Hello I’m making a bar top with beer bottle tops and after the beer tops have gone in the gap left to fill is around 5mm. Is GlassCast 3 the right one to use? as it does say 3mm recommended. GlassCast 3 would be easier as no polishing is required

Hello Dan,

The best option is our GlassCast3 Resin and we usually suggest a minimum of 3kg per sq.m for a bottle cap project; this fills the 6mm or so gap between the caps and then gives a 2mm coating over the top which seems the right thickness for the best visual effect.  Whilst we suggest GlassCast3 is suitable for thicknesses up to 3mm when coating, it can be used in up to 10-15mm if required.

I'd suggest a slightly different approach when covering bottle caps (compared to say pennies set in grout) because of the differences in height between the table and top of caps; instead of doing it as one pour, I would suggest a multiple pour process to get the very best finish. The first should be around 1mm in thickness to just cover the bottom of the caps and helps to trap any air under the caps - once this is cured to a tacky but firm finish, pour approximately half of the remaining amount so that you are just above the height of the bottle caps before again letting this cure to a tacky but firm finish. At this point, you can pour a final thin levelling layer to give your table's surface a beautiful, perfectly flat surface finish.

If you tried to do it all in one pour, you may find that the caps float slightly allowing air to release from under the caps which can in turn get stuck and leave a bubble in the resin; in addition, because of the difference in height, if you pour in one go, you tend to get a slightly wavy surface where the deeper section leave a slight dimple in the surface.

The firm but tack stage is dependent on temperature but is usually around 6-8 hours at 20'C. Don't worry if it goes through this stage, just let it cure completely and then give the surface a light sand to key it and allow the subsequent layer to bond.

I hope this helps.