Epoxy Resins for Mold : Top 5 Products with a Step-by-Step Guide

Nick Shushan
By Nick Shusan , Epoxy Expert and the CEO of NYC Epoxy Flooring.

June 14, 2022

As creatives, you need the best epoxy resin for molds to help you create the most stunning art objects, such as toys, jewelry and jewelry trays, phone casings, wall arts, and so on. However, with the many brands that are available for you to choose from, you should be able to pick the right one for you by watching out for certain qualities in these epoxy resin brands for molds.

The best resin for molds includes the Craft Resin Epoxy kit, Unicone Art Epoxy Resin Art Kit, Smart Art Epoxy Resin, Nicpro Crystal Clear Epoxy Art Resin, and Clear Pour Epoxy Resin Kit. These resins for molds have qualities such as resistance to ultraviolet rays, low viscosity, and reduced pot time.

In this article, you’ll know how to pick out the best epoxy resin for molds by understanding the qualities to look out for. You’ll also get answers to some frequently asked questions about epoxy resin for molds. Ultimately, you’ll have a list of the best epoxy resin for molds you can use.

What are Epoxy Resins for Molds?

For beginners, the abundance of different types of epoxy resins,

 suitable for different purposes, can make it confusing to choose the right one for their purpose – crafting with molds. Although they can be used for different purposes, including floor coating, casting, tumbler coating, and creating arts using molds, each type of resin usually has its preferred purpose. An epoxy resin that can be used for casting, art, tabletop coating, and floor coating, may give its best result when used for tabletop coating. Therefore, you need epoxy resins that perform best in molds.

Epoxy resins for molds are made to have low viscosity, so they can fill whatever type of mold you have easily, and make them easy to work with. They are generally resistant to ultraviolet rays to help them avoid yellowing, and are also waterproof. These are qualities that you can also find with some multi-purpose epoxy resins but are important for epoxy resin for molds.

 

How to Use Epoxy Resin for Molds?

Using epoxy resin is easy. However, you need to pay attention to some details. The Process generally includes:

  • Working the resin for at least 3 minutes. 
  • You do the same thing with the hardener before you mix it with the resin. Continue to work the mixture till you have a uniform consistency.
  • Pour the epoxy resin and hardener mixture into your mold, preferably thinly at first.
  • Add some beautifying features such as leaves, glitters, stars, and such objects. 
  • You should add another layer of your epoxy resin and hardener mixture. 
  • The possibility of having bubbles is high, you should heat the hardening resin with a heat gun to remove as many bubbles as possible. The resin melts and fills in the air pockets without compromising the mold. 
  • Leave it to cure for at least 24 hours. Note that it should have hardened in about 10 hours, but it needs to cure. Ensure that it’s protected from dust.
  • Remove the hardened resin from the mold and inspect the result of your work. 
  • You should have a clear art, something like glass, that shows all the beautifying objects you added to it and takes the shape of the mold.

How to Use Epoxy Resin

Qualities of the Best Epoxy Resin for Molds

Epoxy resin for molds also called casting resins, should have certain qualities that make them suitable for use in molds. These qualities ensure that you have the best quality in arts, and they include:

Low Viscosity

Different art projects need different thicknesses to accommodate all the additives, such as glitters, dried or plastic leaves and flowers, lace materials, and many more. Low viscosity means the resin and hardener mixture gives you a thin liquid that moves easily but has some thickness. It allows you to have more work time, and that means a higher pot time and longer curing time.

Using an epoxy resin that has low viscosity means you don’t have to rush through your working process, and you can correct errors easily. However, you’ll need more time for your project to completely harden. This quality differentiates a casting resin, as in epoxy resin for molds, from laminate resin, as in epoxy resin for garage floor.

Crystal-Clear appearance

You want your art project to come out clear as crystal, to show the additives you have in them. However, when you add resin dyes to your epoxy resin-hardener mixture, you should expect a lower level of clarity. In other words, the more color you add, the less you can see into the object you’ve designed. However, a clear appearance is common in epoxy resin for molds that don’t use colorants or dyes.

The crystal clear appearance you get is due to the nature of the resin and hardener; they’re clear in their liquid state, and they maintain that when they solidify if you don’t add dyes to them. However, they should also resist yellowing to maintain a crystal clear appearance.

Pot time

Pot time refers to how long an epoxy resin-hardener mixture takes to start hardening as a result of heat reaction. Generally, the pot time for casting and laminate resins differ. While quality laminate resins should have a low pot time, that is they should start hardening in minutes, casting resin should give you ample time to work with it and achieve your result.

Viscosity is one of the determinants of pot time. Low viscosity means you can apply epoxy resins in thin layers, reducing the amount of heat reaction, and increasing pot time. A good epoxy resin for molds has a high pot time, usually between 30 minutes and an hour, before it starts to solidify. You should be able to apply your resin to your mold in this time frame.

Workability

How well can your epoxy resin for molds allow you to manipulate shapes? How strong is its odor? How much pot time does it give you? The easier it is for you to work with your epoxy resin, the better it is for you to use with molds.

An epoxy resin’s workability points to how easy it is for you to work with it, considering everything that can affect how well you can use it. Low odor reduces how much the fumes from the resin-hardener combo affect you, although it’s advisable that you have a respirator on when using an epoxy resin. The lesser the odor, the more comfortable you are working with it. Also, the more pot time you have with a resin, the more workability it offers.

Ultraviolet rays resistance

One of the reasons your resin projects may lose their crystal clear appearance is due to yellowing, and that occurs with extended exposure to ultraviolet rays. However, you can avoid yellowing by choosing epoxy resin for molds that are resistant to ultraviolet rays, and by extension, yellowing.

