Question about a old resin replica that seems to be eating the paint away.

[Mercury]

Hello all,
I have an issue with one of my replica resin sabers that I believe I know whats causing it but not how to resolve the issue. I traded for a nicely cast and painted Obi padawan saber close to a decade ago, and had displayed and worn it for many years. However a year or so ago, I noticed it had what i initially thought was damage due to a move and storage that I had somehow missed. About 4 months ago I filled, sanded, and airbrushed the damage back to "new" and put it back on the wall. Looking at it today shows the damage coming back. I think the resin is deteriorating or possible some uncured resin from deep inside is leeching out.

Is there something I can do to fix this? I included a picture of the damage. Ignore the dust, as that was the reason I noticed the damage since it was due to be wiped down. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[renaissance_man]

Looks like partially cured resin.
You could try a thin layer of superglue over that area to try and stabilise it, but it's probably going to be more successful to drill out that area and rebuild it with an epoxy putty which would be more stable.

 

[Astyanax]

What about curing it? Maybe put a strong UV light on it for a few minutes and see if that finishes the job?

 

[Too Much Garlic]

If it is cast, it is probably not UV hardening resin.

 

[Funky]

If it’s sticky then I believe you’re correct. I had this happen many times and a fix is very hard to find. It almost seems like every different piece needs a different fix. Heat guns, epoxy, cutting of and rebuilding the offending piece, oven baking…there are so many fixes it’s all trial and error. Good luck and let us know what works for you.

 

[JPH]

Hello all,
I have an issue with one of my replica resin sabers that I believe I know whats causing it but not how to resolve the issue. I traded for a nicely cast and painted Obi padawan saber close to a decade ago, and had displayed and worn it for many years. However a year or so ago, I noticed it had what i initially thought was damage due to a move and storage that I had somehow missed. About 4 months ago I filled, sanded, and airbrushed the damage back to "new" and put it back on the wall. Looking at it today shows the damage coming back. I think the resin is deteriorating or possible some uncured resin from deep inside is leeching out.

Is there something I can do to fix this? I included a picture of the damage. Ignore the dust, as that was the reason I noticed the damage since it was due to be wiped down. Any help would be appreciated.

View attachment 1863551

The best part about your issue is that you can easily cut out the compromised part, and use the rest of the part to cast a fix-it mold.

It is on a circle, cut out the bad part of the circle, and then use another part of the circle to make a mold that you can add resin to, and fix the bad part after you cut it out.

It would be much easier than trying to spot fix every few months when the paint acts up.

 

[Mercury]

If it is cast, it is probably not UV hardening resin.

You're correct, it is cast resin and could be older than 10 years.

If it’s sticky then I believe you’re correct. I had this happen many times and a fix is very hard to find. It almost seems like every different piece needs a different fix. Heat guns, epoxy, cutting of and rebuilding the offending piece, oven baking…there are so many fixes it’s all trial and error. Good luck and let us know what works for you.

it's not really sticky but it does have a dark tint to it. So based on the feedback, I think my best bet is to cut/drill down into that section and remove as much as I can tell might be "infected". Then fill in the cavity and rebuild the circle emitter.

The best part about your issue is that you can easily cut out the compromised part, and use the rest of the part to cast a fix-it mold.

It is on a circle, cut out the bad part of the circle, and then use another part of the circle to make a mold that you can add resin to, and fix the bad part after you cut it out.

It would be much easier than trying to spot fix every few months when the paint acts up.

I'm considering using a filler epoxy and just rebuild the surface with styrene sheet. It's flat and circular so should be pretty straight forward. I'll find out how deep the issue goes then go from there. I haven't used what resin I have left for a really long time so I'm not sure its still any good..

Thanks everyone for the advice. I'll follow up after I get this resolved.
Thanks again