Frequently Asked Questions

When working with epoxy it is recommended that along with proper PPE (glasses, gloves, etc.) you wear long sleeves in order to avoid skin contact. Tie long hair back and choose to wear inexpensive clothes or a disposable Tyvek jacket. If you get resin on your clothes, change them immediately. Do not continue wearing soiled clothing.

If you get resin, hardener or mixed epoxy on your skin, remove it immediately. Do not use solvents such as acetone to remove epoxy from your skin. Use a solvent-free hand cleanser to remove resin or mixed epoxy from your skin. Hardener can be removed with soap and warm water. Cleanse until there is no trace of residue on your skin.

Resin, hardener, and mixed epoxy are not easily removed from clothing. Remove clothing while cleaning to avoid dermal exposure. Wear proper PPE while cleaning. Below are methods for removing resin and hardener from clothing.

Note: Some of the solvents and methods may damage or discolor fabrics.

• Resin only: Acetone or denatured alcohol
• Hardener only: Soap and warm water
• Mixed: Soap and warm water

Epoxy resins have potential hazards associated with their use. In their unreacted forms, epoxy resins are generally classified as non-toxic and hardeners are classified as low toxicity. To work with epoxy products safely, wear proper PPE (gloves, glasses) and work in a well-ventilated area. Avoid eye and skin exposure. Do not ingest. Once fully cured, the epoxy is non-toxic. When finishing cured epoxy, use of PPE is still recommended to avoid dust exposure or inhalation. Consult the product’s Safety Data Sheet for complete health and safety information.

We do not recommend that young children use epoxy products. Many children will lack the awareness to avoid eye or skin exposure and will not have access to properly fitting PPE. However, epoxy resins and hardeners do not inherently pose any additional health risks to children in comparison to adults.

EcoPoxy resins and hardeners can be used in a well-ventilated indoor workspace without respiratory protection (excluding spray applications). Uncured epoxy resins are chemicals, and clothing that protects the whole body from splashes should be worn when using them. Personal protective equipment such as gloves and safety glasses must be worn to avoid the risk of skin and eye exposure. Wash hands with soap and water before eating or drinking.

Eye exposure can result in permanent damage. In the event of contact with eyes, irrigate with plenty of gently flowing lukewarm water for 15 minutes and seek immediate medical attention.

Refer to the appropriate Safety Data Sheet, available on www.ecopoxy.com, for a full list of safety hazards and precautions.

When working with epoxies, you should be aware of hazards that come from contact with the liquid resin and hardener. Common exposure routes are skin contact, eye contact, inhalation or ingestion. Clothing that protects the whole body from splashes must be worn when working with epoxies. Skin exposure can result in sensitization and irritation. Severe eye damage can result from eye exposure to hardeners. Personal protective equipment such as gloves and safety glasses must be worn to avoid the risk of skin and eye exposure. Epoxies should be used in a well-ventilated workspace. Wash hands with soap and water before eating or drinking. Consult the product’s Safety Data Sheet for complete health and safety information.

Blushing is a chemical reaction between the hardener, carbon dioxide, and water present in the air. Blushing will appear as a white wax-like film on the resin surface, that will yellow over time. Blushing will interfere with adhesion of subsequent coatings and is difficult to remove. To prevent blushing, avoid working in humid environments or areas where you are burning fuels (propane/butane heaters, vehicle exhaust, wood stoves, etc.). Avoid condensation by working several degrees above the dew point throughout epoxy application and cure.

If blushing does occur, you can attempt to remove it using a scrubbing pad with soap and warm water. Amine blush is water soluble, so several repetitions of the cleaning process with water changes will be necessary. Do not use solvents or sandpaper to remove blush.

We recommend using threaded inserts for attaching fasteners into epoxy. Threaded inserts have a recommended drill size, but for drilling into epoxy, we recommend using a drill that is 1/16th inch larger. The increased hole diameter will prevent damage to the epoxy. For drilling into wood, follow the manufacturer’s recommendations. If inserts cannot be used, you can drill and tap the epoxy to accommodate machine screws for light loading. Epoxy is comparable to softwood when it comes to screw retention.