However, these resin projects should spend more time indoors than outdoors. Extended time outdoors may cause yellowing to start unless you coat the resin layer with an inert, clear top coat.

Best Epoxy Resin for Molds

Considering the qualities to look out for in choosing the best epoxy resin for molds, here are some of those we’ve identified.

Craft Resin Epoxy kit

 Epoxy Resins for Mold : Top 5 Products with a Step-by-Step Guide || Craft Resin Epoxy kit

Check Out the price on Amazon now.

This artisan-approved epoxy resin for molds gives you waterproof, scratch-resistant, heat-resistant, and glass finish results when you allow them to cure in the right conditions. It can withstand heat of up to 95°C, and it cures in 24 hours. Its low viscosity gives it good pot time and workability as it has a low odor, contains no VOC, and is non-flammable.

It comes in a kit that contains two 250ml containers, each containing the resin and hardener, respectively. It also contains a pair of gloves, a stirring stick, and a manual to guide you, as a beginner.

Pros👍

  • It is heat resistant
  • It cures in 24 hours
  • It has low viscosity and good workability
  • It is usable for all mold projects

Cons👎

  • Beginners may find adding dyes to it challenging.

Unicone Art Epoxy Resin Art Kit

 Epoxy Resins for Mold : Top 5 Products with a Step-by-Step Guide || Unicone Art Epoxy Resin Art Kit
Check out the price of the Kit now on Amazon.

As an easy-to-mix epoxy resin, suitable for epoxy casting, glazing, and crafting, beginners, Unicode Art Epoxy Resin Art Kit is one of the best epoxy resins for molds you’ll find. It is non-toxic, non-flammable, and has a low odor, making it one of the most workable epoxy resins.

It is available in two 0.5 gallons for resin and hardener, respectively, and it gives you a glossy finish. It is suitable for different art projects, including molds, casting, and crafting, attesting to its versatility.

Pros👍

  • It gives you a crystal clear and glossy finish
  • It is versatile.
  • It has good workability
  • It is anti-yellowing

Cons👎

  • It may produce too many bubbles if you mix it quickly.

Smart Art Epoxy Resin

 Epoxy Resins for Mold : Top 5 Products with a Step-by-Step Guide || Smart Art Epoxy Resin

You can check the price on Amazon.

Here’s another versatile epoxy resin that is suitable for artists to create art using molds. Smart Art Epoxy resin is a two-part epoxy kit that contains 1 gallon of resin and hardener, respectively. It is self-leveling and gives you a glossy finish, making it suitable for tray and table surfaces as well.

Its workability is ensured by low Volatile Organic Compounds, minimal odor, and up to 30 minutes of pot time. It is also resistant to ultraviolet rays and gives hard surface results.

Pros👍

  • It is durable
  • It is non-toxic and workable.
  • It gives you enough working time
  • It can cure in 24 hours, depending on temperature.

Cons👎

  • They may form many bubbles but you can remove them with a heat gun.
  • They can turn yellow while you work them.

Nicpro Crystal Clear Epoxy Art Resin

 Epoxy Resins for Mold : Top 5 Products with a Step-by-Step Guide || Nicpro Crystal Clear Epoxy Art Resin

Check out the price of the Kit on Amazon.

This non-toxic, low odor and non-flammable epoxy resin is versatile and suitable for creating jewelry, craft, coating, and creating table tops. It is considered one of the best epoxy resin for molds because of its curing and demolding time, which is 24 hours and 8 hours respectively.

It provides a hard surface that is resistant to turning yellow, and it provides a crystal clear appearance with a glossy finish. Its kit contains stirring spatulas, gloves, measuring cups, spreaders, and one container of resin and hardener, respectively.

Pros👍

  • It is heat resistant
  • It has a low odor and good workability
  • It is resistant to yellowing caused by ultraviolet rays.
  • It has a good curing time.

Cons👎

  • It may not cure within 24 hours if the mixing is done wrong.

Clear Pour Epoxy Resin Kit

 Epoxy Resins for Mold : Top 5 Products with a Step-by-Step Guide || Clear Pour Epoxy Resin Kit

Check out the price of the Kit on Amazon.

If you’re an artist that uses molds for making table tops, this is an epoxy resin that has a good hard surface and crystal clear appearance to give you the desired results. It is also useful for creating resin jewelry and other arts.

It has excellent pot and curing time. It also has good workability, and it is resistant to ultraviolet rays, keeping yellowing at bay.

Pros👍

  • It is durable and strong
  • It provides a crystal clear and glossy finish
  • It is versatile

Cons👎

  • Not suitable for pours deeper than 3 centimeters.

Frequently Asked Questions about Epoxy Resin for Molds

Here are answers to some of the common questions about epoxy resin for molds.

What epoxy resin should I use for molds?

Resins for molds have similar but different properties, and that’s what makes them perfect for molds. The epoxy resins for molds are called casting resins, and they have low viscosity and high working time compared to the other types of resin-laminate resins.

Why did my resin stick to the mold?

Your resin sticks to the mold because it’s too hot. When you mix the resin and hardener, a chemical reaction, a heat reaction specifically, takes place. Mixing your resin and hardener releases heat and fumes, and when you add it to your mold, it causes your mold to melt and stick to your resin, making it hard for you to release one from the other.

How do you keep the resin from sticking to mold?

To avoid resins sticking to molds, you can use mold releases. One of the common mold releases is vaseline, but it is best used for molds that don’t require many details. You can also use plastic packaging tape.

Final Thought

The best resin for molds includes Craft Resin Epoxy kit, Unicone Art Epoxy Resin Art Kit, Smart Art Epoxy Resin, Nicpro Crystal Clear Epoxy Art Resin, and Clear Pour Epoxy Resin Kit. They have low viscosity, long pot time, and long curing time.