What is Silica Gel?

What is Silica Gel and How is it Used in the Resin Industry?

Have you ever wondered how artists are preserving flowers in resin projects?  Whether it’s wildflowers, wedding bouquets, or delicate roses, Flower Drying Crystals – or more specifically, Silica Gel —is an essential tool for ensuring your flowers are perfectly dried and ready for embedding in epoxy resin or other creative projects. In this blog post, we’ll explore what silica gel is, how it works, and why it’s so widely used in the resin art world.

What is Silica Gel?
Silica gel is a granular, porous form of silicon dioxide (SiO₂), known for its incredible moisture-absorbing properties. It’s commonly used as a desiccant (a drying agent) in packaging to keep items like electronics, shoes, and food products dry. (Just like those little packets of balls in a new pair of shoes). The main difference is, we primarily use a silica that is fine like sand for the best results.

When it comes to the resin industry, silica gel—often marketed as Flower Drying Crystals—takes on a whole new purpose: preserving flowers and other natural materials for embedding in resin. Unlike air drying, which can cause flowers to lose their vibrant colour and crispness, silica gel gently removes moisture from flowers while retaining their natural beauty, making it the preferred choice for artists who want to incorporate dried flowers into their resin creations.

Now you may ask, why use Silica Gel for drying flowers? Drying flowers with silica gel has several advantages over traditional air drying or pressing methods:

1.Preserves Vibrant Colours: Silica gel helps maintain the natural colour of flower petals, ensuring they look fresh and beautiful even after drying. This is especially important when embedding flowers in resin, as the resin can magnify their colour and details.
2.Thorough Drying: Silica gel ensures that flowers are completely dry before use, which is crucial for embedding them in resin. Any leftover moisture can lead to imperfections or curing issues, such as bubbling or smoking in your resin projects.
3.Reusable and Cost-Effective: Our Flower Drying Crystals are 100% reusable, making them an economical and sustainable choice for crafters.
4.Versatility: Silica gel isn’t just for flowers! It can also be used to dry leaves, small pieces of nature, and even insects—perfect for creative embedding projects.

Want to learn how to use silica gel? Using silica gel to dry flowers is a straightforward process that ensures your blooms are ready to be preserved in resin. We’ve done another blog post on how to dry flowers using silica gel. To read more, visit our blog here: https://www.uresin.com.au/blog/how-to-dry-flowers/

Each floral is going to require a different amount of drying time when in silica gel. As a general guide, here is what we recommend:
•Small flowers: 3-5 days
•Larger flowers: 7+ days
•Thick stemmed flowers: 7+ days

Reusing Silica Gel:
One of the best things about silica gel is that they’re completely reusable! Over time and the more you use the silica, the orange indicator beads in the silica gel will turn a blue/green colour. This is signalling that the crystals can no longer absorb moisture, as they are already full of moisture. To restore them:

1.Spread the crystals on a baking tray.
2.Heat them in the oven at 110°C for 2-3 hours, or until the beads turn orange again.
3.Allow the crystals to cool, then store them in an airtight container for future use.

Note: Always wear a mask when handling silica gel beads to avoid inhaling fine particles.

What Resin to Use for Embedding Flowers?
Once your flowers are dried and sealed, they’re ready to be embedded in resin. Choosing the right resin is crucial for achieving the best results. Here is a general breakdown on which resin system we recommend for floral preservation. We go into more detail in our recent blog post, that you can read here: https://www.uresin.com.au/blog/how-to-preserve-flowers-in-resin/

U RESIN Liquid Glass – This resin is perfect for coating dried flowers or creating coasters with pressed flowers. Its high-gloss finish enhances the natural beauty of the flowers, making them look vibrant and polished.

U RESIN Cast – For moulded projects, such as coasters, keychains, paperweights, or bookmarks. U RESIN Cast is an excellent choice for its clarity as it ensures the flowers remain the focal point.

U RESIN OceanCast – If you’re working on larger-scale projects, like embedding flowers in deep moulds (e.g., spheres, blocks, or large paperweights), OceanCast is your best option. This deep-pour resin is designed for thick, clear pours and offers excellent bubble dispersion. It has a slow curing time (7-14 days for a full cure), which minimises heat and ensures a flawless finish.

Why Choose U RESIN for Your Flower Projects?

At U RESIN, we’re passionate about providing high-quality resin systems that empower creators to bring their visions to life. Our resins are specially formulated for clarity, durability, and ease of use, making them perfect for embedding projects. Whether you’re preserving wedding flowers, creating unique gifts, or crafting decorative art pieces, combining Flower Drying Crystals with U RESIN products ensures stunning, professional results every time. Ready to preserve your flowers and create beautiful resin art? Shop our Silica Gel range and resin systems today and start your next project with confidence! Happy creating!✨