Hi Jackson,
Even if the clear resin is very affordable, you will still need to invest on a pressure pot ($99) for a bubble free cast. I don't have a pressure pot but my clear resin turned out okay but with quite a few bubbles but after spraying it with 4-5 coats of clear dull coat, it's not as noticeable and it turned out like frosted glass. I'm afraid that with the hot glue method, you will get quite a bit bubbles in it as well but I don't know what dull coating will do to the glue.
BTW,
Did you receive your packet yet?
Hope this helps!
-Gene