UV Resin Adventures - February 10, 2026

See all those lumps?  They're (mostly failed) resin cabochons and pendants that would not cure under my UV lamp, so I brought them out to the porch to soak up some sun.  They've been out here for a couple of days, and some of them still feel a little sticky.  Only a few of them are worthy of becoming jewelry.  I guess the rest could be used for things like decorating outdoor pots (which I will probably never do).  Some of them are a little sunken on the back side, but hot glue might fill the gap enough to stick them to something. 

I am growing frustrated with being unable to achieve the results I want.  

My curing problems likely stem from the things I've used to color the resin - alcohol inks, pigment inks, mica powders, glitter, glitter flakes, etc.  They block the UV light, and the more colorants you add, the less the light gets through.  My pitiful little UV lamp only works for a maximum of 1 minute at a time, which means it must be re-started multiple times to achieve much of a cure, even with un-tinted resin.  I don't know if the short interruptions of light make much difference to the curing process.  

The sun works better.

I have some concern about the resin, itself - all resins, not just the UV stuff.  I am scatter-brained, and at first I did not always remember to put on gloves before messing with the resin.  For a few days, my fingertips wore residue.  The resin instructions do not say to wear a mask, so I haven't been wearing one.  Yesterday, as I was scouring the internet for resin tips, I ran across a UV resin video featuring a myth-buster guy and two resin professionals, and I thought, "Oh, boy!  I'm going to get some real info this time!"  The first thing they did when they prepared to cure some resin was to put on respirators.

Respirators.  Not just masks.

Further research indicates that the fumes from resin while it is curing are toxic.

I may have to re-think the whole idea of resin jewelry.  

But there are 8 full bottles of resin in the "studio," and boxes full of colorants.  Maybe I can use them on the porch before the spring pollen storm.