Art 'N Glow Epoxy Resin 32 oz Kit - Crystal Clear, UV Resistant, Self Leveling, Food Safe for Table Top, Arts & Crafts, Wood, Casting, Jewelry Making, Use with Mica Powder, Silicone Molds, Alcohol Ink

This is the first time I have dabbled with clear resin casting/coating so I don't have a good reference to compare this product to others. However, my experience with this product has been very positive. I read some of the materials on how to use it and mixed a small batch to try on a few things just to see how well it works. From the one batch I mixed I used it on 4 different "pours." The primary project (a small square of wood with masking tape around the sides to form a cavity and tiny sea shells on the wood to be covered) seems to have worked fairly well (only 24 hours have passed). The resin mix appeared to soak into the wood a bit but the masking tape was easy to remove from around the edges after about 12 hours after mixing. I suspect I did not mix for a long enough time so the item I poured last seems to have tacky edges after 24 hours (temperature during the cure time was in excess of 80 degrees - it is hot in the southwest!). This may have been due to material at the bottom of the plastic mixing cup being primarily resin and not hardener due to inadequate mixing. I like the 50/50 mix approach, makes it easy to figure amount to mix. The material is, indeed, very clear after the pour (and after 24 hours). Bubbles were not a problem and could be "popped" soon after the pour (all the sea shells were positioned with the cavity side down and for some of them air was trapped under the shell and eventually "bubbled" out under the edge of the shell). I can't see any bubbles in the final product. I have more experimenting to do but I am very happy with this material and how it works.

I purchased this project because of the Amazon reviews. I've had no experience using epoxy resins before, but decide to try it to possibly add a new dimension to my CNC woodworking projects. The first project was to fill in some pockets on a Seahawks carved logo. I followed the directions, winged it adding some color and glow powder. It worked great on that project.On the second project, I thought I'd really give the product a test. I had a scrap, CNC carved native american artwork piece with an Eagle on it (made out of solid maple). I decided to coat the whole piece and kind of encapsulate it. On this piece, any flaws or bubble would be very noticeable - so I thought it was a good test for future projects. The wood was coated with shellac (spray can) to seal the wood. I followed the Art N Glo directions and used the following procedure:1) My family room has a separate heat source and a large bar. Turned the temp up to 74 degrees and laid plastic sheet on the bar.2) Since my epoxy was stored in the garage (at 58 degrees). I filled the bar sink with warm water and put the bottles in to warm it up for half an hour (probably 80-85 degrees).3) I made a pedestal with a piece of wood and put my piece on it to elevate it (secured with double stick carpet tape). I then put it in a box lined with plastic to catch overflow.4) I mixed 2 oz of epoxy and 2 oz of hardener and stirred four minutes - scraping the sides/bottom and trying not to introduce too many bubbles. The mixture was a little cloudy at first then cleared up after mixing.5) After mixing, there was still a lot of bubbles in the cup, but I could see they were slowly rising up, so I didn't panic. I poured the mixture over the piece - quickly realizing there wasn't enough. So mixed a second batch using the same process and poured that over.6) There were still a LOT of bubbles after pouring it over the piece. I waited five minutes, then hit it carefully with a butane torch. MAGICALLY, all the bubbles vanished and it looked like clear glass - I was very impressed. I hit it two more times with the torch in the next 30 minutes (not sure it even needed the third pass). I heard both the heat and the CO2 helps to pop the bubbles.7) I brushed the sides with a foam brush to get even coverage (brush marks disappeared quickly).8) After 3 hours, the overflow was stiffer but gummy. After five hours, it was stiffer. When I checked after 14 hours (the next day), it was really hard. I'll let it sit for a few days before doing much with it to let it fully cure.VERY impressed with this product ! I will be buying more.

Easy to mix. Clear results with no sanding or buffing ! I’m a first time resin user and he directions and support in making projects with dried flowers I resin was very easy to understand ! Buy and you won’t be sorry ! The only thing I advise is to buy bigger bottle as you’ll want to do more projects !

The product is easy to apply and mix, provided the instructions are followed to the letter. The result was a brilliant, transparent finish. I don't know how long the finish will remain brilliant and transparent, as this was my first use of the product, which I finished a month or so ago, but from a distance it still appears to be wet, and people will touch it to ensure that it is really dry. My only complaint is that it took considerably more of the product to do the job, which was to make a table top on the top of a log from a tree that I had cut down in my backyard, than I had expected. Given the whimsical nature of the project, I’m not sure I would have used this product if I had known what the final cost would be.