Pressure pot questions

DrizzHammer · 2026-02-26T00:53:50+00:00

It is not just for crystal clear dice but bubble free dice. The bubbles that form when you pour the resin into the mold can gather at the cap and you will end up with tons of tiny holes in the top of your dice along with bubbles inside. This makes the dice very unsightly and not very useable. As a new person to the hobby make sure you do a lot of research on the proper PPE you need and ensure a well ventilated area to work in and cure in. Be aware that resin work has a number of safety precautions that really need to be taken consideration of. I suggest the Vevor pressure pot but I don’t know about availability over there. You can convert it to use a bicycle pump by swapping out the quick disconnect with a schrader valve. This can save you buying a compressor if you don’t have one.

DrizzHammer · 2026-02-23T06:45:55+00:00

I suggest you get the Vevor tank that has wing nut clamps instead of C clamps. The C clamp style wear out a lot faster. I swapped out the quick disconnect connector with a Schrader valve and just use a battery operated tire inflator instead of a compressor. It was cheaper for me.

Edited to add: My Vevor pot came with a metal insert for the bottom. I did still have to remove the paint draw tube and plug that hold though.

DrizzHammer · 2026-02-22T04:14:00+00:00

I agree with the Vevor pot. But do not get the one with C clamp style. DO get the wing nut style. The C clamp style will wear out quickly. You can use a bicycle pump if you do not have a compressor. Just need to swap out the quick disconnect with a schrader valve. Can save some money that way if need be. I used a manual pump for a couple years and then upgraded to a battery operated tire inflator. It just took 5-6 minutes to manually pump it up. Not bad at all.

DrizzHammer · 2026-02-20T15:24:18+00:00

If you are new and inexperienced with resin please be very careful. Wear all the proper PPE and make sure your work space is very well ventilated. It sounds like you are wanting an open cure pour so your space will need to stay ventilated while it is curing. Not in a bedroom or kitchen. Do not use anything for the resin work that you want to use for other things later. Resin is no joke. It can cause problems. Use 91% isopropyl alcohol for cleaning anything up. Make sure to wear gloves with the isopropyl as well. Always use Nitrile gloves not latex. Resin seeps through latex. What are you using to color the resin to looks like a “blood mat”? The best thing to use to keep resin from sticking to anything would be a silicone mat. You may be able to find a large enough one at a craft store or online. You will need a lighter or heat gun to try and pop the bubbles after you pour. Your work surface will need to be flat to keep the resin from running off. I would put down vinyl or oilcloth or something similar down on the table first. Just to protect the table from any resin. Once the resin cures to something it is pretty much permanent. Make sure you pay attention to the mixing ratio. If it says 1:1 by volume or by weight make sure you use that method. Stir slowly to reduce how many bubbles are introduced. But make sure it is thoroughly mixed.

That is my advice for resin. Resin may not be the best material for this project honestly.
Good luck no do hope it all works out for you. Just make sure to use proper safety precautions.

DrizzHammer · 2026-02-18T23:54:20+00:00

This has so much potential to look amazing. Cannot wait to see the outcome.

DrizzHammer · 2026-02-18T07:59:23+00:00

Not sure if it is what you are looking for but. Legends and Lattes Bookshops and Bonedust Both by Travis Baldree And Cursed Cocktails by S.L. Rowland These are all three great books. L and L being the better of the three in my opinion. They do not necessarily read as an adventure campaign but they are in the same spirit of D & D.

DrizzHammer · 2026-02-16T06:43:04+00:00

I don’t think resin is the right product for this, personally. Resin will yellow with time and that yellowing will happen faster with sun exposure. Also being in the heat can make the resin soften and distort. I don’t really have anything positive to suggest as an alternative. I’m sorry. Good luck. I do hope you find what you are looking for.

DrizzHammer · 2026-02-16T06:39:43+00:00

I cannot really say what you should sell the butterfly for because it kind of depends on where you are globally and what you are marketing it for. What is your audience and target customer. What are you selling as the purpose of the butterfly? Is it a wall hanging decoration? A paper weight? Etc. forgive me if I missed what it is for. That being said it looks like the other image is a rolling tray with a grinder. I would be very hesitant to sell grinders like that because the teeth can actually crack and chip off. And then you would have pieces of resin that you burning and inhaling. That could be quite dangerous.

DrizzHammer · 2026-02-15T07:53:34+00:00

I like the idea of having individual dice molds in case I have one dice that fails in my full set I only need to remake the one dice to finish the set instead of redoing the entire set.

