How to Finish: Polish & Wax Resin

Ever made an epoxy resin piece and noticed that it has some imperfections after releasing it from the mold? Such as not having the desired crystal clear surface? or having a matte non transparent surface with some imperfections? 

Before we show you how to fix this problem, you need to know that this often happens by using cheap silicone molds that are not made for epoxy resin, or because of some mixing ratio mistakes or winter and cold effects which we talked on how to fix them here.

Fortunately, there is a very easy and simple steps to fix any imperfections, and that methods is called Finishing Resin using Sanding Paper, Polish and Wax to make sure you give your resin the final crystal clear glossy and transparent look.

 First of all, what do you need?

Preparation:

1. Prepare clean water in a container.

2. Dip the sanding paper in the water container for 20 mins before using.

3. Dip the resin piece in clean water for a couple of minutes, so we prepare it for the sanding process. 

4. Get a piece of cloth/ sponges.

Steps:

Water

Add water to your handmade piece, water helps carrying away grit paper particles that are removed from the sanding paper and protects the epoxy surface from scratches that will be involved in our next step.

Sanding process

The sanding of epoxy resin is started with the wet sanding paper that you previously dipped into water. We recommend using sanding paper from P Grit 500 to P Grit 2500. 

Starting with P Grit 500, sanding is done carefully in circular soft movements either by hand or with an orbital sander.

At the end of each sanding process, we make sure that we clean the piece with clean water from dust and particles of that specific sanding paper, then we wipe off the remaining with a cloth then we re-add clean water to move on to the next sanding paper number.. 600-800-1000 etc...

We keep repeating the above step until we finish off the sanding process with P Grit 2500.

💡Sanding paper P Grit numbers are an indication on how hard or soft the paper is, the higher the number the softer it is. IE: P Grit 2500 is softer than P Grit 1000.

At this stage, your piece should be looking somewhat shiny and transparent.
Now we clean our piece once again and prepare it to add the resin polish compound first. 

Polishing process

After covering the piece with polish, we wipe it very well again and again with cotton, cloth or a sponge. 

💡Even though the polishing process is quite simple, you need to be patient with it and take your time to polish the piece and make sure we are removing the compound matt effect. 

💡Polishing helps with eliminating surface scratches, swirls, oxidation, and minor imperfections. 

💡You can polish by hand using a sponge or using a Dremel rotary tool for optimal results, especially for resin jewelries and coasters. 

Waxing process

We cover all of the surface with the waxing compound and let it sit for 2 minutes to harden. 
With a new clean cloth do not use the same one you used for polish we start wiping off the wax and buffing it. While it may appear that you have removed all of the wax compound, a thin protective layer is left behind, which is what we are looking for.. 

💡Waxing helps with giving the final glossy look, as well protecting your piece from sun rays, dust and other chemicals. 

Lastly but not least, we would recommend using Pledge Revive It: Shining Oil that adds an intense shine to our custom made piece which also happens to have a fresh orange scent! 

Thank you once again for tuning in, hope this was helpful and clear. 
Please leave any questions or comments below!