Thanks for your response Warren,
Couple of further questions if that is okay. Not sure if this is the correct place for me to fire all these questions? Would it be better via email?
• The Glass Cast 10 – what is the minimum layer depth you would pour in a layer-building scenario?
• Is Glass Cast 10 okay with adding items such as – beach sand, shells or small stones?
• You say it is best to use silicone moulds for releasing. Is there a material I can line the mould I am going to make to get the type of finish to the edges as in the tile in your photo?
Many thanks for your input, greatly appreciated.
For those kind of tile projects, we would generally suggest our
GlassCast 10 Clear Epoxy Casting Resin as it is a great product for that kind of tile work. It can be cast in a single layer around 10mm thick or in multiple layers depending on the look and finish you are trying to achieve.
In essence, the number of layers is down to your artistic desires and limitations of the resin itself. With the GlassCast resins, the number loosely relates to intended casting thickness. In your case the GlassCast 10 is perfectly fine in multiple pours. For much thicker pours, GlassCast 50 is the one to go for. (it is basically the same resin as GlassCast 10 but with a slower cure hardener to prevent heat damage from exotherming).
Pigments is again, down to personal choice for the effect you are trying to achieve. We have a range of solid colours, tinting pigments and also Pearl Ex Metallic effect pigment powders . You can also go for metal cold casting with real metal powders or even a mix of all the effects. This picture is a sample piece we did and is only touching the surface of what can be achieved (in this case with multiple layers):
Any surface for a mould needs to ideally be smooth to give a good finish. Most surfaces will need a release agent to prevent the resin sticking, so we generally tend to recommend using mould materials that are non-stick suck as Polypropylene sheeting and/or premade silicone moulds.
You can drill the cured resin no problem using a HSS drill bit and carefully start using a pilot hole and open it up.