Resin coating panels - any tips?

I'm trying to make photo panels for the Billet Box doors I've 3D printed which will be resin coated to seal it.

It's the Art Resin type, mix 50/50 pour on, spread, heat gun bubbles out (repeat every 10 mins for a few times).

Watched a few videos, tips so far I've got are:
Spirit level the parts prior to starting.
Cover with a box to prevent dust for 24-48 hours.
Mask off underside, apertures and edges - going to be trial and error on this part

They are a perfect fit so I need to mask off the edges and cutouts but not sure how to prevent build up at the masking point?

I was going to use masking tape but is there an alternative? or can I sand it afterwards?

That's as much as I know so any advice appreciated, these are the panels I'm going to attempt:

I tried this before Xmas on some panels, you’re honestly wasting your time and money mate. It just doesn’t work [emoji23]

The resin you can brush on is so thin you need about 50 coats each taking hours to dry. Even when you do get enough on the end result is shite.

I found out the expensive way trying various methods that the reason B.B panels (other than printed ones) are expensive is because they take either many many hours to make by hand, or require expensive machinery such as a mill - ideally a CNC mill due to the amount of cut outs and recesses.

I even tried making a silicone mould and casting the resin, looked shit - total waste of time and money [emoji23]

Maybe you’ll have better results but for me it didn’t go anywhere.

Sorry I agree

“It’s a no from me”

The resin will crack away as it’s an exothermic reaction

It would like sitting next to your cousin with bad BO at a wedding for 12 hours

@Vapaneezer Scrooge
@Lee

Keep meaning to try this but I’m off work at moment so no money left after bills at moment

https://www.smooth-on.com/product-line/xtc-3d/

You could try using a doming resin. Its viscosity would allow you to encapsulate the design without affecting the tolerances of the door edges. Id imagine the epoxy versions may have more longevity than the urethane varients. As said above the heat generated could be an issue, but i guess this would mostly come down to experimenting with resin layer thickness and your chosen filament for the print. Good luck with whatever direction you go in.
Or maybe you could imcorporate some borders/ edges in your design to keep the resin 'pooled.'

lets have a blast at this coating thing

IMO

so you have a panel that you want to look nice and flat

the xtc is a good choice I've used it and played with it but there are a number of problems with clear coats

the item must be clean you have the problem with air bubbles this may or may not affect you but with all clear coats they will including the dome type acrylic resin magnify what's underneath if the item is a big item that's cool but if the item is small you look at it more

the panel if doming is used must be flat and I mean flat, not the kitchen side it must be dead flat or the dome will move to one side looking like your nans (for want of a better word) breasts I have done this and they all the items were droopy

the other bugbear is the item must be free from dust done at the right temperature with no moisture so shed is out so is near your cat wife dog son

but unless the resin is coloured (you will go down the road of colours the mixing too much the resin won't go off too little and it will look milky etc)
you may still see the ridges

but the biggest thing is once on, you have to finish it as in buffing sanding making it flat without lipping splitting or dropping etc or the other nightmare it doesn't go off for any number of reasons

polyester is very brittle and stinks

some of the clear coats are nasty and can be pretty horrible too use

some resins pot life is 5 mins and they get hot some are 6 hours so you can't move them all of them are cured within a week or so

but expect to spend money resin is very expensive, to make something that looks good

Slanger said:

@Vapaneezer Scrooge
@Lee

Keep meaning to try this but I’m off work at moment so no money left after bills at moment

https://www.smooth-on.com/product-line/xtc-3d/

Click to expand...

Yeah I seen this stuff mate, looks wicked for prepping models to paint but I don’t think it will work well for making resin patterns or even colouring with a single colour tbh.

The trouble is with resins, you have to be a bit careful with some brands what you’re mixing with them. Some types of pigments react with the resin, some don’t. It’s really just a case of research and some educated guesses to try it. But as said, it is bloody expensive. Before you look around you’re a few hundred deep with no promising results. That’s what I found anyways with thin coats. To get a full coverage deep colour completely hiding the 3D printed base, you’ll be needing some seriously thick coats taking into account the sanding.

Then anything thicker blocks and blanks and shit you really need to pressure cast them - compressor, pressure pot, god knows how many fittings. Not to mention the cost of the materials. In my opinion by the time you spend all that, wait for hours for the panels to print in the first place, fuck around mixing resin and god knows how many hours sanding and polishing - you’ll be asking for what the others sell panels for £100 plus. For a product that looks worse, on a 3D printed base...

It’s a great idea and like I said I tried this exactly how he’s said in the first post - just a shame it doesn’t work. I would hate to sit back and watch this guy waste hundreds of pounds of his hard earned cash and time!

Hats off if you give it a blast and make it work, it was far too long winded and expensive for me to make it viable [emoji16]

Loco said:

Good luck with whatever direction you go in.
Or maybe you could imcorporate some borders/ edges in your design to keep the resin 'pooled.'

Click to expand...

I'm liking that idea a lot, it would solve my masking concerns, thanks for the suggestion, I can afford to thin the panel down and add a lip in the design.

The Resin I am trying doesn't get hot from what I gather, I'm laying it down in a 0.5mm (ish) layer over a mounted photo bonded to a PLA panel.

With so many failed prototypes to play with I've got nothing to loose trying except my sanity which I already lost.

I'm not sure which resin others have tried, I've got the panels very flat and most of the resin will rest on the photo,it's just the overlap that will cover PLA, I do need some form of overlap to seal the photo to the panels.

I will report my attempt here but not holding out too much hope.

Vapaneezer Scrooge said:

I'm liking that idea a lot, it would solve my masking concerns, thanks for the suggestion, I can afford to thin the panel down and add a lip in the design.

The Resin I am trying doesn't get hot from what I gather, I'm laying it down in a 0.5mm (ish) layer over a mounted photo bonded to a PLA panel.

With so many failed prototypes to play with I've got nothing to loose trying except my sanity which I already lost.

I'm not sure which resin others have tried, I've got the panels very flat and most of the resin will rest on the photo,it's just the overlap that will cover PLA, I do need some form of overlap to seal the photo to the panels.

I will report my attempt here but not holding out too much hope.

Click to expand...

You may get on alright just setting a photo in with clear resin mate. Coating the panel and trying to hide the print with colours or making swirls though I’d say you have no hope.

Here is a panel I found discarded in my vape box from some time last year, you can see what I mean by it looks shit...

The back unsanded just for an idea of how thick that was on there over the print.

Cost wise, I'm already knee deep in various other coatings which I'm not too happy with, but this clear coat resin is a sample size so won't loose much in trying, if it works then I've got a huge scope for designs with photo printing (started with texture patterns)