LuciClear Art and Casting Resin

How LuciClear Casting Resin works.
This is a CASTING resin. It is specifically formulated to produce deep, ultra clear castings easily without needing vacuum chambers, pressure pots or lots of small pours. It will accept all the colourants which work with epoxies. It is easy for experts and first timers alike to use it to make beautiful river tables and embedments.

Deep Pours

Several factors limit how deep a large pour can be. These include bubble release, heat escape, shrinkage and discolouration. By careful attention to the selection of the base resin and the hardener, the additives that are included in the formulation, the environment in which a casting is done and the method of mixing and application it has been possible to produce a product and a protocol for use which can produce high quality deep castings as deep as can be done with current technology. We were very fortunate in gaining access to the raw material which made it possible for us to formulate LuciClear Casting Resin to be equal to the world's best.

Bubble Release

Inevitably air bubbles will get mixed into the mix when it is being stirred. We recommend that you adopt a stirring method which minmises the amount of air mixed in, but it is impossible to avoid all of it. In order to get beautiful bubble free castings, we have formulated LuciClear Casting resin to enhance the ability of the bubbles to rise through the mix and to burst ( release ) when they reach the surface. In additon, we have conducted considerable experimentation to determine the best mixing and pouring methods to ensure that the bubbles can rise and release.

Low shrinkage

Our experimentation has identified the factors which control the amount of shrinkage which occurs when an epoxy system cures. When you use LuciClear Casting resin, we supply recommendations which, if you follow them, will ensure that there is minimal shrinkage.

Ultra Clear Colour

Discolouration ( yellowing ) occurs in an epoxy system in two ways. The first is the inherent colour of the ingredients. By selecting ultra clear ingredients, we have taken the first step to achieving an ultra clear result. The second is the curing reaction. Provided this is allowed to proceed according to our carefully developed protocol, little yellowing will occur.

UV Resistance

When an ulta violet photon enters an epoxy, it can disrupt ( split ) one of the chemical groups. The pieces it is split into are called radicals. We add a stabilizer to LuciClear Casting Resin which reacts with (absorbs ) those radicals and prevents them from oxidising and causing the epoxy to yellow. The additive are consumed over time. The additive nearest the surface gets "used" up first, so the first degradation you are likely to see is surface chalking in strong UV even though the material contains UV stabilizer.

It is important to note that no matter what some brocure or salesperson says, no epoxy can be made UV proof. The best that can be done is to make it resisitant as described above.

How epoxy works.

Epoxy resin is a liquid which contains large molecules which have oxirane ( epoxide ) groups sticking out from the side of the molecule. This group is very reactive, and if another molecule that has a hydrogen atom which can be detached comes near, the oxirane group will open up, the hydrogen atom will be transferred to the oxygen atom in the oxirane group and the other molecule will become attached to the other leg of the former oxirane group.

All useful epoxy resin molecules have at least 2 oxirane groups on them and the other molecule ( hardener or curative ) which donates the hydrogen normally has 2, 3 or 4 sites which can donate a hydrogen.

This is a mechnism known as crosslinking. Every molcule finishes up connected at 2, 3 or 4 places to another molecule. Effectively all the molecules become cross linked and the thing turns into one great big molecule.

The oxirane group contains energy which is released when it opens up. Some of this is used to transfer the hydrogen atom and some to attach the molecule from which the hydrogen atom came. The rest is released as heat.

There are only a small number of variations possible with the epoxy resin side of the mix, but there are a wide range of materials which will act as hardeners ( also called curatives ). Many are quite unsuitable for non professional use, requiring high temperatures for processing and-or they are very dangerous to handle. By varying which hardener is used (and by blending different ones together ) it is possible to alter the behaviour of the mix, the behaviour during curing and the properties (strength, hardness, durability etc) of the cured epoxy.

It is unlikely that an epoxy system designed for coating floors, or for sealing boats will give good results when doing a deep casting For best casting results, the best idea is to use an epoxy system specifically formulated for doing castings. If the price is very low, then it is most unlikely it contains the high performing ingredients that LuciClear Casting Resin contains.

Our Brands

Developed by an Australian,
and made in Australia.