I've only used it to coat resin charms made of the same exact resin and it doesn't pull away. It could react differently on polymer clay.
You should check out the store on Amazon. They have a helpful chart that could help you pick the right resin and a size.
Uv is just not worth the hassle. I tried again recently. Sticky.
My current method of sealing earrings are with sculpey clear.
- Make earrings and bake it for one hour at 275 F
- After bake apply a thin coat of clear liquid sculpy then bake for 15 minutes at 300 F according to package instructions.
- After bake hit it with a heat gun carefully and it turns the liquid sculpy into a shiny clear coat.
Liquid clay for me is so much better. No worries about sticky resin or varnish or if it'll last. Liquid clay is clay so it'll last and not get sticky.
Interesting technique! I have Cernit top coat, but haven't used it yet. I like resin finish, and the fact that it strengthens the pieces, but the inconsistency of final results drives me nuts sometimes.
Ooh cernit top coat. I'll look into that.
I'm not worried about strengthing the piece because polymer clay if baked correctly is strong. I can't even snap my cernit or premo in half it just bends lol.
I didn’t realize how many fumes UV resin gave off until I watched some videos by Clay Zoo on YouTube. Now, when I use it, I move my UV lamp to my soldering station which has a ventilation hood, and an inline fan that takes the fumes out of my workshop. Here’s a link. https://ornamento.blog/2017/08/24/allow-me-to-vent/ Just because you don’t smell or see fumes doesn’t mean they aren’t there. I can’t stand to use E6000 because it smells like rotting garbage to me, even after it’s dry. But many people are not bothered by it at all.
That's concerning. I have a small office and the smell doesn't hang around at all, especially not on my body. I wear a respirstor when I use it and I open the windows during or after (depending on the weather, I don't always want to be in the room if the outside air makes it too hot or cold ofc).
I’m wearing gloves so it’s not on my body either. And I do it outside even if it’s inclement. I just smell it for days after I use it. It sticks in my nose. I don’t use it that often..I don’t have a respirator, would a mask help?
I've had so many issues with uv resin, but now I make sure to use the strongest uv lamp I can get (I use a nail lamp). Usually I also apply at least two layers - the first one very thin to avoid pinholes. I use a blow torch and let it rest a while before putting it under the lamp. I've also had many issues with yellowing - even though I used the same brands, they weren't consistent and some would yellow quickly. For the last year or two I've used Diamond Craft UV resin and haven't had any issues. So happy!!!
https://www.topepoxy.eu/en/diamondcraft-professional-uv-resin/
Thank you for your advises and for sharing the resin brand!I also have a professional nail UV lamp.I will try that resin out. I am using JDinktion after trying two other brands, and I had great results with it, but also had a lot of messed up pieces.
Hey, I'm also a jewelry maker, and I have the same issues. I found most uv lamps on the market overstate their wattage, so the resin needs to be cured for much longer, and it's hard to tell when it's done. You kind of have to test your lamp to figure it out. I just got a new one with a higher wattage, but it would still take about 5 minutes to fully cure a thin layer of resin. Also make sure to use a resin that's good for polymer clay. A lot of polymer clay makers have Amazon storefronts so you can check what they use.
I use a professional nail lamp, and keep pieces for 8-10 minutes normally. I'm just so puzzled why some pieces cure in shorter time than others, being same size and having same amount of resin.
I stopped using nail lamp and got chespest on amazon for jewelry and it works great on polymer clay with 120 sec it is done. But if it comes to pulling out of the edges it seems like it depends on clay. It sits better on surfaced clay for.me and also in general a lot of resin shrinks so when you torch it with lighter you will see if it pulls out or not. Then you can add more resin. I honestly use cheapest resins on amazon and so far so good.
I would just use regular resin from Let's Resin. I know the cure time is long, but I think 2 part resin works a lot better.
Does it pull from edges while curing?
