Author: Epodex_Uk_2020

How-To Guide

Preparation

Have all materials ready. Note that you should work at room temperature and the humidity should not exceed 70%. All materials and tools should also be at room temperature.

Step 1

Put the disposable gloves on and mix our EPODEX PRO System according to the instructions in a ratio of 2:1. Stir well until no streaks are visible.

Step 2

Pour the finished resin into a separate container, for example a mixing cup. Thoroughly stir the resin again after repotting.

Step 3

Place the ballpoint pen refill with the lid in the silicone mould. It is important that the cap remains on the refill, otherwise the pen will not function to write.

Step 4

Put the clear epoxy resin into the silicone mould and add glitter, drop-in pigments, dried flowers, or similar accessories according to your wishes. Here it can be helpful to use the tweezers to insert the pen.

Step 5

After 24 hours at the earliest, you can remove the pens from the mould. Make sure that the resin is completely hardened before removing the pens from the mould, otherwise the pens may become deformed.

Step 6

After moulding, you can use a handheld Dremel to expose the tip of the pen. The tip must be sanded and polished so that it is not too sharp.

Step 7

With transparent castings, the use of silicone moulds can lead to streaks on the edge. You should also polish the twisted writing tip. Use EPODEX Polish Paste and a microfibre cloth. Polish away streaks and unevenness in circular movements.

How-To Guide

Preparation

Have all materials ready. Note that you should work at room temperature and the humidity should not exceed 70%. All materials and tools should also be at room temperature.

Step 1
Put the disposable gloves on and mix our EPODEX ECO System according to the instructions in a ratio of 2:1. Stir well until no visible streaks.

Step 2
Pour the resin in portions into separate containers, for example mixing cups. Thoroughly stir the resin again after repotting.

Step 3
Pour half of the resin into another container and mix it with pigments as desired. You can decide how many drops or powders you want to add, depending on the desired colour intensity. Stir the colours evenly into the epoxy resin with a Stir Stick. If you want to embed objects, work layer by layer, and allow the resin to set before placing anything in the mould. You can also stir coarse glitter directly into the transparent resin with a toothpick and then place it in the mould. Fill the silicone moulds to your liking.

Tip: If you prefer a more colourful result, you can pour several thinner layers with the ECO System up to 1 cm and create a colour gradient by adding 3 drops of one colour in the first layer, 2 in the second and 1 in the third. Then work wet-on-wet, which means not waiting the 12 hours until the next layer, but only 4-6 hours to create a nicer, flowing transition.

Step 4
After 24 hours at the earliest, remove the epoxy magnets from the mould. Make sure that the resin is completely cured before removing the magnets from the mould, otherwise the magnets may become deformed during the moulding process.

Step 5
With transparent castings, the use of silicone moulds can lead to streaks at the edges. You can polish these away with EPODEX Polishing Paste and a microfibre cloth in circular movements.

Step 6
Now attach the magnets to the back using glue, for example superglue. When the glue is dry, you can use the magnets.

How-To Guide

Preparation

Have all materials ready. Note that you should work at room temperature and the humidity should not exceed 70%. All materials and tools should also be at room temperature.

Step 1
Put on the gloves and mix our EPODEX PRO system according to the instructions in a ratio of 2:1. Stir well until streaks are no longer visible.

Step 2
Pour the finished resin in portions into separate containers, for example mixing cups. Stir the resin again thoroughly after repotting.

Step 3
For a transparent result you can now pour the clear resin into the silicone mould. If you want to embed objects, work layer by layer, and allow the resin to become gel-like before applying aything into the mould. Coarse glitter can also be mixed directly into the transparent resin with the help of a toothpick. You can now apply the transparent drop-ins or pigments into the epoxy resin. Freely decide how many drops or powders you want to add according to the desired colour intensity. Stir the colours evenly into the epoxy resin with a Stir Stick.

Tip: If you prefer colourful results, you can pour several thinner layers with the PRO System up to 2 cm and achieve a colour gradient by adding 3 drops of one colour in the first layer, 2 in the second, and 1 in the third. Then work wet-on-wet, which means not waiting the 12 hours until the next layer, but only 4-6 hours to create a more beautiful and flowing transition.

Step 4
After 24 hours at the earliest you can take the epoxy candleholders out of the mould. Check beforehand whether the resin has hardened completely, otherwise it may still deform during moulding.

Step 5
With transparent castings the use of silicone moulds can cause streaks at the edges. You can polish these away with EPODEX Polishing Paste and a microfibre cloth in circular movements.

