Although some brands of resin claim they don’t yellow, it’s a well-known hazard. Following is my test of what happens when sample tiles of eleven brands are left on a sunny windowsill with their top halves protected.
The photo above is before the yellowing test began. The cured EnviroTex Lite and EnviroTex had already begun to yellow over a period of 19 months in a covered cardboard box in my windowless basement.
The brands used were:
- Alumilite Amazing Clear Cast
- Art Resin
- Cernit Kit Finish Glass
- Chinese resin from Amazon (brand unknown) – UV
- Pandora Deep Shine – UV
- EnviroTex Jewelry Resin
- EnviroTex Lite Pour-On High Gloss Finish
- Ice Resin Jeweler’s Grade
- Little Windows
- Lisa Pavelka’s Magic Glos – UV
- Resin Obsession
- UltraDome UV Epoxy – UV
There are four UV resins. The rest are two-part, epoxy resins. The resin caused my handwriting to melt on some of the tiles.
I covered the top halves of the tiles with double-faced foam tape. This really stuck to some of the resins and made quite a mess, so I’ll try aluminum foil next.
I’ll keep a close eye on this test and shoot photos fairly frequently.
Sun exposure begins
The above photo was after only four hours in full sun. I put the tiles in order of visible change with the worst in the top left.
The Chinese resin was thick and sticky when I used it and wouldn’t self-level. Apparently, I got a bad bottle. When I removed the foam tape, it came off of the polymer like a piece of cellophane, but I’ll include it anyway.
I removed the leftover adhesive which was making a dirty horizontal line in the center of the tiles. The bright yellow of Cernit Kit and Ice Resin has faded a bit, maybe bleached out by the sun? Amazing Clear now looks clear again. I can see a very slight difference in Magic Glos, Deep Shine and UltraDome.
The yellow in EnviroTex Lite seems the same. The yellow is fading in EnviroTex Jewelry, Cernit Kit and especially Ice Resin. The very slight color change in Magic Glos, Deep Shine and UltraDome remains. Amazing Clear, Resin Obesession, Little Windows, Art Resin and the Chinese Resin are clear.
I moved Resin Obsession to the top row because it seems to be turning yellow overall, maybe from heat, rather than UV rays. Cernit Art, Magic Glos and UltraDome all seem to have the same slight yellowness on the bottom half. The bottom row seems pretty clear.
Resin Obsession is getting more yellow overall. Little Windows might be turning color a bit overall. The bottom halves of Magic Glos and UltraDome seem slightly more yellow.
Little Windows has started to yellow overall. Magic Glos and UltraDome seem a little more yellow on their bottom halves.
The most noticeable difference is Little Windows which yellowed more. The rest look about the same.
Little Windows is now more yellow than Resin Obsession. Magic Glos has yellowed a bit more.
Not much change, except Magic Glos looks darker yellow than EnviroTex now.
The yellow of EnviroTex Lite and Little Windows seems more intense.
Little Windows, Magic Glos and UltraDome seem a little more yellow.
UltraDome might have yellowed slightly more.
I can’t see any difference after another 50 hours in the sun.
The yellow in Envirotex seems to be fading. The rest appear the same.
I can’t see any difference. I wonder if they’ve stabilized.
Not much difference since the last photo. Amazing Clear Cast might have gained a tiny, little bit of color. Little Windows seems lighter.
It’s been 8 months since I last posted a photo. A few resins have gotten darker. None have improved by the sun bleaching them. Art Resin is still looking really good. It’s now the brand I choose when I use resin.
Yet another extremely informative experiment! Thank you so much!
I was about to buy some Magic Glos to cover some round beads, as it’s heralded as “non-yellowing”; but as your experiment shows, that isn’t quite the case!
I cannot thank you enough for sharing your findings. Not many people consider the long term deteriorations of our supplies.
LikeLike
I think every resin manufacturer says their resin doesn’t yellow or resists yellowing. I wanted to see for myself. More time needs to pass before we really know.
LikeLike
It looks like the Chinese Resin you used held up to the test pretty well. Was it also the lease expensive? Did you purchase from Ali Express?
LikeLike
The Chinese resin hasn’t yellowed so far, but the bottle I got was really thick and wouldn’t self-level. Then it came off of the polymer after curing like a piece of cellophane and a piece of it cracked off. I don’t know if it was the cheapest, but it was definitely cheap. People have said they really like it and that I got an old bottle. I got it through Amazon. The Chinese vendor had the worst customer service and wouldn’t give me a full refund, so I had to get an Amazon A-Z refund. Buyer beware. You usually get what you pay for.
