What am i doing wrong? Small dents and irregularities in the epoxy surface after curing.
Hi all,
I'm fairly new to working with epoxy and aiming to use it for my art projects. However i'm having some trouble pouring a smooth layer of epoxy and hope there are some expert here that can point out my flaws. This is the material i'm working with:
- blocks of wood (spruce wood, 20 x 20 cm, 8 x 8 inch) 18mm thick / 0,5 inch thick
- the surface on top is leveled with a sanding machine
- 2 layers of white acrylic paint on top to seal the surface
- I apply my art on the surface with waterslide decals, a very thin film.
- I protect the decals with 2 layers of acrylic spray
- After that i pour the epoxy.
This is the process:
- the paint being dryed long enough (at least 48h) before applying the decal
- the decal is dryed at least 24h before applying the acrylic spray on it
- the spray is dryed at least 48h before pouring the epoxy
- i'm using 'premium art' epoxy from the brand 'ultraEpoxy'. I mix a 100:60 ratio with a precise scale. I'm using a mixing cup and mix the epoxy for several minutes.
- I pour the epoxy gently on the surface and smear it out with an expoy brush so it reaches all the edges.
- I use a torch (small one) to remove bubbles, i do this right after the pour (tile by tile).
- After i do this the surface is perfectly smooth and i let this to cure.
- The room is ventitaled with an open window, the pouring tables are level, the temperature is between 20 and 25 degrees Celcius (68 F to 77 F)
After 24h i check on the pour and i see all these dents in the surface. Also i see some subtle tearing in the epoxy itself.
What am i doing wrong and how can i fix these mistakes on the current pours?
Many thanks in advance!