How-To Create Decorative Resin Vases

Preparation

Have all materials ready. Note that you should work at room temperature and the humidity should not exceed 70%. All materials and tools should also be at room temperature.

Step 1
Put the disposable gloves on and mix our EPODEX PRO+ System according to the instructions in a ratio of 2:1. Stir well until there are no visible streaks.

Step 2
Pour the finished resin into three separate containers, for example mixing cups. Thoroughly stir the resin again after repotting.

Step 3
The three clear epoxy resin mixtures can now be combined with the transparent drop-ins. You can freely decide how many drops you want to add according to the desired colour intensity. Stir the drop-ins evenly into the epoxy resin with a stir stick.

Step 4
When everything is thoroughly mixed pour the coloured resin into the vases. Avoid letting the resin run to the edge of the vase, as it is very difficult to remove. If something does run to the edge of the tall vase dip a cotton swab in acetone-based nail polish remover or pure acetone and carefully wipe away the resin stains.

Step 5
After 24 hours, the surface has hardened sufficiently for you to start decorating. There are no limits to your imagination. For example, you can use flowers, candles, potpourri or scattered decorations. After 7 days the epoxy resin is completely hardened and can also be filled with water.

Tip: If you prefer a more colourful result, you can pour several thinner layers with the PRO System up to 2 cm and achieve a colour gradient by adding 3 drops of one colour in the first layer, 2 in the second, and 1 in the third. Then work wet-on-wet, which means not waiting the 12 hours until the next layer, but only 4-6 hours to make a more beautiful and flowing transition.

How-To Guide

Step 1
Mix our EPODEX PRO System according to the instructions in a ratio of 2:1, stirring well until no more streaks are visible.

Step 2
Pour the finished resin into a separate container. Stir the resin again thoroughly after repotting.

Step 3
Now use a resin suitable coaster geode mould made of silicone. Alternatively you can “draw” a free form of sanitary silicone on a glass base. Pay attention to an appropriate pouring height here. For a transparent result, pour some resin to just below the edge of the mould. Distribute the remaining epoxy resin to different mixing containers. Mix the resin portions with paint and with metallic pigments according to your wishes (for pigments: 1.5 – 2g per kg resin and hardener).

Step 4
Now wait about 10 – 15 minutes until the mass has reached a higher viscosity, i.e. is more viscous. You can test this with a rod sample. A higher viscosity means that the colours do not run into each other as much.

Step 5
Into the transparent geode forms you can drop in our transparent colours and work them in with a toothpick. For a “cloud effect” you stir less than for a completely transparent result. Here your wishes and your creativity are in demand!

Step 6
After the base layer is gelled, you continue with the processing of the coloured resin. To do this, pour the contents of the cups, starting from the middle and continuing to pour into the middle, so that the colour poured in displaces the previous layer to the outside. You can pour from both sides simultaneously until it meets in the middle – again, there are no limits to your imagination.

Step 7
Finally, you can add glitter particles, scattered decoration or other beautiful ornaments. It is essential to apply these at the end, because small decorative elements sink when the viscosity is still too low.

Step 8
After a waiting period of 24 hours the geodes can be shaped. If you like, you can now use acrylic paint sticks to colour the edges of the geodes for finalizing.

What You Need:

• EPODEX ECO System (see quantity calculator)
• Fine Dust Mask
• Masking Tape
• Spiked Soles
• Spiked Ventilation Roller

Optional

• Colour Pigments, Flakes, Quartz Sand or similar product

How-To Guide

Preparation of the substrate

Start by cleaning the floor. The subfloor must be dry and dust-free before installation. Fill any unevenness, holes, and cracks before you start priming. After thorough preparations tape all edges of the floor with masking tape. It is highly recommended to wear nail soles during the application of the epoxy resin and during any touch-up work to avoid leaving marks. Wear a breathing mask and old clothes or work clothes like a disposable overall to protect yourself.

Step 2
The Primer

To close all floor pores and reduce material loss, we recommend priming the floor with a thin layer of epoxy resin of 0.2-0.3cm. Mix together the required amount for the first thin layer and stir the two components slowly for about 3 minutes. Then spread the resin on the floor with the paint roller. The best results are achieved by painting the floor in a crosswise motion, as this closes all pores in the floor. Work quickly taking the pot life into account. Allow the primer to completely harden before applying the main coat.

