General Info
on polyester
resin
Get these:
-- a respirator
like this one. The 3M
half face respirator is available at Home Depot and many hardware stores, you can
get the mask with cartridges for around $30. If you already have the 3M
mask, Ballard Hardware has
the cartridges for $8, a great deal. There are other brands that will work
fine, just make sure you get organic vapor
cartridges for them.
-- go to www.fiberlay.com. On the top of the page click "How To's", and download and print out "Fiberglass-Epoxy Basic Training" . Though it may seem confusing, read the section on Polyester Resin (through page 10), and bring it to the class. By the end of the weekend you'll know what they're talking about.
-- goggles if you wish, the resin fumes can be irritating to some folks eyes.
-- any powdered pigments you may wish to use. Some oil paints work as pigments, so feel free to bring those as well.
Resources
Fiberlay has almost any resin supply you might need, and also some great instructional material on their web site. "Fiberglass-Epoxy Basic Training" in their "How To's" section is a necessity. Located on East Marginal Way just south of where the viaduct rises.
TAP Plastics has Eastside and south Lake Union locations. I haven't used many of their products, but they have it all and I'm sure they're just fine. They have a nice selection of smallish plastic molds, and plexiglass cutoffs for substrate.
foam brushes http://www.beacongraphics.com/foam-brush.html
chip brushes http://www.bigrocksupply.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=3_4_5
transparent dyes TAP Plastics
pigments Fiberlay and TAP Plastics
plexiglas TAP, or Clear Cut Plastics has sheets or scrap in odd sizes, very inexpensive.
backing paper from self adhesive signs, great for free form work, check your local sign maker
Artists using resin
Tom DeGroot, Alan Fulle (epoxy), Shea Bajaj, all at William Traver Gallery
Joni West works with epoxy, but the same ideas apply to resin too. She even has a TAP Plastics page featuring her work here.