How to Make Resin Shiny After Sanding? 3 Easy Methods!

After working on resin you are always left with a matte finish on the surface. Never will you get a glossy or clear finish on the resin.

So that makes you question, how to make resin shiny after sanding?

Fortunately, the process of making resin shiny after sanding is pretty simple. One easy way to make it shiny is by using a buffing wheel or polishing tool. Use these tools to polish a large piece of resin. Polishing small pieces of resin will require different tools.

Now we may have oversimplified it a little. But fret not! We have the detailed version right here in this article. We’ll help you become a resin shining expert in no time.

Necessary Preparations

Before you can polish your resin, you will need to do some prepping. This includes gathering supplies, getting a polishing compound, and more. So let’s start!

Supplies Needed

Using a Dremel is a great idea for small and complicated projects. Because controlling where and what you’re polishing is pretty easy with Dremel.

On the other hand, bigger projects will take forever to polish if you use a Dremel. So it is best to use buffing machines for larger resin projects. 

Now we need to gather the needed supplies before we get to polishing the resin. The supplies you need are:

• Sandpaper 
• Polishing compound for epoxy resin
• Microfiber cloth or a towel
• Power Drill
• Buffing wheel or polishing tool

Choosing The Polishing Compound

There are multiple different kinds of polishing compounds available in the market. These different compounds cater to different needs.  Because each has different raw materials, different fineness of polishing grain, and is utilized differently in some instances. 

Incredible Solutions Polishing

Incredible Solutions Polishing is highly recommended by us. The compound is made specifically to use with epoxy resin. It is a bit pricey but it is a really good choice.

The Incredible Solutions Polishing is good for removing small surface scratches. But it is also excellent for the final step of sanding and polishing resin projects.  And the compound can be used as frequently as needed.

The company has a lot of expertise with epoxy resin as well. Combining the compound with the right cleaning material to get amazing results.

TOPFINISH 2

Topfinish 2 is a fine polishing compound. It is especially designed for hard plastics like resin.  It is especially recommended for use with all GlassCast resins. 

Topfinish 2 is ideal for finishing jewelry, table-tops, counters, river tables, and much more. It gives an amazing mirror gloss finish.

Topfinish 2 has fine nano-particle formulation as well. So it can be used to achieve even glossier polish on epoxy resin surfaces. Or the compound can even be used on scratched surfaces to restore the glossy surface.

Homemade Alternative Polishing Compounds

If for whatever reason you cannot get your hands on a marketed polishing compound, you can just make one in your house.

However, homemade alternatives are not the best solution. But it will get the job done.

All you need is toothpaste. Put the toothpaste on the sponge pad of your polishing machine. But be careful about not applying too much pressure. It may burn the resin.

Once all the toothpaste on the sponge pad has been used up, reapply it. Then finally spritz it with water.

Surprisingly, even car wax products can be used. Turtle Wax Polishing Compound is an example. It is efficient at eliminating scratches from resin.

Before You Begin…

Before you begin polishing, you have to make sure that the resin you are working with has a clean and smooth surface. You can use sandpaper for this. To get deeper the scratches on the surface, use sandpaper with a lower grit.

So start with a lower grit when you’re trying to get rid of a bug or smooth out a rough surface.. And then you have to gradually work your way up. 

On the other hand, for surfaces that are reasonably smooth and devoid of flaws, start with higher grit sandpaper. This is because the surface requires less effort.

Polishing The Resin

As we already mentioned, the only way to get that glossy shine on the resin is to polish it. Now let’s see different methods of polishing.

Using a Dremel

Dremel is best for polishing small or complicated resin projects. The best process of using a Dremel is: 

Step 1: Prepare The Dremel

To begin, mount the flannel polishing attachment onto the drilling bit of the Dremel.

Now, to set up the fibers of the polishing attachment. Hold the rotating polishing disc against a square-shaped object.

Step 2: Apply the Compound

Now, you have to put some polishing compound on the polishing wheel. We have already discussed polishing compounds.

Incredible Solutions Polishing or TOPFINISH 2 are our choices for polishing compounds. You can use toothpaste or car wax too if needed.

Step 3: Polishing

Carefully hold the resin project you want to polish against the Dremel wheel. Now polish the resin with even movements. You have to continue polishing until you have achieved your desired degree of shine.

If needed, the process can be repeated with the extra fine flannel attachment. 

Using Buffing Machine

The buffing machine is ideal for larger resin projects as it covers a bigger surface area. To use the buffing machine you have to:

Step 1: Preparing The Buff Machine

Start by procuring a power drill or motor. Then attach the buffing wheel or polishing tool to it. Make sure you have enough space to maneuver the buffing wheel properly.

Step 2: Applying The Compound

Now,  apply the polishing compound to the entire surface of the resin project. Incredible Solutions Polishing, TOPFINISH 2, or any other polishing compound will do.

Step 3: Polishing

Next, you have to use the buffing wheel to polish the resin. Attaching the buffing wheel to a power drill will make the process easier

Be sure to apply the compound as evenly as possible. Continue until the resin is smooth and shiny.

Finally, you have to rub the surface using a towel or microfiber cloth to get the desired shiny finish.

By Hand

If you are someone that does not have the big tools, you can trust your hand to do the job.

First, get some cotton or linen cloth and apply some toothpaste. Then moisten it up a little with water.

Now you must rub the cloth slowly with circular movements. Apply a little pressure over the resin. It will take some time for the resin surface to have your desired shine.

You can simply wrap the wooden block using a cloth, in order to work on edges or straight surfaces.

FAQs

Conclusion

And with that now we know how to make resin shiny after sanding. Polishing the resin is the key to bringing out that perfect shine.

Surprisingly, polishing the resin is not even that difficult. You can use fancy tools to make the work easier, or you can just use your hand and some toothpaste. The choice is yours.

Until next time!