Monday 20 April 2020

Getting the lacing effect in Resin

The Ocean, Beach, Sea theme in resin coasters is very popular. What makes it even more popular is the lacing. The part that makes the waves on the sea. Those perfect cells. 
When i first started to work on the sea theme it was very difficult to achieve those cells. Most of the time it was just a cloudy white. Still looked like the sea but no cells. I did follow a few tutorials but could not get those cells. 
I have seen people use something called 'Resi Blast', silicone oil, isopropyl alcohol and special resin pigments that are made just to get the lacing. 
Here in India there is no Resi Blast, silicone oil spreads the cells everywhere. I did not find isopropyl alcohol helpful and special resin lacing pigments are really costly.

I think there are different factors that go into getting the lacing effect.
1. The density of the resin, it should not be too thin nor too thick.
2. Temperature factor. I think it is easier to get the lacing effect in a warmer climate than a colder one.
3. Color Pigment that you use in the resin. I use a pigment from Alpha Systems that i bought from Amazon here in India. Before i used to use a white pigment from a different brand and the lacing effect did not work with it. So i think the brand also matters.
But the technique or the method that you follow is pretty much the same. If not cells you will certainly achieve the wave pattern.
So here is mine.

1. So once you have got the color of the water(Blue pigments) blended in put a layer of clear resin over the part you want the waves to form.




2. Next take very little resin and mix the white pigment in it. Keep the consistency slightly thick,not too much, just a bit more than the usual. Place the white just below or at the edge of the clear resin as shown below.




3. Using the heat gun first use the low setting and blow towards where the waves need to go. Once it starts to flow use the higher heat setting to blow until you are satisfied with the formation. So i achieve the cells at this stage and with just the heat gun. I have seen people use the blow torch to get even better lacing. But i prefer just the heat gun.





There it is. Perfect lacing.

Guys do let me know how you achieve yours in the comments below. Is there any other way to do this.

Alpha system opaque resin pigments: https://amzn.to/2W0iYLN

Epoke art resin: https://amzn.to/30XMMZV

ItsyBitsy resin: https://itsybitsy.in/collections/all/products/clear-resin-and-hardener100ml

* Note – As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.




1 comment:

  1. Hi there, thanks for very informative blog. really nice cells achieved. Just would like to know which epoxy resin i.e. brand and type you used for above ocean wave art as there are many kind of resign available in market, but only few can produce the cell and lacing for ocean waves. Thanks for sharing your learning with resin art.
    Rgd,
    Manish

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