ArtResin says its resin adheres to almost every material except plastic, silicone, plexiglass, vinyl, wax, wax paper and parchment paper, the ones designed to repel water. Resin makers put that to work: silicone molds, plastic sheeting and tape keep resin where it belongs.
What each maker says it won’t bond
| Product | Won’t stick, or not recommended | What the maker adds |
|---|---|---|
| ArtResin | Blog: plastic, silicone, plexiglass, vinyl, wax, wax paper, parchment paper. FAQ: wax, oil, plastics, silicone | Test a small piece of any new material first |
| TotalBoat High Performance Epoxy | Lists only “certain plastics”; its wood line says “not pressure-treated” | Test plastics first; it bonds best to PVC, ABS, nylon and polycarbonate |
| WEST SYSTEM epoxy | On plastics, “Adhesion with epoxy varies.” | G/flex is its pick for plastics; after sanding, quickly passing a propane torch over the surface without melting the plastic can help some plastics |
| Gorilla Epoxy | Polyethylene, polypropylene, PVC pipe, rubber with high oil or plasticizer content | Works well on PVC sheets |
| J-B Weld Original and KwikWeld | Flexible plastics, polypropylene and polyethylene are “not ideal” | Most rigid plastics, such as PVC and CPVC |
| J-B Weld ClearWeld | Polypropylene and polyethylene | Recommended for most other plastics |
From each product’s page, data sheet or FAQ. ArtResin’s FAQ adds oil to its list; its blog adds plexiglass, vinyl, wax paper and parchment paper. Gorilla Epoxy and the J-B Weld products are epoxy glues. J-B Weld’s FAQ has a second table that says “not recommended” where the first says “not ideal”.
Release surfaces the makers use on purpose
- Under the work: ArtResin lines its table with a plastic liner or a vinyl shower curtain. Epoxyworks, WEST SYSTEM’s magazine, suggests 3 mil or heavier plastic sheeting that cured epoxy peels off, and warns it can melt if a cup of mixed epoxy overheats on it.
- Supports: ArtResin props pieces on plastic blocks, such as Lego pieces or plastic shot glasses, and peels cured drips off them to use again.
- Clamps: WEST SYSTEM says to cover clamp pads with duct tape, or put polyethylene sheeting or release fabric under the clamps, so they don’t bond to the work.
- Molds: ArtResin pours into silicone molds and says the cured resin peels out. For small castings in TotalBoat TableTop Epoxy, TotalBoat names a mold release paste wax or an aerosol release made for epoxies. More on mold release.
- A hard surface: the Epoxyworks article waxes a melamine board with 2 to 3 coats of automotive paste wax with carnauba in it, which it calls a pretty good non-stick surface.
Tape: a dam or a drip catcher, then off
TotalBoat’s tabletop how-to tapes the edges with clear packing tape, mold release tape or sheathing tape to make a dam, and takes the tape off before the final flood coat. ArtResin runs painter’s tape or sheathing tape under the edge of a piece to catch drips and pulls it off once the resin is dry to the touch, at 18 to 24 hours. Tape left on past 24 hours can be hard to remove, ArtResin says, because the resin will have fully cured and bonded to the back of the artwork. It also warns that cheap painter’s tape is porous and can absorb resin, and that low tack tape can let resin seep underneath.
Epoxyworks uses plastic packing tape as a mold release over frames and stringers, for when epoxy should stick in one place and not another. We’d still test any tape on a scrap first, since none of these makers says resin can’t bond to it.
When a surface you want coated won’t take resin
Contamination looks like a surface that resin won’t stick to. ArtResin says bare spots usually come from oil, grease, wax or another contaminant, and fixes them by cleaning with isopropyl alcohol or dish soap and water, then sanding with 80-grit. WEST SYSTEM says bonding surfaces must be free of grease, oil, wax or mold release, and TotalBoat’s TableTop Epoxy sheet lists oil, wax, dust, moisture and sap as contaminants that cause fisheyes. WEST SYSTEM also warns that silicone, a well-known mold release, is in many fabric softeners and can reach a surface from a wiping rag.
ArtResin’s hardener safety data sheet says it causes skin and eye irritation and may cause an allergic skin reaction, and to wear protective gloves. TotalBoat says curing epoxy makes heat and that large mixed volumes of its High Performance Epoxy can exceed 300°F, so mix small batches.
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