten.

Proportion: Use the exact ratio. If your resin is 2 parts A to 1 part B by volume, measure that, not something that looks close. If it is 100 parts A to 45 parts B by weight, use scales and follow it. Guessing leads to tacky spots or soft cures.
Mixing: Stir deliberately for the full time the maker suggests. Two to three minutes is typical for small batches. Scrape sides and bottom. Transfer to a clean cup and mix again if the resin is particularly fussy. This reduces streaks of unmixed part.
Temperature: Resin is happiest around 20 to 24 degrees Celsius. Colder rooms slow curing and thicken the resin. Hot rooms shorten pot life and increase exotherm risk. Warm the bottles in a water bath if the resin is very thick, just lukewarm water, bottle caps on to keep it dry.

Choosing the right resin for the job

There is no single best resin. The right choice depends on what you want to make and how thick you plan to pour.

Coating or art resin: Slightly thicker, forgiving for thin pours and topcoats, cures to a high gloss. Good for coating tables, canvases, and coasters poured at a few millimetres.
Deep pour resin: Thinner, formulated for deeper castings. Longer pot life, lower heat buildup. Use for river boards, thick moulds, and inclusions where the depth is measured in centimetres, but still follow the brand’s maximum pour depth.
Fast set resin: Short working time, handy for quick domes and small fills. Less time to chase bubbles, so not ideal for beginners.

Colourants and add ins

This is where the fun starts. Colour turns clear resin into something personal. Keep the total added colourant under about ten percent of the total resin volume, often much less, to maintain a solid cure. Too much colourant can create soft or sticky patches.

Liquid pigments and inks: Strong colour, blends smoothly. Start with a drop or two, mix, then add more if needed. Alcohol inks create cellular blooms in certain resins, lovely but less predictable.
Mica powders: Give pearl and metallic effects. Dust the mould for a shimmer on the surface, or mix into the resin for body colour. Stir well to avoid clumps.
Opaque pastes: Designed for resin, a little goes a long way. Great for solid colours and marbling.
Glitters and flakes: Add sparkle. Mix into a small portion, then swirl into a clear base so you can control placement.
Inclusions: Dried flowers, shells, small objects. Ensure they are fully dry and sealed if porous. Trapped moisture can cause cloudiness.

Planning the pour

Think about the end result before you mix. Are you making a set of coasters or one large piece. Do you want crisp layers or colour blends. How will gravity move the resin once you pour. Tape off areas you want clean edges. Seal wood with a thin sealing coat to prevent trapped bubbles rising from grain. Dry fit inclusions and check everything is level.

Step by step, a clean first project

Prep the area: Lay down a silicone mat, level the table, set out cups, sticks, pigments, and the heat tool. Put on gloves and glasses.
Measure: Decide how much resin you need. As a rough guide, one millilitre covers one square centimetre at one millimetre thickness. For a coaster mould that is ten centimetres in diameter and about five millimetres deep, allow near 40 millilitres, give yourself a little extra.
Mix: Pour part A, then part B, according to the correct ratio. Stir slowly for two minutes, scrape the sides and bottom, then stir another minute. If you see streaks, keep mixing until the blend looks uniform.
Colour: Split into smaller cups if using several colours. Add pigments sparingly and mix each portion until smooth. If your colours need to stay clean, keep separate sticks so you do not muddy the tones.
Pour: For simple coasters, pour the base colour first. Tilt the mould gently to spread. Add secondary colours in thin ribbons and use a stick to draw through the colours. Less is more. A few slow movements look better than frantic stirring.
De bubble: Wait a minute for bubbles to rise. Gently wave the heat gun across the surface for a second or two at a time. Do not hover. Keep the tool moving to avoid scorching the resin or the mould.
Wait: Leave the piece to level. Check edges for drips if you are coating a flat board. Remove dust sources, close the door, and walk away.
Cure and demould: Follow the brand guidance for cure time. Soft demoulding can distort thin pieces, so do not rush. If the piece is slightly flexible, that is normal early in the cure. Full hardness usually takes a day or more.

