Fixing resin work gone wrong

You all know about my resin mishap I had few weeks ago while preparing for the LAS (if not, read it here).

So I have taken my time now to try and fix those bad bad resin work, and salvage my artwork. First, I read the entire troubleshoot section of the ArtResin website FAQ page, and then contacted its owner, my friend Dave Zak, who taught me how to use the resin in the first place, and learned that it can be done! I can try to clean the messy stuff first and then pour another layer of resin, and it might look perfect. So I gave it a try.

I learned my lesson the first time, and didn’t try all the pieces at the same time, but one at a time. That worked much better this time. The first fix was OK, but still had few small issues. The second and third was way better already! And today I finished the fourth one, which I documented in the following pictures.

First, see what I mean when I say it is a bad resin work! Look at all of these holes and drips. They are sticky too!

Messy resin work all over

Look at this ugly patch. Yuk!

Here too. This one is also dirty with some fingerprints...

Another angle of the mess

To fix the situation, I first cleaned the dirty stuff out of the mess. I had couple of spots with fingerprints, so I scratched them out. I used a Palette Knife, but you could use a utility knife, razor or another sharp object.

Cleaning messy resin spots

When I did the first resin job, the one that turned bad, I kind of “guessed” the measurements, and it ended up that I didn’t mix enough resin to cover the entire surface of all the pieces. When I started fixing them, I made sure to mix more than I need. It is better to have more and not use it, than have less. From one piece to the next, I already knew how much I need for this size of painting (10″ x 10″ x 1″). I used an empty yogurt cup to measure each of the components, with a mark on its side. I then mixed it in a cottage cheese cup. You can also see that this time I got myself a proper blow torch, with self ignition. I didn’t want to mess up any more with the lightning of the manual one (one of the reasons that made me anxious at the first time). For spreading the resin over, and for smoothing the sides, I used a plastic card (old hotel key), which is perfect for the job.

Preparing new resin mix. Use a self ignited blow torch for easy start and reduce your stress

An old plastic card works very well with spreading the resin and smoothing the sides

And finally, look at the end results! Isn’t it looking so much better?

Second resin coat - looks so much better! And we can't see all the mess stuff underneath!!!

So much better! See the difference from the above pictures

Do you like the end result?

So you see for yourself how bad resin can be fixed. I am so happy at this point!

And since these paintings were used a guinea pigs for my resin trial and error, I decided to offer them in a discounted price! Instead of their original price of $200, I will be selling them for only $100. This is %50 off for you!!! I extend this offer to all four paintings, Striper Cafe, Blue Star, BOOM, and 2 am Club.

Cheers

Moshe

PS You can still bid on the other two paintings in this series, City Center Hotel and  Hotel Del Rio, through the LittelArtShow bidding site. Don’t wait. Bidding ends November 5, 2011.

Related posts:

• Watercolor covered with resin – alternative to traditional framing
• To My Jury – the Paintings I Submitted
• Be My Jury – Which Painting Should I Submit?

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