LikeLike
Such a great comparison! I used some of these in the past. These days I use Countertop Epoxy products or their lesser known epoxy for artists, Faux Rizzle. I like that they are UV resistant but also FDA compliant and very resistant to heat. It seems like all epoxies have a downside depending on your intended use. My biggest issue was volume of purchase versus shelf life … so now I make sure I use it all by pouring toothpick holders or salt & pepper shakers 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks, Christy!
LikeLike
Thanks for this. In summary, would you suggest Amazing Clear was the best? It looks to be the least yellow and didn’t seem to smudge the writing.
LikeLike
Yes, I would. If I had to use resin today, I’d use Amazing Clear Cast. It still hasn’t changed color in the least.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for this! Would you recommend Amazing Clear as best overall? It looks like it not only didn’t yellow, it seems it didn’t smudge the writing.
LikeLike
Yes, I would.
LikeLike
This is an amazingly informative post! Thank you for the time you put into this. For the Chinese UV resin is it the one in the black bottles with a blue/green/yellow label that has plants on it?
LikeLike
Yes, exactly.
LikeLike
This is an amazingly informative post! Thank you for the time you put into this. For the Chinese UV resin is it the one in the black bottles with a blue/green/yellow label that has plants on it?
LikeLike
Yes.
LikeLike
Thank you somuch for doing this test. I learbed a lot, in my opinion it looks like the Art resin might be best. Didn’t smug the writing much, looks self leveling, and is still very clear. Is it still holding up? And how was it to work with?
LikeLike
I like Art Resin. It’s still holding up and is easy to work with.
LikeLike
Very useful research, thanks for sharing.
LikeLike
Hi Phyllis! Thanks so much for conducting this experiment! I know the others have asked about which one you think would be the best considering how they’ve held up against the UV rays, but it looks like the Alumilite Amazing Clear Cast yellowed a tiny bit while the Art Resin was one of the clearest. What do you think of the Pandora Deep Shine?
Would you mind posting the links for these resins, please?
LikeLike
Thanks, Jessie. If I had to choose one, it would be Art Resin. Amazing Clear Cast is also very good.
Pandora Deep Shine didn’t yellow. Many people like it and there is an advantage to the quick cure of a UV resin. I had a hard time getting a smooth finish with it. There are specific directions to follow and a brush is included, though be sure to clean the brush of all lint before using it.
There are several places to buy the resins, so I’d rather not endorse specific vendors. A google search will do the trick.
LikeLike
Thanks again, Phyllis!
LikeLike
Would like to add my thanks for doing this it’s very helpful for choosing a resin to work with.
LikeLike
You’re welcome! Thanks for writing!
LikeLike
This is so great. thank you. so it has been over a year since your test. art resin still unyellowed? is this urban art resin?
LikeLike
Yes, I’ve left my test in the window and just looked at it and Art Resin is still unyellowed. It’s this Art Resin: https://www.artresin.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjwqpP2BRBTEiwAfpiD-yImCtwCtLvx31wAzO0LVTPUKCJOAy3yWWnhcXdppTTcNVrlU0UQ9RoC070QAvD_BwE
LikeLike
are the samples resin/epoxy tinted white only or do they have a clear coat over top ? just wondering how you did the samples
LikeLike
I’m not totally sure I understand your question. The resin is clear. There’s no white tinting or clear coat.
LikeLike
sorry. I read your post over a few times. i see now. it is clear over tile. i understand. sport for the confusion. thank you again.
LikeLike
which UV resin would you recommend?
LikeLike
Although it does yellow, I like Ultradome.
LikeLike
Thank you
LikeLike
Where do you buy it? I can’t seem to find it.
LikeLike
http://ultradome.com
LikeLike
Thank you
LikeLike
I was going to try KS Resin, but kept reading about the bubble problem. The resin I have been using yellows within days but it was all I could find locally (Famowood Glaze Coat at Home Depot, nice to work with without odor). I will use it only for deeply colored artwork now. I will now try ArtResin since it looks stable.
Thanks for this experiment. It saves all of us!
LikeLike
You’re welcome! Thanks for writing.
LikeLike
Great information! Thank you !
LikeLike
You’re welcome, Leonie!
LikeLike
hello Phyllis, was wondering, ArtResin only seems to work with a frame encasing it if not it is quite fragile, would you agree to that? as im in a dilemma what resin to use, would want to make a keepsake of my dog’s fur(she just passed on) as a charm to wear as a bracelet, love the idea that ArtResin does yellow over time but worry about the fragility of it as the charm would be barrel shape like the ones selling in Pandora as such there would be no frame supporting it. Your advise would help. 😉
LikeLike
I haven’t used resin in that way and haven’t heard that Art Resin was fragile. In general, resin is tough as nails. You might contact Art Resin and ask them.