Managing bubbles, a practical approach

Bubbles happen. The trick is to reduce them and then deal with the survivors. Warm the resin and hardener bottles in a lukewarm water bath for five to ten minutes to reduce viscosity. Mix slowly to avoid whipping air. After pouring, wait briefly, then pass the heat gun lightly. If bubbles cling inside a mould detail, tease them out with a toothpick. For flowers or porous inserts, seal them first with a thin resin coat or a light clear sealer and let that dry. In deep pours, pour in stages so bubbles from lower layers have time to escape before the next pour locks them in.

Layers and depth

Layering gives you control and depth. Pour the first layer, let it reach the firm but still slightly tacky stage, then pour the next. The tacky surface helps layers bond without a visible line. If a layer has already fully cured, scuff sand lightly with a fine abrasive and wipe clean before adding the next pour. For very deep castings, check the maximum depth per layer recommended by the resin maker. Ignoring this advice is a fast route to overheating, clouding, or cracking.

Edges and doming

Resin likes to creep. On a flat panel it will run off edges unless the viscosity and timing are in your favour. For domed coasters and small pieces, wait until the mix thickens slightly during its pot life. Then slowly add resin toward the edges and let surface tension hold the curve. Work in small additions, watch the meniscus, and resist the urge to push too hard with a stick. If you flood the edge, the dome spills and the tidy look is gone. Practice on a test piece first, it teaches your hands faster than any paragraph.

Mould care and release

Silicone moulds usually release cured resin easily, which is the whole point. Still, a little care makes them last longer. Do not gouge the mould when de moulding. Flex it gently and peel it away from the piece. If a piece sticks, give it more cure time and try again rather than force it. Wash moulds with mild soap and water, allow to dry fully, and store them flat away from heat and direct sun. Never scrub with harsh chemicals. If you use powder pigments, blow out residue before the next pour. Dust on the walls can imprint into your next casting.

Finishing, sanding, and polishing

Even careful pours sometimes need a touch of finishing. Small nubs, overflow on an edge, or a few dust nibs are normal. For edges, use a sharp craft blade to pare away drips while the resin is firm but not fully hard. For cured resin, wet sand starting with 400 to 600 grit and move up through 1000, 1500, and 2000. Keep the surface wet and rinse the paper often. After sanding to a uniform matte, polish with a plastic polish or a fine rubbing compound until the gloss returns. If you sand through the topcoat and reveal a haze, clean and apply a thin flood coat to restore clarity. Let that coat cure fully before handling.

Common problems and real fixes

Sticky patches: Caused by poor ratio or incomplete mixing. If only the surface is tacky, you can try a thin fresh topcoat mixed correctly. If the tackiness runs deep, you may need to scrape and repour.
Cloudy or milky resin: Often due to moisture or a hot exotherm. Keep materials dry and pour in sensible layer depths. Warming the bottles before mixing helps reduce micro bubbles that look like haze.
Cracks after cure: Usually from overheating in a thick pour. Follow recommended layer depths and allow cooling time between layers. Work in a cooler room if needed.
Fish eyes or craters: Caused by contamination like oil, silicone, or dust. Clean surfaces with isopropyl alcohol before coating, avoid aerosol polishes near your workspace, and keep your gloves clean.
Yellowing over time: All epoxies shift with age, some faster than others. Store finished pieces out of direct sunlight and choose a resin with UV stabilisers. A light tint can mask slight warmth in the base colour if the look suits the project.

Working time and pace

You do not have to rush, but you cannot take forever either. Pot life is your true window. For a beginner friendly art resin this might be 30 to 45 minutes at 22 degrees Celsius. Set up everything first, then mix. Keep an eye on the clock and move steadily. If the cup gets hot in your hand, decant into a shallow tray to increase the surface area and slow the kick. Thick batches in tall cups trap heat and shorten working time. Small, shallow containers behave better and give you time to think.

Resin for coasters, a focused guide

Coasters are a perfect starter project. The scale is small, the moulds are inexpensive, and you can try techniques without expensive risk.

