finishing resin and layup resin.

The layup resin has no wax so the surface stays tacky as long as it's exposed to air, so the next coat of glass, resin, what ever will bond. It will never cure to a hard surface- always stays slightly sticky.

Finishing resin DOES have wax added, which floats to the surface, inhibits the resin from air, and lets it cure hard.

On a few occasions when all I had was layup resin, I did the glass work then brushed on some Mop and Glo floor wax to cover. That let it get hard. Then the wax gets washed off with an ammonia/water wash.