ARK CRYSTAL CLEAR DEEP POUR INSTRUCTIONS
Crystal Clear Epoxy Casting Resin
Surface Preparation
Clean dry wood and other porous surfaces will sometimes release air bubbles after a pour. To seal the wood, apply a thin coat of ARK Epoxy with ARK Fast or Medium Hardener. Allow 3-4 hours for the epoxy to gel before a pour or leave overnight. If the sealer coat has dried hard, sand with 220 grit paper or rough up the surface with a Scotchbrite pad, and remove dust. For fiberglass, metal, plastic, or virtually any other material, clean with acetone or alcohol, sand, and remove dust. Do not use Varsol or any petroleum-based solvents to clean surfaces.
Mixing
Mix 2 parts ARK Deep Pour Resin with 1 ARK Deep Pour Hardener. Use graduated containers to measure (Don’t guess!) as too much or too little will affect the proper cure. Add maximum 5% ARK universal or metallic pigment if desired. Do not use oil-based pigments. Mix thoroughly scraping the sides and the bottom of the container for atleast 2 minutes using slow motion so as not to introduce air bubbles. Leave the mix in the containers for 2 to 3 hours to allow large air bubbles to clear.
If you want a crystal-clear finish small air bubbles can be removed by putting the work in a vacuum pot
Working Times
At 24C/75F it will take about 10 hours to gel and 3-5 days to fully cure. This varies greatly depending on volume, surface area and depth, smaller batch testing is advised before major pours. Avoid using this epoxy below 18C/65F as the cure will be very slow, however, this can be sped up by raising the temperature. Above 30C/86F deep pours will overheat causing bubbles and cracking.
Volume/Depth/Heat
When you mix Epoxy Resin and Hardener you are starting a chemical reaction that produces heat turning the liquid plastic into a solid. The trick is to control the heat and avoid bubbles, cracks, and smoke. ARK Deep Pour is designed to set in larger volumes with low exotherm. A 750ml yogurt container of mixed epoxy at 24C will get hot to the touch in about 10 hours and be slightly amber when cured. The same container at 18C will take about 24 hours to gel with little heat, and remain crystal clear. Pour the same volume into a large container so there is more surface, there will be less heat. For large deep jobs ARK Deep Pour can be poured u to 2” deep for any volume without excess heat. For thicker jobs, allow the first pour to go through the heat cycle and add another layer on top. To seed up the process for pours of ½” or less use ARK Epoxy with slow hardener.
Molds/Dams
For Table tops, live edge, ect. You will need to create a mold/damn in order to prevent the liquid epoxy from running off. Use several layers of packing, metal foil, or tuck tape. For thick pours build a temporary mold to contain the work. The dollar store containers work well but not all release easily from epoxy. Spray with a mold release such as Sylchem Epoxy. You can also build a plywood mold, line with packing or metal foil tape and spray with mold release.