Working with resin
Resin is a very versatile material, which has many advantages over metal or plastic. Here at Griffin Models, we believe resin is the best material for models and so we cast all our products in the best quality resin.
However, resin can be a bit different to work with if you are used to plastics or metals. This page will cover the stages you should go through with preparing resin models.
Cleaning
To start with, you have removed your new models or parts from the parcel, and are eager to get started. But before you can go ahead gluing everything - you will need to clean the parts. We do this because with the process used to cast resin, there is some release agent used to get the details out of their molds. This release agent repels paint and glue and needs to be cleaned off the surfaces.
Use an old toothbrush and some warm water with washing up liquid to gently brush the pieces clean (be extra careful of delicate pieces, so you don't snap them). Make sure you rinse the parts afterwards and allow them to thoroughly air-dry.
Bending
Resin is very detailed, yet sometimes the odd part may be bent slightly. It is simple to fix by running the part under a hot tap; once it had softened, you can bend it carefully back into shape and when it cools it will set like this.
Surface
The surface of some of our resin pieces may need some smoothing or sanding in the odd place. To do this, simply use fine grit sandpaper* and smooth any imperfect surfaces. Alternatively, we recommend Mr Surfacer which can be painted on, shrinks when it dries and gives you flawless surfaces to prime upon every time.
Tidying
At Griffin Models we produce details without massive hideous mold lines, flash, vents, air bubbles or other things that cause you headache. But, try as we might, we are not (yet) perfect. So, as you would with plastic details - Mold lines may need to be sanded* away with a sandpaper, file or hobby knife. Any flash can also be removed in this way. Parts can be clipped off the sprue, and in the very rare case of an air bubble - filled with Epoxy Putty.
Gluing
To glue resin, you should use Super Glue. If you rough-up the surface of the bond with sandpaper first* you will get a stronger bond. Some pieces may need to be pinned in place, like with metal. Or for a really strong bond- 2 part epoxy glue may be used on large pieces.
Now you are ready to prime your model as per usual, and start painting. We recommend a dusting with an aerosol spray primer.
Hopefully that helped cover a few of the main points for working with our resin. We wish you the best, for you and your models.
Happy Hobbies
*Resin is great, but be careful not to breathe in too much of the dust when sanding or drilling it. It can be harmful. So when making a lot of dust, either do this outside or use a face mask.
For this reason, we dont recommend resin models to unsupervised persons under the age of 13.
With special thanks to Eddie from Zealot Miniatures