I consider myself a hobbyist when it comes to pouring resin. Not a master. Not a guru. Just someone who has poured a lot of resin and made a lot of mistakes doing it. Cracks, bubbles, pieces that never cured, pieces that cured too enthusiastically. All of it.
Choose the Resin That Actually Works for You
I’ve worked with two main types of resin. The first was liquid resin that requires a catalyst hardener. I gravitated toward this early on because it felt economical. Psychologically, it felt like I was using less resin because the hardener was only a few drops. That mattered to me when I was just starting and didn’t want to waste supplies.
When it worked, it really worked. The finish was beautiful. The problem was consistency. Getting the catalyst-to-resin ratio exactly right is not forgiving, especially when you’re new. I ended up with pieces that cracked, pieces that stayed tacky forever, and pieces that looked cured until they absolutely weren’t.
Eventually, I switched to a two-part epoxy resin with a 1:1 ratio. That change alone made the process feel less stressful. It’s harder to mess up equal parts, and my results became far more consistent. I also found myself making more pieces, not fewer, because I wasn’t constantly worried about ruining an entire batch.
There’s no moral high ground here. Some people swear by catalyst resin. I just know what worked better for me.
Invest in Silicone Mixing Cups and Tools
I put this off for way too long. At the time, Amazon wasn’t quite what it is now, and I already felt like I’d spent enough money just getting started. I used plastic disposable cups and wooden sticks because they were cheap and easy to find. I also have a lot of teacher friends, so sourcing supplies wasn’t exactly difficult.
The problem was visibility and waste. Not all plastic cups are clear, which makes it harder to really see whether your resin is fully mixed. And the amount of trash I went through was… a lot.
Once I finally bought silicone mixing cups and tools, everything changed. Cleanup became almost nonexistent. Once the resin cures, you just peel it out. It also felt less chaotic overall, less like I was constantly fighting my workspace. An unexpected bonus was fewer bubbles, because I could actually see what was happening in the cup while I mixed.
Heat Gun Over Hair Dryer
I used an old hair dryer for a long time to pop bubbles, and it worked… sort of. Eventually, I invested in a craft heat gun, and the difference was immediate. A heat gun has a more focused spout and gets hotter, which means less effort and better results.
That said, restraint matters. Keep it moving. This isn’t about cooking the resin. You’re just coaxing surface bubbles to release, not blasting the piece into submission. A few gentle passes usually do the trick.
Temperature Is Not Optional
Resin cares deeply about temperature, whether you do or not. If it’s too cold, your pieces may never fully cure and can stay tacky indefinitely. If it’s too hot, I’ve had pieces crack or cure in ways that felt aggressive and unnecessary.
Stable, moderate temperatures make a real difference. This isn’t the glamorous part of resin art, but it’s one of the most important.
The Part That’s Not Photogenic
You will make mistakes. Full stop. Do not compare your work to what you see online. People only post what they want you to see, not the failed pours, warped pieces, or things they quietly tossed in the trash.
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