It was Neil Gershenfeld, a professor at MIT, who once said, “Give ordinary people the right tools, and they will design and build the most extraordinary things.” To help you take your DIY and crafting projects to the next level—to make those “extraordinary things”—we wanted to talk a bit about the kinds of resin tools that are handy no matter the project!
Although the supplies you’ll need for each individual epoxy resin project you tackle will vary depending on the techniques used and your end goal, there are some epoxy tools that are practical to have around regardless. Most of these items will be something you end up using at least once during most resin projects you’re looking to do.
Resin of choice
- Tabletop Epoxy Resin – The perfect product for epoxy tabletops, wood finishes, shallow encapsulations, artwork, and more! Our tabletop resin is also available in a kit that includes an optional amount of resin and several other resin tools that we’ll mention later.
- ProArt Epoxy Resin – Great for sealing and protecting a variety of artworks from woodworking to wall art pieces.
- Casting Epoxy Resin – Formulated for deep pours of up to 1.5 inches. Great for use in furniture crafting and object encapsulation.
- 521 Marine-grade Epoxy Resin – Perfect for marine vessel repair and maintenance due to its moisture, impact, and corrosion resistance.
Paint/mixing sticks
As simple a tool as they are, their usefulness is impactful can’t be overstated. The obvious use for paint or mixing sticks is that they serve perfectly to help combine two-part resin or resin and colorants. On top of that, you can use them to help spread out resin out evenly across a surface or dip them in a resin mixture and drizzle them on your creation to make interesting patterns.
Graduated mixing buckets
Graduated mixing buckets in particular are helpful resin tools because they allow you to accurately measure the resin you’re pouring. In two-part resins, using the proper amounts given in their instructions is key to creating successful works with the product.
Mixing cups
Mixing cups are a great way to measure and mix smaller amounts of resin or to prepare and measure out Side A and Side B before combining.
Blow torch
Blow torches are a common method for
getting rid of surface bubbles in epoxy resin. Always observe proper safety instructions when using all tools, blow torches included, and be sure not to have the torch active in one place for too long or activate it too close to the resin.
Painter’s tape
Painter’s tape can be used to great effect to seal off edges of projects where you don’t want any epoxy runoff. Frequently, it is used to tape off the lips or upper edge of tumblers before epoxy is applied.
Disposable gloves
It is generally encouraged to not allow your skin to come in contact with resin until it is properly cured. For working with different resins safely while mixing and creating, it’s a great idea to wear disposable gloves on.
Safety glasses
During the process of mixing and pouring resin, it’s possible some of the mixture will splash or move unexpectedly. In the event this happens, it’s common practice to wear safety glasses to prevent any of that mixture from coming into contact with your eyes. You can continue to read more about general
epoxy resin safety here.
Plastic sheets
Spreading plastic sheets across your work surface when creating with epoxy resin is a great way to mitigate messes and make things easier to clean up when the job is done.
A slightly more expensive but perhaps more durable alternative is silicone mats. Since epoxy resin does not stick to silicone the same way it does to other materials, silicone placemats and tools are easier to clean and can be subsequently reused.
Foam brushes
Foam brushes are most useful for helping spread epoxy resin across surfaces. If you’d like, however, you can also achieve something similar by spreading the epoxy with a gloved hand or a paint mixing stick.
Sandpaper
Although not necessary for every project, there are times when you may need to sand and polish your art for a variety of reasons. This is where sandpaper comes in. The higher the grit of your sandpaper, the less material it takes away.
Again, these tools do not necessarily encompass everything you’ll need to see your resin works to fruition, but they’ll certainly play their part. A lot of these objects are good to have in bulk if you plan on undertaking a lot of epoxy resin projects.
Talk to Us at ProMarine Supplies
Have any questions about these epoxy tools or any of our products? Feel free to
contact us or look at our FAQs section for information about common customer questions.
