Testing UV resin and DIY UV lighting setup.
I recently got DecorRom UV Resin. I decided to test it and a DIY UV lighting setup by making a few pendants with alcohol inks and stickers. The first attempt was a bust. The second attempt was better, but with some lessons learned.
DecorRom Package
The DecorRom UV Resin - Hard Type craft resin, 500 grams, was listed for $45.99 USD on Amazon. The link I shared shows a different packaging design, but it's the same resin. After some research online, it appears the product is sold in a variety of packaging designs.
The box provides information about the ingredients and contact information. It also states the product was made in China in case that's information that'll help you determine if the product is worth purchasing.
The box and the bottle's label provided information about how to use the product and notes. I shared a photo of this information above, but also provided it word-for-word below.
How to use:
UV Curing - Exposure to UV light for 2 to 4 mins
Sun Curing - Exposure to sunlight for 5 to 20 mins
Notes:
Resin will give out ODOR and HEAT during curing. Under the conditions of ventilation use.
Wearing gloves & glasses while using is recommended.
To CHECK the resin, please try curing it under the UV light DIRECTLY.
Make sure your resin mold is CLEAR! Otherwise the UV light may not penetrate it.
When using a LARGE amount of resin, please try curing it LAYER BY LAYER to prevent the shrinkage.
Avoid direct contact with skin & eyes. Once contacted, flush with flowing water or get medical treatment.
Keep out of reach of children.
Stored in a cool, dry place.
DIY UV Lighting Setup
I originally wanted to buy a cheap UV nail lamp for UV resin projects. However, my Dad bought a couple UV lamps off Amazon. Each lamp has six lights. He informed me each light was 6 watts for a total of 36 watts per lamp. He believed more wattage would cure UV resin pieces better than "the junk" I looked at buying.
He used scrap wood and plastic moldings to create a partially walled box for the lamps to sit atop of. There are two walls to let the box stand freely. Two ends are not walled to allow me to slide short or long resin molds under.
First Attempts
Normally, I'd check to make sure the tabletop is leveled. I knew from applying my Nano Optics on S20+ that it wasn't entirely level, but it didn't concern me for my first few attempts.
I worked with two different types of resin molds: hard-plastic and silicone.
I completely filled-in four of the hard-plastic mold's cavities with the UV resin. Two of the cavities were layered with a Vaseline. I lightly spread Vaseline in hard plastic molds as a mold release.
I figured the small mold cavities were small enough to ignore the 'layer by layer' note on the product label. I added a couple drops of alcohol ink in the resin, torched the bubbles, and cured it under my DIY UV lighting setup for four minutes.
All pieces shrunk in size, but only a little. A 'bowl' formed within the center of the pieces. I thought they'd remain flat on the tops, but they didn't.
The two pieces layered with Vaseline popped out quickly and easily. I didn't feel the Vaseline on the bottom sides that sat within the mold's cavity. The two pieces that didn't receive a Vaseline treatment were difficult to remove. It took many twists of the mold, banging roughly on the tabletop, and name callings to force the pieces out.
The bottom sides of the two pieces layered with Vaseline didn't feel slick or tacky to the touch, meaning it didn't stick to my skin in the slightest. However, the other two pieces were tacky. After a few days, the tackiness went away on the Vaseline pieces while the tackiness was minimal on the other pieces.
The top sides of all pieces that received UV light directly were sticky, meaning they stuck and held onto my skin until I shook or pried them off. My skin also remained sticky for a while thereafter.
I tried curing the pieces again, but the stickiness remained for days. They're now tacky to the touch four days later.
I completely filled-in five of the silicone mold's cavities with UV resin. I didn't layer any of the cavities with Vaseline since resin releases from silicone molds quickly and easily.
I added three to four drops of alcohol ink four of the cavities, but I accidentally added five or six drops in one cavity. I torched the bubbles and cured it under my DIY UV lighting setup for four minutes.
I removed four of the five resin pieces with ease. The bottom sides that contacted the cavities' walls were not tacky. The top sides that received UV light directly were tacky. They're now less tacky to the touch four days later.
The resin piece I accidentally added the five or six drops of alcohol ink didn't cure at all. I left it in the mold with hopes that it'd cure after sitting under the UV lights a few more times.
Second Attempt
For the second attempt, I opted to only use the silicone mold. This time around I worked 'layer by layer' as recommended on the product label's notes.
For the first layer, I poured a small amount of UV resin to create a thin layer. I used a plastic palette knife I had nearby to help push the resin against the walls of the cavities. I added two to four drops of alcohol ink to the resin pieces, torched the bubbles, let it sit untouched for a couple minutes, and then cured it under my DIY UV lighting setup for four minutes.
I let the cured pieces cool off for a couple minutes. The bottom sides that contacted the cavities' walls were not tacky. The top sides that received UV light directly were tacky.
I missed some bubbles along the edges, or walls, of the mold's cavities. There was one piece that likely had more bubbles form on its surface when I left the resin untouched prior to curing it. Another piece had an uneven, textured surface. I'm not sure if it's because I didn't completely mix the alcohol ink to make a swirled design.
