Preparing Resin for Casting or Laminating

All resins, whether for casting or laminating, require the addition of catalyst (hardener) to initiate the curing process. Use a safety dispenser to add 20ml of catalyst per kilo of resin. Stir thoroughly. The hardening process begins immediately, so only catalyze a working quantity or your mixing containers will soon be full of solidified resin.

If pigments are being used these should be stirred into the resin before adding the catalyst. Add up to 10% of pigment, depending on the depth of colour required. To maintain consistent colour on a large project, it is often a good idea to pigment all the resin and then decant working quantities to be catalyzed as required.

Once catalized the resin gradually cures, taking on a jelly-like consistency in about 10-20 minutes before becoming hard in about 30-40 minutes at room temperature (about 20ºC). The curing process generates heat (known as ‘exotherm’) within the resin. Too much catalyst or large volumes of resin increase this heat, so a thick laminate or a large casting should preferably be built up in stages.

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