LikeLike
Hello from
Germany, thank you so much for sharing !
Im searching for a perfect Uv resin (no yellowing).
Can you tell me s. th. about deep shine and did you hear about just resin ? (Black bottle tube)
Thank you
Iris
LikeLike
Thanks, Iris!
Deep Shine is sold by Pandora. https://tinypandora.com/products/deepshine-refill-kit.
I haven’t heard about Just Resin. There are so many brands, I had to pick and choose the most popular. It’s easy enough to test it yourself by doing what I did.
LikeLike
All epoxy resin is cured with amines that turn yellow. Even the best clear Cycloaliphatic amine turn yellow under the sun light. I found the MSDS of the resin and they use standard epoxy resin that is very well know turn yellow so I think they add some UV stabilizers. But from my point of view the best should the the single component UV cured epoxy resin. If you put all this resin under the Queensland summer sunlight will turn yellow in a couples of weeks. I made a formulation with the best raw materials on the market with an excellent results
LikeLike
I thought they’d all yellow, too, because that’s what I’ve heard. I don’t know why, but my test shows that’s not true. The resins now have had 22 months in the window. Colorado is dry and gets a lot of sun, plus I’m at 8500 ft. altitude, which makes it more intense. If you do a similar test, please let me know when you publish the results.
LikeLike
Thank you 🙂
LikeLike
Can you please send me the link to this formation that you made? And we UV resin you would recommend for not yellowing?
LikeLike
Hi, Anna, I’m not sure what you mean by formation. The UV resins that didn’t yellow were Deep Shine by Pandora and the Chinese resin.
LikeLike
have you tried Limino Uv Resin…. people say its yellowing resistant
LikeLike
I have not tried Limino UV resin. If you test it, please let me know whether it yellows or not.
LikeLike
UV cured resin us better than amine cured resin for yellow resistant. Even the best cycloaliphatic amine turn yellow. Another yellowing component is the diluent ( benzyl alcohol )
LikeLike
Do you think that you would have the same results without the sunlight? I just bought two bottles of Ultradome for making jewelry in molds and I am wondering how it would age without yellowing if avoiding sunlight.
LikeLike
Avoiding sunlight would help. I’ve been unpleasantly surprised to see that different brands of liquid resin in translucent bottles can turn yellow just sitting unused on the shelf. Ultradome comes in an opaque bottle, so that should help.
LikeLike
Phyllis, thank you for taking a the time and effort to do these tests!! I frequently end up testing things with polymer clay because something didn’t work the way the demo/tutorial did so I can appreciate the time and effort you put into it. I am very grateful for you sharing this with us!!!
LikeLike
Thanks, Nellie!
LikeLike
Thank you for this very wonderful research. I have been using Alumilite Clear Cast for awhile creating large art panels (triptych 48″ x 80″) as interior wall decor. I have been considering making some specifically for outdoor applications. I believe I will try the Art Resin brand as it seems to yellow the least. Pretty excited to try this on. Thanks again.
LikeLike
Thanks for your note! Good luck!
LikeLike
Thank you Phyllis for all your hard work. I have two bottles of Deep Shine and wanted to use them the other day. Both bottles have turned yellow, in the bottle, (white opaque plastic). Do you think they are just too old? I am surprised this happened since they do not seem to turn yellow when cured.
LikeLike
what about Crystal Clear 200 line? it is urethane but it seems suitable for casting and outdoor use
LikeLike
There are so many different resins, I had to limit my testing to the most popular.
LikeLike
Phyllis, thank you so much for your patience in testing these. You are helping many people out with your discoveries. May I ask, today is June 25th 2021…..is the Art Resin still the winner? Has the Art Resin yellowed at all? I think you began in January 2019 so if my math is correct Thats 2.5 years now in direct sunlight. Very curious and would love to see another picture to compare. Thank you again, God bless.
LikeLike
I stopped the test in January 2021. Two years seemed like long enough since most of the yellowing happened shortly after I put them in the sun and not much changed since then. At two years the resin looked just like the last photo I posted with Art Resin still the winner.
LikeLike
if I put cured resin in a cool box for a year then put it in the sun can it still yellow
LikeLike
I haven’t tried that, but I think yes, it would still yellow. Please let me know what happens.
LikeLike
Thank you so much for this comprehensive test. After trying some different brands, I decided to use Art Resin and I’m really happy with the results as well. Keep up the good work.
LikeLike
Thanks! Best wishes with Art Resin.
LikeLike
Thank You Thank You THANK YOU for this. You rock.
LikeLike