UV high gloss finish on resin jewellery


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Wends151
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Hi
I’ve been making a load of things (mostly rings) with either epoxy and/or PU resin. Some clear with inclusions and some opaque and some a mixture of the two. My questions concern the finishing of them. I understand epoxy resin isn’t UV resistant so clear would yellow over a period of time. Also, I find that I don’t always get the best finish when using silicone moulds. Therefore I need to coat each piece with a clear coat or a lacquer. I’ve had a look on EC website and forum and have found several possibilities. But which one would be best for my purpose?

1. A resin clear coat. Would I sand the piece then apply this to one side, let this dry then apply to the other side? Can it be painted on without brush marks? Can I then buff it on a buffing wheel?

2. GC50. Does this work on the same principle as a resin clear coat as above? Again would I apply it in sections, can it be painted on without brush marks and can it be buffed on a wheel?

3. I’ve also read on here about a 2 part clear lacquer used on cars. Is this just a general acrylic or is there a specific one that I should be looking for? What does the ‘2 part’ refer to? Would it bond ok with PU and epoxy?

Basically, im looking for the best method for UV protecting as well as achieving a high gloss finish on small jewellery pieces? I know some puritans out there may well suggest going through the sandpaper grits but I’ve tried this and it takes far too long with only barely adequate results?!

Hoping someone can point me in the right direction. Much appreciated. X
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Matt (Staff)
Matt (Staff)
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Wends151 - 1/3/2018 11:47:04 PM
Any advice re the polishing mops part of my question? I’m just looking at the choices available on the Cookson gold website and there are loads! I really don’t know where to begin!

They're tricky to compare like-for-like because there isn't a ready 'standard' for polishing pads which can easily be used to compare them but generally speaking harder pads are used when you need a more aggressive cutting action and softer pads are used when you're down to finer grits/finishing. From our range (which I appreciate are not suitable for your bench-mounted polisher) we would suggest a medium or hard foam pad for the coarser more aggressive NW1 and then we suggest the soft wavey pad once you're down to the finishing compound (if using). In terms of how these might compare to bench-mount polisher pads it's not too easy to say, especially as these pads often use different materials as well. For example, we have a bench polisher here which uses cloth polishing pads which we can then use in conjunction with a polishing soap (depending on what's being polished), it's really something that would need a bit of experimentation. I would suggest getting a range of different pads/wheels and then experimenting yourself with which yield the best results.


Matt Statham
Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Sales
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