just got hold of a two part resin to make my water and it was a disaster my mixture was fine when i poured it to my base but when it dried, everything was full of bubbles. could anyone tell me what went wrong. what is the right mixture ratio of the fluid and the powder?
please help

First I would say that you stirred it to much. I use casting resin which is clear. But what I can gather is you stirred to hard ,real slow on the stirring. And try to pour from one end so bubbles will rise not real fast. . This is the one I use for water
http://www.thecrafterscloset.com/cat14_1.htm

thanks sgtreef i guess i was just too excited and mixed it quite heaviliy. anyway, the resin that i got, would you believe came from my dentist! its a clear casting resin used by my dentist to mold it for making the base of false teeth the chemical is clear liquid with an awfull strong smell ( smells like solvent ) and the other part is the white powder. does anyone know how to mix this stuff ( ratio ) thnks for your help :-)

I agree that stirring introduces too much air into the mix.... I use a deep spinning paint stirrer... all the aggitation is down deep, so little if any air is brought in from the surface of the liquid, as would be if you used a typical stir stick. Also, you might consider after stirring, to suck the fluid into a clear squeeze tube... you can then hold the bottle upright, and tap several times, which makes most bubbles rise. Squeeze the bottle, and they escape from the top (just like doctors do with a syringe). Now turn over the bottle (still squeezed, and gentle apply more pressure... this will cause a bubble-free stream to come out and lay flat. Also, make sure your surface is TOTALLY dust free before pouring. Finally, use a hot air hair dryer to keep the liquid from setting too fast if you see bubbles have formed. The longer it stays liquid, the more time the bubbles have to escape. - Keith

Hello!

I was wondering if you were using the 2 part resin that is commonly found in Wal-Mart etc... The stuff that is guaranteed to harden clear.

The trick to this for me was carbon dioxide! Thats right just gently exhaling across the surface causes the bubbles to surface and release. Also to make sure and pour in very thin layers. no more than 1/8th of an inch seems to work fairly well. A hair dryer set on low helps as well. Mostly you just have to keep working with it. The thicker the pour the more work you are going to have.

On the project that has been messed up with the bubbles might be retrievable. Airbrush your cloud patterns right back onto the surface of the resin. Rough it up a biut first though. The simply pour the resin again, only go with thinner layers and try the exhaling if you are using the stuff I mentioned earlier.

Hope something works out for ya.

Deacon

:-) :-)

thanks a lot guys for your tips! ill remember not to be super excited when i mix the stuff next time i forgot to mention that the resin i use melts styrene does this really happen with the resin you use?

Wow! What resin are you using?

I found that for water Envirotex works really well. Though I have not emersed a styrene vehicel in it, I have seen others use it with no apparent melting of the styrene. Gee that could really ruin your project for sure!

Has anyone tried the water making material that they use in model railroading? Kind of curious about that stuff.

Deacon
:-)

i think i made a mistake, what i meant was my resin melts styrofoam. does resins do this normaly? thanks!

What resin material are you using?

Yes sometimes resins can attack styrofoam.. When pouring envirotex as water I make a bed out of sheet plastic to pour the resin on or that some other ground making material is present to protect the styrofoam from coming into direct contact with the resin.

Need to know what resin you are using.

Deacon
:-)

Clear resin definitly, always destroys styrofoam. you can also use aluminium foil to enhace the glow effect of the water and protect the styrofoam. Clear polyurethane, normally requires 5 % hardner to resin. It always smells strong, so wear a mask or pour outdoors. You want to pour in thin layers and allow each layer to cure in between. Too much resin and you get intense heating followed by shrinkage along the edges. Pouring the clear stuff is hard under the best of cicumsatnces, be sure to cover the area poured, and protect it against dust particles, and insect immersion! As has been mentioned above use a slow steady hand when strring, or bubbles are created. Another trick prior to pouring is to set the mixture onto a table top, and tap from below to force trapped air bubbles to the surface. Also pour into one corner slowly tipping the container. If worse comes to worse. Puchala does some excellent white metal fish, these can be immersed near the bubbles! I have always had the problem of not being able to create good bubbles!! I use them when adding a PBR or other small rivercraft.

Jack

thanks a lot all for your help captainjack, thank u so much for the tip next time ill be more carefull dealing with this strong stuff

As CaptainJack states, RESIN ALWAYS eats styrofoam. I recommend first doing a base coat of plaster. If the water is to be "shallow" you can also embed rocks, tires, rifles, empty can's etc. Let the plaster sit for 8 hours, then apply a second thin coat.

If you are going for a deep water effect, I like to paint the plaster a dark blue in the center and then feather in some lighter shades of blue in streaks here and there. When you add the clear resin, it then takes on a great look of depth.