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I want to make several resin casts using a featureless spherical silicon mold. The mold only has a diameter of 6 cm (think paperweight or billiard ball with a tabletop miniature sealed inside), but I'm looking to make 30+ of them. So I'm going to need quite a lot of resin.

Are there any chemicals that are more affordable than the resin itself that I can use to dilute it so that it will go further?

I understand that this would effect things like drying time, but that is not necessarily an issue.

I ask as I often dilute other substances that are typically used undiluted, and it's usually the case that the substances are sold in a format that's most convenient for off-the-shelf use, rather than because it's the only way to use them.

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  • Sealing a miniature in resin without pesky air bubbles clinging to all the nooks and crevices is almost impossible without a vakuum chamber. The proportions might also look off if you seal a standard human sized miniature (3 cm) in a 6 cm ball. More than half of the volume will just be empty space.
    – Elmy
    Aug 29 '21 at 8:55
  • Likely a chemist could dilute it. Many "epoxy" products are actually polyester ; usually they are diluted with styrene before the consumer gets them . Further dilution would deteriorate the cured properties.
    – blacksmith37
    Aug 31 '21 at 21:07
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The miniature sealed inside implies you want clear resin so you can see the miniature (not a secret miniature that someone would take your word is in there). For this requirement, there really isn't a material you can use to dilute the resin.

If the resin could be opaque, you could use a small amount of resin as a binder for a lot of cheap, solid filler. You can add up to a few percent of an appropriate liquid dye for color (the liquid is compatible and has a similar refractive index). But even with that, you can't go over a tiny percentage without affecting the resin, and if the material has a different refractive index, the result will look cloudy or distorted. Solid, clear filler, like clear plastic chips or glass beads or powder, will have a different refractive index and will be visible.

For a clear result, you also have the issue of thorough mixing and no air bubbles. Blending in another material tends to introduce air bubbles unless you have a vacuum chamber.

Unfortunately, resin isn't cheap. It's great stuff, but if you want to make things from it, it comes at a price.

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    I'll add scenery as a filler to save resin. Maybe make backgrounds solid instead rad of hollow
    – Aaargh Zombies
    Sep 1 '21 at 7:15

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