Resin is a synthetic polymer or a highly viscous material made from different monomers. There are two main categories of resin: thermoplastic and thermosetting resin. The thermoplastic resin hardens at cool temperatures and softens when exposed to heat. On the other hand, the thermosetting resin cures under heat. Under these two categories, there are various resin types, such as epoxy resin and UV resin.
Resin can be used for multiple purposes. For instance, it can be used as an adhesive when connecting two surfaces. Due to its good thermal properties, the resin can also act as an insulator in circuit breakers and power transformers. Additionally, if you want to protect surfaces from straining, water damage, or corrosion, you can use resin as a sealant. Further, the resin can be used to craft things like jewelry and key holders.
If you have a project that requires resin, buy resin supplies at https://www.harryandwilma.com.au/ or similar shops. They have a variety from which you can choose. This article, however, focuses on how you can save money on resin after buying it. Keep reading to learn more.
Ways You Can Save On Resin Supplies
Here are some of the ways you can save on resin supplies:
1. Measure Resin You’ll Need
Different projects require different resin amounts. Pour only the amount of resin you intend to use to avoid waste. Sometimes, it can be challenging to estimate the exact amount of resin needed. Therefore, to be sure, you can use a resin calculator.
A resin calculator allows you to input the measurements of your project to get the amount you’ll need. For instance, you can input your width and length measurements to get the gallons or liters you’ll use. On the other hand, if you’re working on a circular project, you can input the diameter measurements.
Additionally, you know the amount of hardener you’ll use, ensuring you achieve the right consistency.
2. Reusing Leftover Resin
Leftovers are considered wastage because you may not end up using them. As mentioned above, when working on resin projects, you may do some calculations using a resin calculator to ensure you get the right amount of resin you’ll use. But the question is, ‘What happens if you have leftovers?’
Throwing away the remains is a waste of money because it means you spent on something you haven’t entirely used. So to save on your resin supplies, you can find ways to use the leftovers you remain with after completing some of your projects. One way you can do so is by using the extra resin on other small projects.
As much as using leftover resin on other projects may be convenient, there are things you have to do to ensure it serves its purpose. For instance, you have a 40-minute time frame to use the resin. After this time, your resin will no longer be usable. Therefore, have your small projects ready for resining.
Another great way to use leftover resin is using silicone molds. You can find different molds available online, ranging from bracelets to pendants, drawer knobs, bookmarks, keychains, alphabet letters, hair barrettes, and trinket dishes. All you need to do is fill the mold over time with small amounts of resin left from your projects. Just keep them around so you’ll never have to throw any resin should you ever mix too much in your cups.
3. Storing Resin Properly
How you store things determines how long they’ll serve you. The better you keep them, the longer they’ll last. You can use this concept to save on your resin supplies. Storing your resin supplies well prevents you from needing to buy more in case they get damaged or spoilt due to poor storage.
Now that the importance of storing resin supplies has been established, how do you keep them properly? Avoiding direct sunlight is one way to ensure proper storage. The sun produces UV light, which can accelerate yellowing in resin. Therefore, keeping it away from direct sunlight keeps it in better condition, so there is no need to spend more money getting more resin supplies.
Apart from keeping it away from UV light exposure, it’s also crucial to keep your resin supplies in a climate-controlled environment. Temperature swings can cause condensation inside the lids. To avoid that, keep your resin supplies in the dark with temperatures ranging between 60 to 80 F and not in your freezer, garage, or attic.
Store them in their original containers in an upright position with the lids capped tightly. That way, you also prevent the liquids from leaking and making a mess.
Another better storage way is indicating when you bought resin supplies. You may purchase your supplies at different times. As a result, your supplies may have different expiration periods. To ensure you use the supplies that have a shorter period before they expire, you can use expiration date tags to identify them.
Never commit the mistake of many, thinking they have forever to use their resin supplies. Familiarize yourself with the shelf life of the products you’re using. Plus, only buy the amount of resin you need and use them in a timely fashion.
4. Find More Affordable Resin Alternatives
There are many ways to kill a cat. You can use other ways if one way doesn’t work in your favor. Concerning resin supplies, it can be costly to afford them. If that is the case, you decide to make resin at home for your projects.
You can also use other alternatives. For instance, if you’re making jewelry, you can use glass and decoupage techniques. In other words, you’ll require paper, water-soluble sealant, spray adhesive, and glue to have a final look similar to what you have achieved using resin.
On the other hand, there are multiple alternatives for different resin finishing. For example, you can use universal white for a flawlessly smooth finish, craftnique pigments for tinting your BT or UW, brite tone for a glossier finish, and many more.
Summing It Up!
Your interests play a part in determining the things you do. As mentioned earlier, if you’re into art and crafts, you may often find yourself working on art projects. There are various types of art, and one factor that differentiates them is their finishing. You can use several mediums to achieve the finish you prefer. One of the most commonly used mediums is resin. Resin is ideal because of its advantages, which include more strength, durability, ease of cleaning, fading resistance, and many more. However, it has pros, such as its high price, which may cause a risk to your skin and eyes, among others. Due to the expensive price tag, you may look for ways to save on your resin supplies. Luckily, this article has discussed some of these ways. Therefore, you can use it to understand how you can save and choose the method that seems most convenient for you.