Would you like to make your dice out of resin? Of course, but having trouble finding the right one for your project. Well, you’ve come to the right place!
UV resin is a kind of synthetic resin that has become popular due to its enormous advantages. First, this resin requires no curing agent and cures much faster, saving you the hassle of mixing and measuring the correct amounts of resin and hardener.
Because only the UV lamp is needed during the curing process, the curing time for this resin is not so long. Then it is effortless to use and pour into molds easily. As a result, UV resins are often significantly practical for small projects.
Any resin can be used when designing a cube, but UV resin is simple, practical, and ideal for small ones, so it can be considered a good choice.
It also has a very low viscosity and can be used for easy casting of thin layers into cubic molds. So if it sounds like an exciting DIY project to try, roll the dice and join our easy and interactive way to cast the dice.
Table of Contents
What UV Resin makes fit for Dice Casting –
Like any such materials, quick-drying resins have both advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, there are things where using the best UV resins is simply a win-win for dice casting.
1. It becomes as hard as glass.
2. Contains the highest level of UV protection to prevent yellowing.
3. The UV resin cures transparently and is bubble-free without special stuff like this. No autoclave or vacuum chamber is required to create bubble-free resin cubes.
4. UV resin cures 15-20 minutes under a UV lamp and might take 4-8 hours under sunlight. This means molds can be reused faster, allowing for faster stamping of dice sets.
5. With additional care, this resin can be used in resin mold-making projects such as jewelry and crafts.
Create Different Shapes with Dice Casting –
There are about 7 different types of dice commonly found in resin molds. Here is a short description of each of these dice to help you choose which one you require!
1. D4: This dice has four sides with numbers 1 to 4. Each vertex has three numbers on each side, making rolling the dice a bit difficult. Your best bet is to roll these dice in the air and then use the value shown on top. These dice are also known as tetrahedral dice.
2. D6: These are classic cubic dice with numbers 1 to 6 on the sides. The total number on the other side of the cube is always 7.
3. D8: As you can imagine, the W8 dice have eight sides with three-sided faces. You can think of these cubes as made up of two pyramids. If you add up the numbers on both sides, you get nine. As you can imagine, these dice are also called octahedral dice.
4. D10: This decagonal kite dice has two acute angles where the vertex and vertex meet. Usually, the numbers are between 0 and 9, but they can also be from 1 to 10. When you add the numbers from other sides, you get 11. Odd numbers are always together, while even numbers are collected around each other.
5. D12: These bipyramidal dice have 12 faces, each with a pentagon. You will see on the model that the sum of the opposite faces of the D12 dice will be 13.
6. D20: Made up of 20 regular triangle faces, these dice can have numbers from 0 to 9 or from 1 to 20. The total sum of the numbers on opposite sides will always be 21.
7. D100: We now have a big leap from D20 to D100. These dice are also known as beacon polyhedron dice with 100 planes. These dice are the size of a golf ball and often don’t have much value; they tend to be created simply for their distinctiveness.
How To Make Your Own Dice With UV Resin –
When making your dice, you must first decide what type of dice you intend to make. Different types of dice vary in character, color, sub, or game-specific.
1. Standard dice are common with different numbers of dots.
2. Color dice where each face or face has a different color.
3. Poker dice have printed sides on their card characters, such as king, queen, etc.
4. Some dice have positive and negative numbers on each side.
5. Some dice have shapes or figures on different sides.
6. Ultimately, be subjected to what type of dice you want to make of UV resin. But you have to choose before you buy the dice mold.
Materials Required –
1. Silicone dice mold.
2. UV resin.
3. Alcohol Ink (optional) is an excellent resin dye. They come in unending varieties and melt well.
4. Mica Powder (optional) creates translucent cubes with a stunning shimmer effect.
5. Sheet metal (optional) is to decorate your handmade polyhedral dice.
6. The drawing number requires acrylic paint or a permanent pointed-tipped marker. We recommend the metal markers for this job!
Tools Required –
You will also need the following materials:
1. UV lamp
2. A disposable mixing cup helps mix resins.
3. A wood Agitator is the best for resin, hardener, and color mixing.
4. A plastic pipette helps fill dice molds. Buy in bulk so you don’t run out when rolling your resin dice.
5. A handful of brushes (required only for acrylic paints).
6. Nitrile Gloves protect your hands from exposure to resin.
7. Face mask to avoid exposure to tar fumes.
8. Protective Sheet: Cover the workstation with a protective sheet or old newspaper to prevent spills or falls. Uncured resin is very adhesive and difficult to take out.
