Hello I am making a 3D picture frame which is a4 size and 32mm deep. I am putting an assortment of keys inside (dad is a locksmith) and want to fill with epoxy resin to set he keys in however I want to bring it 2mm below the picture frame level which is 32mm deep so about 30mm deep of resin. however some parts of the picture will not be that deep as the space is taken up by some of the keys. I need the surface to be clear so you can see all the keys inside and the backing of the frame which will be black. I want it to be clear but do not want to have to sand and polish it as it will be 2mm below the frame level and will be hard to sand and polish without damaging/scratching the edges of the frame. If you could tell me which resin to use and the application method that would really help me out, Thanks very much in advance!

I’d use glasscast 50 and leave short of 3mm then top it up with glasscast 3. Job done

Thanks for the reply. But wouldn’t the GlassCast 50 need sanding and polishing before adding the GlassCast 3 so that it looks like one solid piece without being able to see a line/layer through the piece? Or would it just require a sand of 400grit followed by the GlassCast 3? Many thanks.

No. Get it to what is called the B stage with glasscast 50 then while it has a bit of tack, then use the glasscast 10.
You could use the 50. Let it cure fully then key it up with a bit of 240 sandpaper then pour the 10 straight on top. It fills the scratches and you won’t even notice. Either method will work fine

Thanks again for the reply’s guys, I’ve just looked at the GlassCast 10 and it says it “would require a flat and polish if a perfect finish is required on the open face”. So with that in mind I think I will go with the GlassCast 3 as the final layer as it does not require anything done to it to achieve a clear Finnish. So my plan is to use the GlassCast 50 3mm short of what I need, wait for it to go a bit tacky then pour on GlassCast 3 to reach the desired level and let dry. You guys recon that will all dry looking as one solid piece with no distinction between the two separate layers? Thanks again

Hi Harry,

Yes, if you combine the GlassCast 50 and 3, as you propose, the cured piece will look like a solid block and there won’t be any evidence that it was made up of more than one layer.

All the best, Matt



Matt Statham
Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Sales

Thanks for getting back to me Matt greatly appreciated. I have one more question I have ordered GlassCast 50 but now realise that what I need it for is not anywhere near 25mm thick. Some parts will be maybe 15mm and other pars will be down to 4mm. Will GlassCast 50 be ok to use for this or does it only work on thick sections? And when that’s at stage b I will add the GlassCast 3 I have bought as final layer that won’t require sanding and polishing. Thanks, Harry.

Hi Harry, you're welcome.

It's perfectly fine to use GlassCast in thinner sections, even down to the 4mm thickness you mention. The only issue will be the cure time; to prevent it overheating in thicker sections, the GlassCast 50 has a typical initial cure time of 48hrs at 20'C. This would be pretty-much the same when used in a thinner section, albeit maybe slightly longer due to almost zero exotherm effect in thinner sections) so the only disadvantage over the GlassCast 10 would be a longer wait.

All the best, Matt

Matt Statham
Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Sales