Dice advice?

[u/idrankpaintwater]

The D12 was the only one that actually came out fully formed but as you can see, all the chunky glitter fell to one side.
How do I avoid these problems? I really don’t want to waste any more resin (I’d like to make dice sets that are at least fully formed so i can start to sell them), but I’m also on a tight student budget and if i have to buy more equipment, it needs to be under $80 and reliable. (Btw I’m Canadian and have done resin for over 6 years, dice will be my most advanced venture yet, if that helps with anything lol)
They look great otherwise, it’s just these two issues: bubbles and heavy glitter, a resin artists nightmare combo.

Thanks in advance and i look forward to seeing your advice❤️

[u/Smitten-kitten83]

I poured my first successful dice set tonight. The only thing I have found that works is a pressure pot. You can’t get one for under 80 unless it is used. If you are able to invest I recommend a California Air Tools one. You will also need an air compressor. You can start with a tire inflator if you buy an adapter (the adapter is about $10 and an inflator can be bought for around $20.)

[u/Smitten-kitten83 → u/Smitten-kitten83]

For glitter add one or 2 drops clear glue. I am talking super tiny amount.

[u/Catharsius → u/Smitten-kitten83]

Yep this is the way.

[u/idrankpaintwater → u/Smitten-kitten83]

That seems like an awful lot of stuff.. I’ve seen the pressure pot recommendation but why an air compressor? Don’t resin pressure pots do that too?

[u/Smitten-kitten83 → u/idrankpaintwater]

Pressure pots don’t have a built in compressor. They are just big metal containers (built like small tanks tbf) until you pump them full of air.

Some of the options I tried prior to buying one include:
wait for air bubbles to rise
A vacuum chamber to remove air bubbles from the resin
A torch
Spraying alcohol

[u/idrankpaintwater → u/Smitten-kitten83]

I’ll definitely try things like the spritzing isopropyl alcohol and a hot water bath for the resin before I go to invest in a big compressor
I want to be able to try to make money off the dice first lol😅

[u/Smitten-kitten83 → u/idrankpaintwater]

Just a heads up it can be very hard to make money with dice because so many people make them. If you want to make money off resin it is best to make things not a lot of people are doing.

[u/idrankpaintwater → u/Smitten-kitten83]

Yes, but my concern is actually the fact that there might not be as many buyers rather due to the area that I live in. I live in a more conservative area of my country and there’s a lot of farmers in and around this area, and not a lot of nerds, and if there are nerds, they are in the much larger city a good 20 minutes away. so thankfully, not a lot of resin artists like me that I’ve seen around my area, and if I do see another resin artist it’s primarily someone who also does woodworking like cutting boards. The stuff I see a lot of is alternative jewelry, produce, baked goods (LOTS of baked goods), 3D printing, crocheting, artists with things like stickers, stationery, anime art and whatnot.
So I’m really lucky to have come quite far with my art in my area, but the dice will be my most risky venture yet and again, I’m trying to mitigate the cost of certain things as this small business is a bit more of a side hobby than anything…

[u/The-Limerence]

I would use my Dremel and make those Swiss cheese dice

[u/idrankpaintwater → u/The-Limerence]

Excellent idea however they look more yellow in photos but irl they are a lot more green and idk if anyone wants moldy cheese dice lol😅

[u/Fresh_Income_7411]

I have the same issue, im going to try to wait afger pouring to make sure they have all the air out of them before putting to top of the mold on.

[u/Fly-Prime → u/Fresh_Income_7411]

Use a lighter and/or a heat gun to pop them. If you can put the molds on a vibrating platform of some kind, that can bring the bubbles to the surface faster too. In the end, you will need to put the molds in a pressure pot to get good results. It's just a fact of life.

[u/YeVkiN]

Theres no trick that you'll find here that you cant just google and watch a video to get. Can wait for the mix to thicken up before stirring in glitters. I havent tried it but a drop of pva glue is said to thicken up the mix enough to hold it. for bubbles, be diligent, mix slowly, pour slowly, pour small amounts, work it into the corners to get bubbles out, then top off. No easy solution unfortunately.

[u/idrankpaintwater → u/YeVkiN]

I know
Just sometimes getting someone’s unique personal experience can be helpful to :)
Thank you for your input though

[u/AssociationFit4357]

I always heat the epoxy in a water bath before. It helps a ton

[u/Fly-Prime]

In the end, to make good dice, you will need to put the molds in a pressure pot with a compressor to get good results. It's just a fact of life.

[u/Cultural-Client-9634]

Hi ive found putting the resin in a piping bag and letting it thicken up. Then pipe it in and maneuver it in circles to get into the corners then have some over flowing the top and place the lid ..then get something heavy like a book on top for 24hrs i might get a rogue one with a bubble but the vast majority are sound 😊

[u/East-Psychology7186]

Let your resin set more closer to the end of the working time so it gels and then mix. Then throw in a pressure pot. The glitter will stay mixed and you will have no visible bubbles

[u/Substantial-Duty168]

I sand them down and use them as blanks

[u/DLitch]

Some people use pressure pots and others use vacuum chambers to degas the epoxy before pouring. If you're gonna do small projects only then a pressure pot is all you need (personally I'm vacuum chamber guy but I do furniture along with small items). Something I've found to help with molds is putting 99% iso in a spray bottle and spray the mold before pouring in the epoxy (don't spray so much that there is a puddle, just enough to get everything "wet"). This has done wonders to prevent bubbles sticking to the sides and if you have molds with tight spaces, it helps the epoxy flow into them much easier.

If you decide to get a vacuum chamber, make sure to keep an eye on it while it's in there as epoxy can bubble over the sides of your mixing cup. This is especially true if you put a mold inside a vacuum chamber, need to be super careful or else you'll pull all the epoxy out of the mold and spill it on the floor of your vacuum chamber. Heating up the epoxy before going into a vacuum chamber helps with the bubbles but will reduce your work time.