GlassCast 3 Epoxy Resin for Agate Coasters - 500g

The perfect resin for agate style resin-art coasters

One of the most original and creative forms of resin art that has emerged over the last few years has been the wonderfully diverse world of 'agate' style coaster art, made popular by talented artists such as Luna Art Resin.

These beautiful pieces tend to be cast into specially shaped silicone moulds – often arranged in sets of four – which have an irregular outer edge, echoing the live edges of natural formations like geodes.

The coasters are made by combining, pouring and layering GlassCast 3 epoxy resin with a wide range of pigments, tints, metallic effects and gilding paints to produce distinctive, intricate coaster sets with a perfectly smooth, glossy surface, without the need for polishing.

What makes GlassCast 3 so popular for this type of coasters?

Unlike other types of resin coasters, such as petri-art - made using alcohol inks, and flower preservation, agate-style resin coasters are poured and layered the right way up, with the ‘open face’ of the mould being the top, visible face of the coaster. This makes is extremely important that the resin being used cures with a really smooth, glossy surface finish on its surface.

GlassCast 3 was developed specifically as a coating resin and no other resin has a smoother, glossier surface on its open face. This makes it perfect for agate coasters and is the reason why so many artists choose GlassCast 3 for this type of coaster.

• Glossy surface finish – GlassCast 3 is a purpose-made coating resin, no other resin has a smoother, glossier surface
• Medium viscosity – Slightly thicker than a casting resin, GlassCast 3 allows colours and effects to be kept in discreet bands
• Ideal cure time – 30mins pot-life allows plenty of working time but pieces can be demoulded in less than 24hrs
• Solvent free – GlassCast 3 is solvent free with almost zero odour
• Self-degassing – No need to degas for bubble-free castings
• Hard wearing – Although resin-art coaster sets are rarely used as day-to-day coasters, GlassCast 3 is incredibly tough and hard-wearing, just in case!
• UV resistant – GlassCast 3 has very good resistance to UV, ensuring your coasters look great for years to come.

Getting Started

Ambient Temperature, Pot-Life and Pour Depth

The GlassCast range of resins, in common with all epoxies, generate heat as part of the curing process. The amount of time the mixed resin can spend in the pot, as well as the maximum depth it can be poured at, will vary depending on the ambient temperature.

For best results, we recommend working in a consistent room temperature of 18-20°C. GlassCast can be used in temperatures from 15 to 25°C but higher temperatures will reduce the pot-life and the maximum pour-depth of the resin significantly, as shown in the table below.

What to cast into

• Commercial silicone moulds – As agate style coasters have become more popular, a number of silicone mould manufacturers have started offering basic agate style coaster-set moulds which are now available through various sellers on marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay.
• Artisan moulds from independent makers – A small number of established artists, such as Luna Art Resin, offer their own range of truly unique coaster mould sets. Support your fellow artists and benefit from their skill and craft by using their agate coaster mould sets.
• Improvised moulds – Make your own one-off agate coaster moulds by simply using modelling wax or modelling clay to create an irregular frame on a simple plastic base.

Adding different colours and effects

Well, this is where the fun starts! Make the colour palette for your resin-art by adding a wide range of pigments, tints, metallic effects and even glitters, glow powders to your resin.

• Translucent tints – Translucent 'see-through' colours, like a stained-glass effect, can be achieved by adding just a tiny drop of our CULR universal resin pigments.
• Opaque pigments – Make solid opaque colours by adding a few drops more of the CULR universal pigments.
• Metallic-effect powders – For shimmering, swirling metallic effects, just add a pinch or two of our metallic effect SHIMR powders.
• Gilding paints and gold leaf – Products like 'liquid leaf' and other brilliant gold metallic paints can painted onto the outside edge of the coasters after demoulding to give them a decadent touch. Or, for total extravagance, real gold leaf can be layered into the resin during casting!

Inspiration, and help if you need it

Take a look in the GlassCast customer gallery to see beautiful, original agate resin-art coasters created by other talented customers including Luna Art Resin, Claudio Barrasso Designs and many more, all using GlassCast clear epoxy resin.

If you have any questions at all, please get in touch through our contact page, social media, Livechat or over the phone; our friendly team are hear to make sure you‘re 100% happy and producing beautiful pieces you’re delighted with.