Using a heat torch can seem like a pretty scary task at first, you pick up the torch, you turn it on and this flame flows out of it sounding pretty dangerous!
But used in the correct way, it can actually be a really safe bit of kit, and is very effective at getting rid of bubbles, so much more so than some other items:
For example, using a hair dryer won’t remove bubbles. The heat from a hair dryer isn’t direct enough and all that will happen is you’ll move your resin around and the surface can then become uneven and any colours can mix together or create cells, like you’ll see in resin ocean art.
If you use a lighter, this might work ok on smaller resin projects like jewellery, but you won’t get many goes from one lighter and you need to get the heat very close to your work meaning that you could easily end up catching it with your finger, hand or lighter.
Using a tooth pick to disperse bubbles can also work, however, again this will only really work on small resin projects, and projects where you have used alcohol inks and cannot use a flame near them because of the flammable nature of the alcohol inks.
Using a toothpick can also be ok for use on projects that have delicate flowers in them. The bubbles near flowers may not appear on the very surface and so you might need to use the tooth pick to reach down further and pop them, and you won’t damage the delicate flowers using a toothpick, whereas you might with a heat torch.
Rubbing alcohol spray can also disperse bubbles, and can work really well over projects that you can’t use a torch on, for example your delicate flower pieces. But you certainly can’t then use a torch in conjunction with this as it is flammable. And alcohol sprays can come with other warnings like causes serious eye irritation and may cause drowsiness or dizziness. If you do choose to use these then make sure you wear your respirator during use and work in a well ventilated area.
The benefits of using a heat torch is that the heat is very direct and you can get so much more control with a torch. It easily pops the bubbles on your resin project and a bonus is that it also zaps and removes any tiny dust and dirt particles too.
How do you use the heat torch:
Every torch will have slightly different instructions for how to turn it on, how to increase or reduce the flame and also how to refill it, so please do read the guidance that comes with the heat torch before getting started.
But we’re going to explain what to do when you have the heat torch on…
Turn the torch on near to your resin work, these should be resting on a flat stable surface in a warmed room curing nicely.
Once near to your work hover the torch over the resin project, keeping it further away at first, then gently moving it closer till you notice it catching the bubbles and them popping before your eyes.
Keep the torch moving across your project in sweeping movements, don’t leave the flame on one spot for too long. If the bubbles don’t pop on the first sweep keep going till they do and maybe adjust how far away the flame is to your work.
If your flame gets too close or is kept on one spot for too long this is when you’ll get overarching issues occurring, issues like a rippling or uneven surface effect can happen. And as heat speeds up curing times, if a ripple effect occurs due to overarching, it can stay like that and not return to it’s lovely flat state again.
The bubbles may come back during the first few hours of curing time, so please do check on your project regularly and repeat the torch process till the project is hard enough that no more bubbles appear.
Once you have finished torching, cover your work over again to protect it from any dust, dirt or any pesky pet hairs from getting into it.
If you do happen to notice any dirt or pet hairs in your work during the initial stages of curing, then you can remove these gently with a pair of tweezers or a cocktail stick.
Over torching:
If this is your first time using a heat torch and you do over torch your project it’s ok, try not to panic.
Simply leave your work to fully cure, and then sand your work down using between 80-120 grit sandpaper, clean any sandpaper grit off the project with a damp cloth, dry it and then reapply another coat of resin mix to your project.
This will self level, flattening out any bumps that are still there and will cure clear leaving no sand papering marks to show.
We’re sure the heat torch will come with some safety measures to follow, but if not, please be careful when working with a naked flame. Don’t point it towards yourself or anyone else. Never leave the flame unattended. Don’t rest the flame on any surfaces and keep away from any flammable substances.
Team Craft Resin