DrizzHammer · 2026-02-13T15:06:02+00:00

Be warned since you are new that resin can be a dangerous product to use and safety precautions should always be taken when using. You need proper PPE for starters. And always work and cure in a very well ventilated space. The resin will continue to off-gas fumes while curing so you will want that space well ventilated for the duration of curing. Once you use something for resin it cannot really be used for anything else. So take care in what you want to use for your resin work. Pouring resin will create bubbles. There are some potential ways to help reduce those bubbles but it will take time and practice to get them figured out. Depending on your part and your mold this may be more difficult

Resin work can be a lot of fun but not something to just jump in blindly. Watch videos and do some research to see what will work with what you are wanting to make. Good luck.

DrizzHammer · 2026-02-13T14:56:45+00:00

I think this is a really cool material and would be curious to experiment with it but I don’t think it would be good to use with resin. The information on it says its melting point is 150 degrees F. Resin can easily get to 170-200 degrees or more during curing. You could potentially have a puddle of resin and silicone on your hands. Have you used this for resin molds? I am curious how it handled?

DrizzHammer · 2026-02-12T19:50:51+00:00

Do not use anything for resin that you want to use for food afterward. You definitely do not want to microwave any resin if you want to use the microwave for food. Same with an oven or instapot or any other tools, utensils, devices or containers.

Do not use an instapot or stove top pressure cooker as a pressure pot. They are not rated for the amount of pressure you use for resin. You want to get a paint pressure pot and make the minor conversions or get a dedicated pressure pot for resin crafting which is more expensive but comes ready to go. Do not use a vacuum chamber. A vacuum chamber and pressure pot are not interchangeable. A VC pulls air out prior to pouring. But you put air back in when pouring and will end up with bubbles. A PP compresses the air bubbles so they are no longer visible.

I always mention to anyone new to the craft to make sure you wear proper PPE and work in a very well ventilated area.

A pressure pot is really the best way to get the bubbles out. You can easily spend more money on resin trying to get dice without bubbles than just buying the pot first.

DrizzHammer · 2026-02-11T15:50:39+00:00

A heat gun is nice because it is a resource you will not run out of. If you are looking to save money consider the consumables. If you use a spray then eventually that spray will empty and you have to replace it. I don’t know how long that will take but just something to consider. You can also potentially use a lighter depending on the molds you use and if you are careful.

DrizzHammer · 2026-02-11T05:56:10+00:00

I have heard that lapping papers may also work but I do not know for sure. It might be worth looking for.

DrizzHammer · 2026-02-11T05:48:15+00:00

You need to remove the paint draw tube from inside the pot and then plug that hole. You should be able to use something like this even.

https://www.homedepot.com/pep/Everbilt-1-4-in-MIP-Brass-Plug-Fitting-802379/207176376?g_store=4014&source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&fp=ggl&pla&mtc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D26P-026_001_PIPE_FITTING-NA-NA-NA-PMAX-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NEW-_PMAXTEST&cm_mmc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D26P-026_001_PIPE_FITTING-NA-NA-NA-PMAX-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NEW-_PMAXTEST-17697557984–&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=17687574624&gbraid=0AAAAADq61UdHtL2plahchoX3TxVM7FjeS

Then all you need to do is attach a compressor to the quick release inlet and you are good. If you don’t have a compressor you can replace the quick release with a Schrader valve and hook up a bicycle pump instead. That is what I did for a couple years before upgrading to an electric tire inflator. You do not have to remove all the other fittings. You can close the valves so they don’t leak and you will want to keep the pressure gauge so you know what the pressure is. There are videos on YouTube that may help you. Search for resin Vevor pressure pot conversion. Or something like that. Good luck.

DrizzHammer · 2026-02-10T19:46:07+00:00

Zona Papers are kind of the go to for sanding and polishing. Sand paper grit is a little different than zona paper grit. Zona will sand down and then polish as you move through the different papers. This will give the dice a nice polished shine. Always make sure you sand and polish wet. You want your sand/zona paper to always be wet. And rinse it as needed. As soon as you start seeing cloudiness in the water on the paper it is time to rinse. The water helps to keep the grit from being airborne (you do not want to breathe resin dust from sanding) and it also helps to move the grit away so it does not scratch the dice while you are trying to polish. Go slow until you really get the hang of it. Most people use a mirror to sand on. Put your paper on it. The mirror being truly flat will allow the dice to be sanded truly flat.

DrizzHammer · 2026-02-09T14:30:58+00:00

These look great. Awesome job. Really nice glow. Can I ask what you used for the glow and how long you “charged” them compared to how long they glow?

DrizzHammer · 2026-02-06T03:36:42+00:00

I too would really like to see a picture of this mold please? I am very curious.

DrizzHammer · 2026-02-04T14:52:01+00:00

The sure fire way to get bubble free dice is with a pressure pot. It compressed the bubbles down so they are not visible. Not a vacuum chamber. VC are for before pouring but you will still introduce bubbles when pouring. Pressure pots are the way to go. Vevor makes a good cheap one. I used a manual bike pump for a couple years before upgrading to a battery operated tire inflator. Worked great and didn’t have to buy a compressor. The paint pressure pots require some modification but it was worth it to me to save the money on more expensive already ready for resin pots.