Seal artwork or inserts: If you are embedding paper or photos, seal them on both sides with a clear sealer and let them dry fully. Edges are the weak point where resin can creep in and cause stains.
Add colour with restraint: Two or three colours plus a hint of metallic makes a clean set. Overmixing turns marbling into soup.
Pour level: Check your table again. Even a small tilt will give you thin and thick sides that look off.
Pop bubbles early and once again: Heat lightly after the pour, then check again five minutes later. A few late bubbles often rise from the mould walls.
Backfill if needed: If the first pour settles below the rim, add a small top up before the full cure to keep a smooth level surface.
Finish the base: Once cured, add cork or silicone feet for grip and to protect surfaces.

Ocean boards and flow art, gentle control

Ocean pours look impressive because resin behaves like water. That is the whole trick and the challenge. Use a slightly thicker resin for control. Pre tint the base with a light blue or sand tone. Pour bands of colour, then push gentle cells with a puff of warm air, not a blast. Work with the board slightly tilted so white foam carries where natural surf would go. Less is more. A second thin coat can enhance depth once the base layer cures. Do not chase perfection in one go. The most convincing ocean pieces often happen when you do a bit, step away, then return for a subtle second pass.

Embedding flowers and keepsakes

Real flowers are beautiful in resin when prepared properly. The key is moisture control. Use silica gel to dry blooms fully, or use pressed flowers for a different look. Seal dried pieces with a light spray of clear sealer and let them dry overnight. Pour a thin base layer and let it gel slightly. Place the flower gently. Top up with more resin in small additions to avoid trapping air underneath petals. A toothpick helps coax bubbles out from under anthers and stems. Keep the project covered while curing to prevent dust spoiling the crystal clarity that shows off your work.

Clean up and waste

Plan to create less waste. Wipe tools while resin is still wet, or use reusable silicone where possible. For cured drips in cups, flex and peel them out, then reuse the cup. Do not pour leftover liquid resin down the sink. Mix any remainder together in a small cup and let it cure, then dispose as solid waste according to your local rules. Keep paper towels and wipes in a separate bin until the resin is fully cured on them, as heat can build in a pile of soaked rags. It sounds fussy, but once you get into a routine it becomes second nature.

Storage and shelf life

Store bottles upright with caps tight in a cool, dry cupboard. Avoid wide temperature swings. If crystals form in part A during a cold spell, a gentle warm water bath usually redissolves them. Wipe bottle necks before capping so you do not glue the lid shut. Label open dates with a marker. While many resins last a good while, fresh material always performs best, and old hardener can darken with age which will show in very clear work.

Scaling up safely

Once you are comfortable with small projects you may feel the itch to tackle thicker pieces. Respect the heat factor. For river boards or thick castings, follow a staged pour schedule. Pour a base of one to two centimetres, wait for the peak exotherm to pass and the layer to cool, then pour the next. Use a resin designed for depth with a long pot life and low exotherm. Keep a thermometer handy if you like numbers. The resin in the mould might be fine while a leftover lump in a mixing cup gets hot quite fast. Spread any leftover mix out on a tray if it begins to warm so it can cool safely.

Working neatly, small habits that help

Lay out a clean area for mixed cups and a separate area for pigment additions so you do not cross contaminate.
Keep a roll of kitchen towel within reach, and a small bin at your feet. Quick tidy ups prevent sticky elbows.
Place a clear box or crate upside down as a dust cover over curing pieces.
Write down what you mix and pour for each project, colours used, ratios, room temperature, and timing. Notes make the next piece easier.

Simple troubleshooting flow

When something goes wrong, pause. Look at proportion, mixing, temperature in that order. If the ratio was off, there is no magic fix for large errors. You can sometimes salvage surface tack with a correct topcoat. If mixing was rushed, you might see streaks or soft spots. For that, cut away the bad patch, scuff, and repour. If temperature was the issue, adjust the room or the pour size next time. Practical craft is iterative. Treat mistakes as lessons. Each one teaches you more than a smooth win does, although the wins are a lot nicer to look at.

