When starting with epoxy resin a simple kit including resin will not be enough to complete a project, there are a few extra items that you will need and we want to go through them with you in one simple to find location.
Depending on the type of project you would like to create will depend on the specifics of some of the kit, and you may need to add on a few other items too. But this list will give you a great place to start.
1 - Safety Kit:
Although Craft Resin is non-toxic and there are no VOC’s given off, even when mixing. We would still recommend getting the below safety equipment to make sure that you are protected.
Respirator - Craft Resin is safe for home use, when used in a well ventilated room. Because we cannot tell how well ventilated your work space is, and you probably can’t either, we would advise on always wearing a respirator.
Which respirator you get will be down to yourself to research. Usually when armed with our SDS (Safety Data Sheet) a company that sells respirators could advise you on what one would be best.
Gloves - We do provide a pair of latex gloves in our Craft Resin kits, however, epoxy resin can be messy and you may want to purchase more gloves so that you have a supply readily available. If one pair gets damaged, or you become too sticky to operate with you might need to change them over to clean ones.
Epoxy resin shouldn’t get onto your skin, so you might want to make sure that the gloves are always covering your full hands and wrists, and that you handle the epoxy resin carefully. If it does get onto your skin, wash it off as soon as possible with warm soapy water. You might have no reaction at all if it does get onto your skin, but again better to be safe than sorry, some people can react to it.
If you are allergic to latex you will need to find gloves that are latex free. We would suggest getting thin gloves if possible, thicker gloves don’t always allow for you to handle some of the more fiddly equipment that well.
Apron - Some form of clothing protection is great, again it can be a very messy substance so not only do you want to protect yourself you might want to protect your clothing too. We wouldn’t suggest getting an apron that is made out of fabric as resin can soak through this, instead you can get biodegradable plastic aprons which will give you better protection.
Plastic Covers - You will need to not only cover yourself, but also your work area. Resin can easily spill over your molds, between your mixing container and molds, onto the floor if your not careful - It can get everywhere! As much as possible you want to cover around your work area to protect it, especially if working in your home. Resin is extremely difficult to get out of carpets, so please do think about what you need to cover around you.
We have lots of safety information on our website, please click here if you would like to take a look.
2 - Basic Project Kit:
As we stated at the beginning, you will need more than just the basic resin, hardener, stirring stick and glove kit that we supply at Craft Resin. Here are a few items that you will also need to purchase before you begin.
Measuring Containers - You need to measure Craft Resin in a 1:1 equal volume. The easiest way to do this is to purchase 2 silicone measuring jugs, place them next to each other and pour to the same level in each container. Using silicone will help with cleaning afterwards, as the resin will not stick to silicone.
Mixing Container - If you have room in your measuring jugs, you might be able to pour them into one and then mix in these, or you might need a larger silicone mixing container. A silicone jug is best as this will help when it comes to pouring as you’ll be helped by the jug lip that sticks out to pour the resin through, making it less likely to go everywhere.
Stirrers - You may need more than one stirrer, especially if you are wanting to mix different resins with different colours in for your project. Also if the stirrer is extremely flimsy it could break, and you’ll need a back up just in case this happens. You can get plastic reusable ones like we have in the kits, or you can get wooden stirrers which are great for less uses.
Molds - You need to either buy or make a mold to pour the resin into, unless pouring over artwork. Click here to learn more about molds and which ones to choose.
Heat Gun/Torch - You don’t have to use a heat gun/torch on your resin projects, however you may find bubbles appear during the curing stages so adding a heat source to the top of it will help disperse these bubbles.
A Cover - What do we mean by a cover? Well when you leave your epoxy resin creations to cure, dirt, dust, pet hair etc can easily get into it for the first few hours. If you have something to cover them with like an empty box for example, this can keep them dirt free while you leave them to cure.
3 - Cleaning Kit:
Soap and Water - To clean resin mixing containers etc is relatively straight forward, you don’t need anything fancy, soap and water will work. We do have more information on cleaning, please take a look other blog articles.
Baby Wipes/Kitchen Roll - These can be very handy to have next to you when working with resin, you might need to wipe any spills as you go, or you might get some drips on the silicone jugs when pouring that you can then use to wipe off.
The above is the very basic’s you will need in order to start creating with epoxy resin. There are of course lots of other items you may need, but this will be dependant on the project you will be creating.
You might need something to colour your epoxy resin with, Craft Resin is clear, which can be great for some projects, but others you may want to add Mica Powders to for example.
We do have lots more information available in our Blog section so please do use the search bar and look up further topics if you wish to create a more diverse project.
If you would like to get started and needed some resin for your project, visit our website to take a look at the starter kits we have available today.
We hope you enjoy getting creative with epoxy resin!
Team Craft Resin
