Is Resin A Cheap Hobby?

Epoxy resin may seem like an expensive hobby at first glance.  High-quality arts and crafts epoxy resin costs around $80 per gallon, or more depending on where you buy it, so the upfront cost adds up up front.

But most art projects don't require a lot of epoxy, and for most crafts, a little goes a long way.

In this article, we’ll discuss how much epoxy resin is needed for various types of artwork, and how much an epoxy resin hobby will cost.

Is resin an expensive hobby?

One of the first things to consider about cost is what type of work you plan to make.  A piece of art made purely from epoxy resin will naturally require more than a similarly sized piece made from other materials.  Resin coasters are a great example.

If the project you are doing is the type that only requires an epoxy coating rather than being made entirely of epoxy resin, you will spend much less on the resin over time and it will last longer will be longer.

Are you selling your work?  Or keep/give them away?

Another aspect of whether resin is an expensive hobby is determining whether you will be selling at least some of your creations.  By selling some of them, you can recoup the cost you spent on the initial materials.  A decent profit can be made from this while still having some material left over for other purposes.

Resin keychains and resin jewelry are common choices for small items that are cheap to make and sell for much more than they cost to make.

It’s important to take accurate measurements ahead of time.
One of the causes of epoxy process expense is wasted resin due to inaccurate measurements.  It is important to know how much the mold or reservoir needs to be filled.

Fortunately, there are some techniques you can use to determine this:

Technique #1: Water Measurement.
For projects involving other waterproof materials, you can fill a space with water and pour it into a measuring cup to determine how much is needed.  This method is particularly effective for silicone molds, but should not be used on materials that are not waterproof, such as wood.

Then when you mix the resin batch, just make sure the resin/hardener sum matches the volume of water.

Tip #2: Use something dry, like rice grains.
For projects involving materials that are susceptible to moisture damage or other problems, you can use objects like grains of rice to take measurements.

Simply fill the space with rice, then when it's full enough that the epoxy can be used, pour it into a measuring container to see how much epoxy is needed.