Make Craft Game

UV Cured Epoxy is perfect for working with Resin in smaller amounts with a quick curing time.

I enjoy working with epoxy resin, but I had previously only used a part a / part b pour type of epoxy resin. It was the only material that I knew so I decided to stay in that realm, and I didn’t really bother to look into other alternatives.

Then I needed to glue two pieces of cured epoxy resin and I didn’t know what to do. I originally used hot glue but that quickly separated. Which led me to think more about what type of glue would be appropriate. A part of me was leaning toward using superglue but I decided to do a little research to further explore.

There are so many different types of glue. I am very curious to see why and what makes them different from each other. By searching for epoxy glue, I discovered a UV cured epoxy which cures within minutes with the assistance of a UV light.

This was fascinating to me as I had never heard of this type of epoxy before, and I wanted to know more. So, I immediately bought it. Using UV cured epoxy is a good way to get other epoxies to adhere but it’s also useful in making smaller projects where pouring just doesn’t make sense.

Check out the Craft section of MCG for more fun patterns in strings and things or more unlimited ideas.

Supplies

The great part about UV cured epoxy is that there is no part A or part B. It is just one mix that will not cure until exposed to UV light. Leaving it out (except for direct sunlight) doesn’t really affect it. I also found there were multiple types of UV cured epoxy. The ones that drew my attention were the hard and soft types.

The hard type is like epoxies I have used in the past where it cures hard. The soft type is more bendable which is new to me. And makes me very excited. For my exploratory project, I wanted to make one of each. I also needed a UV light and some mix-ins to make the piece more dynamic. I didn’t play with color this time.

Process

The process for using the UV cured epoxy was straightforward. Pour into mold, cure with UV light. The amount of time the epoxy takes to cure depends on the product that is being used. But then I got thinking, how does adding mix-ins to the resin work?

Well, the nice part about the UV curing epoxy is it can work fast and be done in layers. For a non-specific placement, I used a toothpick to push the mix-in into the mold after it was partially filled with epoxy. Then topped off the mold after the mix-ins displaced any air.

Reflections

I am not sure if this is a great or terrible find for me… I love working with epoxy and now it has just gotten that much easier to work with. Plus, I have some small projects I have been excited to make and again it is that easy.

After making this discovery I purchased a UV flashlight but then saw people using an overhead UV light for curing which reminded me that I had one for doing gel nail polish. Which got me thinking about what is in gel nail polish…

Anyway, having the overhead tool is quite nice for the small pieces on the larger end. I am both excited and nervous to see how far I fall into the world of UV cured epoxy.

Lessons

Thinking About Safety

One reason I didn’t work with epoxy on a regular basis was due to exposure. I didn’t want to deal with excessive exposure, and the smell of the chemical reaction needed to happen in an aerated environment. Especially since I didn’t want to expose my cat.

UV cured resin does have this problem but it not nearly as intense. In fact, it’s almost negligible. The only reason that I said it does have this problem is because it shouldn’t be taken lightly. Ventilation is always a good idea when working with chemicals.

Quick Recipe