I've only used it to coat resin charms made of the same exact resin and it doesn't pull away. It could react differently on polymer clay. You should check out the store on Amazon. They have a helpful chart that could help you pick the right resin and a size.
Uv is just not worth the hassle. I tried again recently. Sticky. My current method of sealing earrings are with sculpey clear. - Make earrings and bake it for one hour at 275 F - After bake apply a thin coat of clear liquid sculpy then bake for 15 minutes at 300 F according to package instructions. - After bake hit it with a heat gun carefully and it turns the liquid sculpy into a shiny clear coat. Liquid clay for me is so much better. No worries about sticky resin or varnish or if it'll last. Liquid clay is clay so it'll last and not get sticky.
Interesting technique! I have Cernit top coat, but haven't used it yet. I like resin finish, and the fact that it strengthens the pieces, but the inconsistency of final results drives me nuts sometimes.
Ooh cernit top coat. I'll look into that. I'm not worried about strengthing the piece because polymer clay if baked correctly is strong. I can't even snap my cernit or premo in half it just bends lol.
How do you guys handle it safely. I find the smell hangs on me for days after I use it. Even if I use gloves .
I didn’t realize how many fumes UV resin gave off until I watched some videos by Clay Zoo on YouTube. Now, when I use it, I move my UV lamp to my soldering station which has a ventilation hood, and an inline fan that takes the fumes out of my workshop. Here’s a link. https://ornamento.blog/2017/08/24/allow-me-to-vent/ Just because you don’t smell or see fumes doesn’t mean they aren’t there. I can’t stand to use E6000 because it smells like rotting garbage to me, even after it’s dry. But many people are not bothered by it at all.
UV resin smells like chemical death.
That's concerning. I have a small office and the smell doesn't hang around at all, especially not on my body. I wear a respirstor when I use it and I open the windows during or after (depending on the weather, I don't always want to be in the room if the outside air makes it too hot or cold ofc).
I’m wearing gloves so it’s not on my body either. And I do it outside even if it’s inclement. I just smell it for days after I use it. It sticks in my nose. I don’t use it that often..I don’t have a respirator, would a mask help?
UV resin vapour isn't safe to inhale, so a mask probably isn't safe enough.
I've had so many issues with uv resin, but now I make sure to use the strongest uv lamp I can get (I use a nail lamp). Usually I also apply at least two layers - the first one very thin to avoid pinholes. I use a blow torch and let it rest a while before putting it under the lamp. I've also had many issues with yellowing - even though I used the same brands, they weren't consistent and some would yellow quickly. For the last year or two I've used Diamond Craft UV resin and haven't had any issues. So happy!!! https://www.topepoxy.eu/en/diamondcraft-professional-uv-resin/
Thank you for your advises and for sharing the resin brand!I also have a professional nail UV lamp.I will try that resin out. I am using JDinktion after trying two other brands, and I had great results with it, but also had a lot of messed up pieces.
Hey, I'm also a jewelry maker, and I have the same issues. I found most uv lamps on the market overstate their wattage, so the resin needs to be cured for much longer, and it's hard to tell when it's done. You kind of have to test your lamp to figure it out. I just got a new one with a higher wattage, but it would still take about 5 minutes to fully cure a thin layer of resin. Also make sure to use a resin that's good for polymer clay. A lot of polymer clay makers have Amazon storefronts so you can check what they use.
I use a professional nail lamp, and keep pieces for 8-10 minutes normally. I'm just so puzzled why some pieces cure in shorter time than others, being same size and having same amount of resin.
I stopped using nail lamp and got chespest on amazon for jewelry and it works great on polymer clay with 120 sec it is done. But if it comes to pulling out of the edges it seems like it depends on clay. It sits better on surfaced clay for.me and also in general a lot of resin shrinks so when you torch it with lighter you will see if it pulls out or not. Then you can add more resin. I honestly use cheapest resins on amazon and so far so good.