Entrapped air is usually caused by aggressive mixing of the resin or can be introduced when encapsulating objects. Porous objects, such as wood, and objects with curved surfaces, such as seashells, can trap air that can migrate into the resin once submerged. To minimize bubbles, use the following practices:

• Do not aggressively mix epoxy. Mix slowly until the epoxy is streak-free and clear.
• If including wood or other porous items, seal coat them before encapsulation. Any air present will be unable to escape.
• Objects with curved surfaces can be brushed with UVPoxy before adding them to the mold. This breaks the surface tension and can reduce bubbles.
• Pour slowly around encapsulated objects. Pouring too quickly can result in pockets of air trapped under objects which may migrate out during cure.

Monitor the resin for bubbles after pouring, checking periodically during the working time. If bubbles do appear in the epoxy, wait for them to come to the surface then use the following methods to release the air:

• Use a torch to heat and release bubbles. Hold the flame tip 1-2” off the surface and move the torch quickly in a sweeping motion to burst all visible bubbles. Do not allow the flame from the torch to touch the epoxy. A heat gun can also be used but care must be taken not to disturb the surface of the resin.
• Use a toothpick or other pointed tool to release the air bubble.

To prepare surfaces for coating, follow the steps below:

1. Abrade the surface with 220 grit sandpaper to create a textured surface for the epoxy to adhere to. Rougher surfaces, such as wood slabs or MDF, do not require abrasion. In general, shiny surfaces should be abraded.
2. Surfaces should be cleaned to remove any loose debris from sanding or residual contaminants such as grease, oil, wax or mold releases that will prevent bonding.
3. Surfaces must be dry for good adhesion. Moisture on the surface will result in the formation of blush and prevent adequate bonding.

Porous surfaces may require a seal coat. Seal coats help prevent air and moisture from migrating out of substrate materials, which can cause bubbles in subsequent coatings or additional layers. If the seal coat cures shiny, it should be abraded and cleaned before recoating.

Epoxy can be applied over many wood stain products. However, if the stain is oil-based and not fully dry, there may issues with fisheyes, cratering, and contamination. Regardless of the type of stain, a clean rag, rubbed on the stained wood, can identify whether or not the stain is dry. If the stain is dry, it will not show on the rag. Some stains can take more than a week to fully dry.

If you plan to use epoxy over a stained surface, it’s best to try coating a small test piece first. This will prevent costly mistakes on your actual project. You may also want to consider seal coating your stained wood project to avoid bubbles.

UVPoxy will adhere to most surfaces. UVPoxy can be applied as a high-gloss topcoat over epoxy, wood, glass, ceramics or metals. Abrade glossy surfaces for better adhesion prior to cleaning and coating. UVPoxy can also be applied over various substrates such as wood panels or pre-made canvases to make fluid art. When applying over fabric canvases reinforcement may be necessary to prevent sagging.

Plastic items can be coated with UVPoxy. However, when applied to a flat surface UVPoxy will not generally adhere to the following materials:

• EcoPoxy Epoxy Mold Release Tape
• High Density Polyethylene (HDPE)
• Teflon
• Polyethylene (PE)
• Polypropylene (PP)
• Nylon
• Mylar
• Silicone

Mold or surface preparation varies depending on your mold type. However, it is important that all molds are clean, dry and free of contaminants.

When building your own molds out of MDF, use a sheathing tape, applied to the surface prior to final construction. Once assembled, seal the edges and corners with silicone caulking. Mold release is not necessary for this type of mold.

When building your own molds out of melamine sheet, seal the edges and corners with silicone caulking and apply a mold-release paste wax to ensure easy demolding.

For HDPE molds, mold release is not necessary. However, using a mold release is good practice to extend the life of your mold.

Silicone molds are less durable. Using epoxy will degrade the surface of the silicone mold over time. We recommend using a spray on mold release, applied to the manufacturer’s specifications. Test the compatibility of your release product with the epoxy prior to starting.