Frequently asked questions, answered simply

Can I use plastic takeaway pots as moulds. Some plastics work, many do not. Thin takeaway tubs often warp with heat and stick. Use proper silicone moulds for predictable release and shape.
Why is my thin piece flexible after 24 hours. Thin sections can flex before full cure. Give it more time. Full hardness can take 48 to 72 hours, longer if the room is cool.
How do I avoid dust in the finish. Work clean, cover your pieces while they cure, and do a quick wipe down of the area before pouring. A still space with a cover over the project is your friend.
Can I speed up curing. Some resins allow gentle warmth, but do not bake your work. A small rise in room temperature helps. Check the brand guidance. Too much heat risks warping or yellowing.
Do draft orders or waiting conditions matter. That is a shop system question rather than resin, so not relevant here, but it is a good example of how context matters. Keep your resin tasks separate from other work to avoid distractions while timing matters.

A beginner friendly project plan, coaster set with gentle marbling

Day before: Clean the moulds and let them dry. Choose two colours and one metallic accent. Set the work table level and clear.
Mixing: Measure enough resin for four coasters with a small buffer. Mix slowly for three minutes, scraping as you go.
Colour split: Pour half into a main colour cup, a quarter into a second colour cup, and leave the rest clear with a pinch of metallic powder.
Pour base: Pour the main colour to fill each mould halfway. Add a swirl of the second colour. Drizzle a thin line of the metallic. Do not overdo it.
Move colour: Use a stick to draw two or three slow lines through each coaster. Wipe the stick between passes to keep colours clean.
De bubble: Heat lightly across each surface. Pause, then repeat once as needed.
Top up: After five to ten minutes, top up to the rim if the level drops. Watch the dome if you are doming, add a little at a time.
Cure: Cover and leave for the full suggested cure time. Demould gently. Add feet on the base.

Mindset, the part nobody mentions

Crafting with resin feels a bit like cooking a new recipe. First time through, you follow each step closely. The second time, your hands already know when to stir and when to stop. You notice temperature and viscosity without thinking. You get quieter while you work. Listen to that. If a pour feels rushed, pause and let the batch go rather than forcing a bad pour. If you feel fidgety, set a timer and walk away while it levels itself. Resin rewards steady, unhurried movements. That calm shows in the finish.

Small upgrades that make a big difference

Better lighting: A bright, even light helps you spot dust and bubbles before they cure in.
Silicone tools: Reusable stirrers and spatulas save money and cut waste. Cured resin peels right off.
Thermometer: Handy for deep pours. Knowing the temperature of the room and the resin keeps you in the safe zone.
Cover box: A simple clear storage box used as a pop up curing tent keeps dust off and doubles as a mobile work surface cover.

When to stop and when to push

Stop when the surface looks smooth and the composition feels balanced. Pushing past that point often muddies colours and disturbs the self leveling magic. Push when the project is a test piece. Try the extra swirl, the bolder metallic, the layered bloom. Keep those experiments small and frequent. Your eye will grow faster than your hands otherwise and you will be forever chasing a look you have not yet practiced.

Making it your own

The internet is full of perfect resin videos that fade the hard bits into music and time lapse. Your craft happens in real time, with real waiting, with real small messes you wipe away. That is fine. Choose a limited palette that you love. Repeat a technique across a set so you can compare outcomes. Note what you changed. Celebrate the moment a piece pops out of the mould and you see it in your hand in real light. If you feel a flicker of surprise, that is the good part. Keep that.

Final thoughts

Epoxy resin is a generous material once you learn its rhythm. Measure accurately, mix thoroughly, mind the temperature, and give it time. Work clean, plan your pour, be kind to yourself when a piece goes sideways. You will pour something ordinary on a Tuesday and it will come out of the mould looking like glass with a swirl that feels alive. That is the payoff. Put it on the table, run a fingertip over the edge, and let yourself smile. Then do it again, a little wiser, a little calmer, and probably a little tidier.