The UVC powder is meant to be mixed with the resin and stored in an opaque container. Once mixed you can still use hardener if you are doing something like fin boxes, tints etc. If its the same as what's available from Surf Sorce its 11 cc of powder to 1 gallon of resin. The shelf life of the UV resin doesn't seem to be any different than that of the plain resin as long as its in an appropriate container