For the second layer, I placed Jack-O-Lantern stickers over some of the resin pieces. I poured a small amount of UV resin to create a thin layer. I used a plastic palette knife to help push the resin against the walls of the cavities.
I torched the bubbles, let it sit untouched for a couple minutes, and then cured it under my DIY UV lighting setup for four minutes.
I let the cured pieces cool off for a couple minutes. The bottom sides that contacted the cavities' walls were not tacky. The top sides that received UV light directly were tacky.
The uneven, textured piece finally had a smooth surface. Yet to my surprise, all pieces shrunk and warped. Perhaps curing a second time for four minutes was too long? Maybe I didn't wait long enough, or waited too long, before pouring and curing a second layer? I'm not sure what I did wrong, even after re-watching the recorded footage.
I removed all pieces from the mold. It was at this point I realized the piece from my first attempt would never cure completely. I removed it with a napkin and threw it in the trash.
I sanded the rough edges of the pieces. I thought about sanding the top surfaces flat, but decided it'd be easier to dome the tops with more resin.
For the third layer, I poured a small amount of UV resin to create a thin, domed layer. I used a plastic palette knife to help push the resin to the edges of the pieces. I did so carefully to prevent the resin from flowing over the sides and creating a mess.
I torched the bubbles, let it sit untouched for a couple minutes, and then cured it under my DIY UV lighting setup for four minutes.
Fortunately, the pieces didn't shrink more. The bottom sides were not tacky. The top sides that received UV light directly were tacky. One piece had an indent where I failed to push the resin towards the edge. I decided to dome the tops once again.
For the fourth and final layer, I poured a small amount of UV resin to create a thin, domed layer. I used a plastic palette knife to help push the resin to the edges of the pieces. I let it sit untouched for a couple minutes and then cured it under my DIY UV lighting setup for four minutes.
Unfortunately, I forgot to torch the bubbles this last time. After letting it cool for a couple minutes, I saw where bubbles formed on all but one piece.
The bottom sides were not tacky. The top sides that received UV light directly were tacky. They're now less tacky to the touch four days later.
Tips and Lessons Learned
Below are some tips I learned from other sources and from my own experiences using UV resin:
Use a leveling tool to verify the tabletop or working surface is leveled from side-to-side and front-to-back.
If you don't have a leveling tool, consider placing a ball or other round object on the surface to determine if it's level enough to work on.
If you have sensitive skin, try to avoid touching the resin. Wash it off immediately if you're concerned about a potential allergic reaction.
Use in a well-ventilated area. There is a slight odor upon opening and pouring the resin. There is a stronger odor during curing. The latter may trigger headaches or migraines if you suffer chronic migraines like myself.
If you're using a plastic (non-silicone) mold, consider lightly spreading Vaseline or mold release product in the mold's cavity. This will allow the cured resin piece to release easily.
Use thin layers to minimize tackiness. This may take time and patience.
Let the resin sit in the mold for a couple minutes before curing. This will prevent the resin from being too tacky after curing.
If you're popping bubbles with a lighter or torch on a piece with alcohol ink, DO NOT light too close to the piece's surface to prevent fire. Trust me, I've done it before.
Don't look directly into the UV light, just like you wouldn't look directly into the sun.
Let the resin pieces cool off for a few minutes before handling. Depending on the UV light wattage and thickness of the resin, the temperature of the resin pieces could be over 100°F.
It may take several days for any tackiness to minimize or go away completely, so be patient.
My Thoughts
Overall, I thought the DecorRom UV Resin is a good product for a UV resin novice like myself. I don't know if the tackiness of the pieces' tops will ever go away.
I watched many YouTube videos of crafters who claimed their DecorRom UV Resin pieces remained slightly tacky to the touch. Fortunately, they're currently less tacky than the first few pieces from my first attempts.
I obviously made a few mistakes that I haven't figured out yet, like what I did to cause the pieces of the second attempt to shrink. I also don't know what caused the pieces to warp. They 'curled' upwards and didn't sit flushed on a flat tabletop like I expected them to do. Hopefully, I'll figure out how to solve or avoid the mistakes with future UV resin craft projects.
While the odor of the UV resin by itself was minimal, the odor emitted during the curing process was strong. My next UV resin projects will take place outdoors in my backyard or in my garage with the garage door partially opened. The odors triggered my migraines which is why this post and related video is uploaded late.
As for the DIY UV lighting setup my Dad rigged, it worked very well. I don't know if he was right about more wattage curing the resin pieces better. I do know that even though I never looked at the lights directly, it was still very bright.
I'll try creating a couple tinfoil door flaps to better contain the brightness. I also need to research whether I should have a plate or sorts, or a silicone mat, to sit below resin pieces during the curing process.
Otherwise, I'll use this again to make more small resin crafts. However, I'm curious to see if I made mistakes that caused the shrinking and warping of the pieces, or if the UV resin is to blame. I'm guessing it was user error.
What's Next?
Over the next two weeks, I'll share a few other Halloween-themed craft projects I worked on. I also got a new 'toy' during an Amazon flash sale which I'll review in a future blog post.
Have you worked with UV resin? Login and Sign up to share your experiences or let me know what I did wrong in my first two attempts. Any shared experiences and tips are welcomed!
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Thanks, and have a great day!
Simply Jelly Jam
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