With an offering of advice, a resounding “Yes!” to that last question. Resin is a versatile, inexpensive, and easy-to-use material for homemade jewelry, crafts, and other projects.
Resin parts can be joined permanently with glue or temporarily with removable resin. There are also different ways to join the parts, depending on whether you want to fill gaps between them or secure them without filling gaps.
You can also add color or decorate the finished piece with paint or glitter after joining the pieces.
How do you join two pieces of resin?
There are a few ways to go about this. The general rule for joining two pieces of resin is to make sure the surface area you’re adhering together has lots of texture or grooves.
This will ensure a strong bond. You can do this easily by taking a nail file and scoring the edges with crosshatch marks, or if you are making molds from an original piece (like a toy), you can coat your original in Vaseline before pouring on the resin so that parts of it stick out into your new mold, making for an easy way to connect them together when casting multi-part molds.
You also want to make sure your surfaces are nice and clean before sticking them together. A quick swipe with some rubbing alcohol will do the trick!
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What kind of glue can you use on resin?
You can use most glues on resin including epoxies, cyanoacrylates (e.g. superglue), and silicone adhesives.
The best glue to use is a 2 part epoxy adhesive designed for plastic and metal. This glue has been formulated for use on hard materials with a smooth surface, which is exactly what you get when you cast resin models.
Cyanoacrylate glues do not work well with resin or any type of model making due to their brittle nature – the bonds will be weak and the parts will come apart easily if you are using this type of glue.
Silicone adhesives are also not suitable for bonding together resin parts as they don’t completely cure so will remain sticky, especially over time.
Avoid using super glue or hot glue guns as they are not specifically designed for use with plastic models and their bonds can be very brittle leading to breaking at weak points in your model (e.g. joins).
How do you stick resin to resin?
You can also use solvents to join two pieces of resin together. Although resin is not a very strong material, it does have some tensile strength and can withstand some pressure.
To join two pieces of resin with a solvent, you need to use something that will not weaken the material or cause it to fracture. This means using a solvent such as acetone or MEK.
The best way to do this is by putting both parts into an airtight container and adding the liquid solvent until they are fully submerged.
Leave the container for at least 24 hours so that all solvent has evaporated from the parts before removing them from their containers and inspecting how well they have bonded together.
Does Gorilla glue work on resin?
Gorilla Glue should not be used for jewelry or certain other household items. This is because it cures to a foam-like consistency, meaning it expands as it dries.
However, Gorilla Glue is great for fixing things around the house. It can be used to repair a broken chair or door frame, fill gaps in wooden flooring, and even waterproof.
Can you glue resin together?
Epoxy glue is widely used in the resin hobby as it is easy and fast to use and works with a number of materials. It has been around for many years now, so there are some great resources out there to learn how to use it effectively.
The basic process is to mix the resin you want to work with, and then put some epoxy in a container that can be used for mixing.
When adding the epoxy, you need to make sure that you go slow enough not to have too much get into your resin.
Once you have added the amount of epoxy glue that you think will be needed, prepare a clean piece of paper towel and add five drops of rubbing alcohol on top of this.
The alcohol should evaporate quickly and easily from the paper towel being covered by the epoxy glue which will pick up any excess from your molds or castings without leaving any visible residue.
Can I use resin as glue?
“Can I use resin as glue?” This is an interesting question that is posed to us by artists and crafters who are looking for a better way to join elements of their projects together.
The answer, unfortunately, is not as straightforward as you might hope. We’re not going to say no, but we’re also not going to say yes.
There are different types of resin and each can be used as “glue” at times but some aren’t strong enough for heavy-duty work.
Let’s take a look at the strengths and weaknesses of each type of resin when it comes to gluing things together.
How do you glue mini resin?
Often, resin parts are glued together with a little bit of superglue and enough epoxy to fill the gap. This is an acceptable method of assembly, but there are better and more efficient ways to do it, especially when dealing with small parts.
These methods can be applied to all kinds of mini resin projects, from models to resin castings to custom dioramas. We’ll go over the three best ways to glue mini resin parts together.
First Method: Superglue + Epoxy
Superglue is a powerful adhesive for nearly any type of miniature or non-miniature model project. It’s been used for decades as a fixative in art restoration and has been around since the 1920s.
It’s commonly used when repairing broken miniature sprues or pieces into smaller misshapen pieces (like twisted plastic trees).
The glue will permanently bond together small pieces without air bubbles or discoloration after drying completely.
The main downside is that it requires dilution with water before use; although you can use superglue straight out of the tube, you’ll get better results by diluting it with water first so that it doesn’t dry too quickly and won’t fill in your gaps between components like a living sponge would.
Then simply dip your glue brushes in your diluted mixture, apply one drop at a time on each individual part (including edge-to-edge contact), and wait 30 seconds for each piece to dry completely before adding another drop on top, repeating until your pieces are bonded together completely.
Will Elmer’s glue work on resin?
Have you ever tried using Elmer’s glue on your resin parts? This is a common question I get from resin modelers, and the answer is yes.
You can use Elmer’s glue to bond two resin parts together, but it will not work for resin to glass model kits. The only way to achieve this type of bond is with a 2-part epoxy or other strong adhesives.
Elmer’s glue will also not work if you have gaps between your pieces. If there are any gaps between the pieces, use cyanoacrylate (CA) glue or epoxy putty first.
Then apply the Elmer’s after that piece has been cured in order to fill any small gaps and smooth out the edges of your resin model kit.
The next time you build a plastic or resin model kit, consider using Elmer’s glue as an option in your modeling toolbox.
Conclusion
- Make sure your surfaces are clean and dry.
- When choosing glue, make sure you choose one that’s fit for the job; a good quality glue will last longer and be more effective than a cheap one.
- It’s better to use just enough glue than too much; don’t soak your join with glue, or it could leak out from under the parts you’re joining or leaving an unsightly mess to clean up later on.
- Let the glue set properly before attempting to move or manipulate it in any way; this will allow the chemicals in the glue to bond properly with the surfaces and create an effective join between both parts without creating air bubbles that would ruin your model or cause it to break later on.
- Try not to use too much pressure while setting up for extended periods of time; this can cause cracking in some plastics and will often result in a weakened joint that may break easily when handled roughly.