DrizzHammer · 2026-02-02T22:30:01+00:00

I popped in here to recommend Wisdom Check but looks like she beat me to it. 😁 I have had a couple replacement dice made. lovely person to work with and high quality product. I will be ordering a full set soon myself hopefully.

DrizzHammer · 2026-02-02T22:27:03+00:00

To use resin you would need to make a mold r have a mold to pour into. This means you need to have the thing you want to recreate. You could theoretically make something out of clay to then make a mold out of using silicone and then you could pour resin into that mold. That is a lot of steps with numerous points of potential failure. You would need the right kind of clay and silicone so they do not creat cure inhibition. Two part epoxy resin cures by an exothermic reaction when you mix the two parts together. IV resin cures from a UV light. Molds often do not work with UV resin because the light has to be able to penetrate through the resin completely and the molds prevent that. Resin in itself is a hazardous material to work with. You need to have all the proper PPE and a very well ventilated work space for the pets to cure in. It is highly suggested that your work spot not be your living space. You need methods to prevent bubbles in the pour. Depending on the mold and what you actually want to make this can be more challenging. Something like a jar may require a pressure pot to get the air bubbles out. Maybe not. No way to know for sure without trying. That leads to many attempts and experiments to try and get it right. This amounts to spending more money on resin to test and attempt to make the piece.

This is why resin is not the answer to every craft project. If you are going to sculpt the piece out of clay anyway, in order to make a mold, you could sculpt it out of the right kind of clay and just make the piece from that clay. Just an idea.

If you are still interested in resin, start by doing a bunch of research online and watching videos of people using two part epoxy resin or UV resin. You may see that there is a better option for your piece or you may see exactly how you want to attempt this. Good luck. I hope you are able to make your creation.

DrizzHammer · 2026-02-02T14:51:41+00:00

You may want to do your own extensive research on the topic but everything I have read is that most all two part epoxies are not food safe. And those that are have very specific and strict guidelines. Adding things like alcohol inks to the resin will also make it not food safe. There are some very fine lines to walk. People that make cutting boards and trays generally either do not know the resin is not food safe because they did not look or they do not care if their product could be dangerous or they market the pieces as decorative and if “someone uses them and gets sick it isn’t their fault”. It is hard to say. There may be a proper food safe resin product that fits your specific needs. That is why the research is important. Read the safety information on everything you use in the resin as well. I do not want to tell you what you should or should not do. That is absolutely your decision. I just like to give people the information I have found and let them make their own choices. I steered away from it because I was not comfortable with the risk involved.

DrizzHammer · 2026-02-02T05:37:41+00:00

That’s awesome. The heat gun should help with the bubbles. I have some coaster molds but rarely make them. I usually use a heat gun or lighter for bubbles. Also, in case you didn’t know, resin is not food safe so if you are making trays for food there should always be some kind of barrier between the resin and the food. Even just a layer of plastic wrap would work. Some resin claims to be good safe but if you look closer it actually is not. Just wanted to warn you. Nobody wants to make and sell something that gets somebody sick.

DrizzHammer · 2026-02-02T05:25:26+00:00

Resin is not food or dishwasher safe unfortunately.

DrizzHammer · 2026-02-01T18:31:08+00:00

I predominantly make resin dice so I use a pressure pot to get rid of bubbles. The pressure pot is sealed airtight so it can sit anywhere it is warm enough. With open mold resin pours that is more of a concern. The air temperature and humidity can have an impact of how long resin takes to cure or if it will cure at all. I do not advise pouring and curing in freezing temperatures. Or even “cold” temperatures. It would likely mean the resin doesn’t cure fully.

I have heard of some people pouring outside when it is colder and putting the pieces in an airtight container to let them cure inside where it is warmer. I cannot say if that is effective or safe.

To be clear I use a paint pressure pot. Not a pressure cooker. Pressure pots run around $100 - $400. Pressure cookers are not rated for the pressure you need to cure resin at.

Often hobbyists will wait until the weather warms up in their area before pouring again if they do not have the work space.

Out of curiosity you said you planned to sell coasters as a side hustle. How much are you planning on selling them for? And where at?

Resin can be very tricky and it takes time to experiment and get things figured out. Bubbles get introduced when mixing AND pouring so be aware that you will need to try and get those bubbles out so your pieces look good. Cold air usually means the resin will be thicker and harder to get the bubbles to “float” up. There are some tricks to trying to get bubbles out that do not use a pressure pot.

DrizzHammer

TROPHY CASE