Step 3
The Coating

When the curing time has completed, simply mix the epoxy resin for the main coating. The metallic colours are supplied as pigment powder in sachets. The contents of the bag are then mixed into the resin-hardener mixture. You can determine the amount of resin and thus influence the colour intensity of the result. Thoroughly mix all the components together for 3 minutes. Now you can pour the resin onto the primed surface. Then spread it with a paint roller or squeegee. When pre-coating we recommend a layer thickness of 1.5 mm. At room temperatures below 15°C, you should now go over the freshly poured resin with a spiked deaerator. This will prevent the resin from poorly deaerating and prevent bubbles from forming. Let the layer harden.

If you want to cover your floor with quartz sand, synthetic fibres or flakes, continue with this layer. Mix the silica sand or fibres into the resin according to the exact quantity and then spread it over the floor with a squeegee. If you are using flakes, spread them on the damp pre-coating, wait for the curing time to elapse and then apply another layer of epoxy resin.

Step 4
Remove Masking Material

Now remove all adhesive tapes after processing. Leave the freshly poured floor with nail soles so that n marks are left on the surface. Then let the floor coating completely harden before loading the floor again.

Jewellery Made of UV Resin

UV resin is often used to create small pieces of jewellery, where the product properties come in handy. UV resin offers a sufficent amount of time to create filigree patterns before the resin has actually cured. The small dimensions of jewellery also facilitate curing under a UV lamp. For long-lasting durability of your jewellery, we recommend sealing the UV resin once again with an epoxy or polyurethane resin layer.

Polishing epoxy resin: how to do it

Step 1: Sand the surface

For example, you have coated your table with epoxy resin and the last layer is completely cured? Great – because now we are moving on to the next step. The sanding of epoxy resin starts with a wet sanding. All you need is our sandpaper, a sanding block and water.

Before you start sanding, you make the paper a little wet and moisten it again and again during the sanding process. Sanding is done carefully in circular movements. You start with a coarse grit 120, then you use finer and finer sandpaper, up to a fine grit 3000. Wet sanding can be done either by hand or with an orbital sander. Work on the edges very carefully and with less pressure, otherwise too much epoxy resin will quickly be removed. The sanding is finished when your tabletop is smooth and even. Now wipe the remaining water off the table. Now the actual epoxy resin polishing can begin.

Step 2: Epoxy resin polishing

The polishing of your epoxy resin surface can also be done again either by hand or by machine. As described above, the size of the surface determines which method is more suitable.

Option 1: Polishing by hand
If you want to polish your surface by hand, you will again need the sandpaper, sanding block, polishing paste, water and a cotton or linen cloth. Then put some polishing paste on the cloth and moisten it with some water. Then place the cloth over the sanding block. Rub the cloth over the surface in slow, circular movements with little pressure. Your polish is finished when the desired degree of gloss is achieved.

Option 2: Polishing with a drill
If you would like to polish with a machine, for small workpieces I recommend a drill on which you screw a polishing attachment. There are attachments with polishing sponges or polishing discs and special polishing ball heads. The best polishing compounds are those that are also intended for wood.

Start by screwing a flannel polishing attachment onto the drill. Then apply some polishing paste to the attachment. Now you can carefully polish the surface in even movements. Be careful at the edges and apply less pressure here too. After the first polish you can do a second pass with an even finer flannel attachment. When you have achieved the desired degree of shine, you are finished.

Option 3: Polishing with a polishing machine
Large areas can be polished to a high gloss most quickly with a polishing machine. A random orbit sander with polishing attachment is the first choice for epoxy resin surfaces. Due to its eccentric movement, you will achieve a perfect polishing result without removing too much resin. To do this, apply some polishing paste to the polishing pad on your sander. Turn the machine on and move it in circular movements with little pressure over the surface until the desired gloss level is achieved.

Step 5: Sealing and Polishing

Remove the mould by unscrewing all the screws and cutting through the silicone with a cutter. Then knock out all mould parts with a hammer. Now you can sand, polish and seal the table top. You will need either a polishing machine, such as a random orbital sander with the appropriate attachments, or a sanding block and wet sandpaper and some water. You will also need a polishing paste. Put on the fine dust mask and start sanding from the coarsest to the finest grain. If you work with wet sandpaper, remember to water it from time to time. When you are finished with the 3000 grit, wipe the table once. Now you can continue with the polishing. Apply the polishing paste to the machine attachment or a wipe. Polish the surface with little pressure in circular movements. When the desired gloss level is reached, you are finished. Now screw on the table legs. As a final sealant you can now apply oil, varnish or wax as a sealant. If you want an even more durable surface, we recommend applying a layer of polyurethane resin. Let the sealant cure before using the epoxy table for the first time.