Processes for making UV Resin Dice –
It’s time to roll some gorgeous UV resin dice! Although homemade dice can look very fancy, the instructions are quite simple. Here are the simple steps to follow :
1. Prep –
- Make sure your work area is clean and dust-free, and cover it with a protective sheet or cardboard.
- Assemble all supplies + ingredients and collect the dice.
- Wear nitrile gloves and gag.
2. Mixing Resin –
On the packaging, you will find different ways that will be helpful to you. Use only the quantities listed to craft the resin Dice. After pouring your UV resin into the disposable cup, mix it with a spatula or other mixer (this can be anything that can easily be clean.
Be sure to mix the resin well. Place the mold in a position so that when you pour it, no air gets trapped in the depression. Help to guide the resin into the hole using a toothpick. Then the resin should be left in the mold to solidify.
3. Coloring Resin –
If you make colored dice, you can add mica powder or alcohol ink into the resin to add color or sparkle to the dice until it is well dispersed.
4. Filling the mold –
Dip the resin in the cup using a plastic dropper and fill the form through the hole in the lid. Move the pipette inside the mold while injecting the resin to cover all parts.
Continue adding resin until it flows through the hole in the lid. Inspect the form from all angles to see if you need to type more.
5. Curing –
Now for this to work, we must cure the dice and use the UV lamp. Keep the UV resin dice mold under a UV lamp for 15-20 minutes until it is fully cured.
6. Unmold it and remove the sprue –
When the resin is fully cured, remove the cube. Remove the lid and gently pull the mold to separate the resin cube. Use a knife or scissors to remove any remaining resin around the edges of the sprue and cube.
7. Draw Numbers –
Draw the numbers with an excellent permanent marker along the grooves in the numbers. Circle each number many times to get a clear surface. If the marker accidentally gets on the dice, wipe it off quickly with a damp kitchen towel.
Things to keep in Mind –
1. Nature of Products –
The quality of a product decides its efficacy and usefulness. A poor-quality product will not work properly or last long. Therefore, you need to purchase a high-quality UV resin; otherwise, no matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to roll your dice.
High-quality resin flows easily and can be easily cured by a UV lamp. Also, you must check the UV resin’s expiration date because if it expires, the resin cannot work, and you’ll not get your desired product.
Not only your money but your time and work will be in vain. UV resins are thin, so ensure your product casts a thin layer into a mold.
2. UV light –
When buying UV resins, investing in a good UV lamp is essential. This is because UV resin cannot be cured without UV radiation. Therefore, UV lamps are a good investment as they provide more power and, therefore, more light for curing.
Secondly, holding the lamp while the resin cures are not necessary. All you need to do is place the UV resin cube under light to harden.
You can also use a UV curing torch, but it will not be as worthwhile as a lamp. The power provided by the torch is weak, so you need to grasp it in your hand for a substantial time.
3. Longevity –
To understand the durability of the dice, it is crucial to consider the longevity of the UV resin. You will roll it on a surface, so it shouldn’t break now if you take any damage while playing with it.
It will ruin the whole effort and time. Therefore, the resin you invest in must be strong and withstand certain pressures.
You can read product reviews or reviews to determine which type of resin is premier for your dice. This will advise you about resin and give you particulars on how to use it to make the dice you want.
FAQs –
Can you make your UV resin dice mold?
Yes, absolutely! If you don’t want to buy pre-mold resin, you can make your own from soft silicone. You can buy a silicone mix and easily make your dice molds using the dice you already have. Our guide explains this process to get you started right away!
When can you demold the UV resin dice?
You must wait for 8-12 hours for the proper curing process under sunlight, but if you are using a UV lamp, it will take only 15-20 minutes; that’s pretty cool. It won’t take much time but ensure to let it be cured completely.
If you try to take the dice out of the mold before this time has elapsed, it will become sticky and useless, making cleaning the mold more difficult. Therefore, reading the resin’s instructions for curing time is crucial. It could be less, or it could be more.
How much does a UV resin dice take to set completely?
Wait for the resin to harden before handling the mold. This will take about 8 hours or less than 8 hours under sunlight(15 min in UV Lamp).
A good test to see if the resin has cured properly is to see if it feels hard and smooth and try to follow the instructions properly; it won’t take too much time to correct your mistakes.
Closing thought –
If you are new to this and have a little idea about creating your cube, we also provide specific steps to guide you through this task. So choose the right UV resin and make your unique and trendy cubes without delay.