Mixed-Media Jewelry-Making with Resin: Five Things NOT to Do With Resin

re: Mixed-Media Jewelry-Making with Resin: Five Things NOT to Do With Resin

Cjacrba — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 12:26:39 GMT

I just started working with resin as well and am having so much fun with it. The only problems I have encountered is the sanding and polishing. The peices never turn out as nice as alot I see on-line. I do have a question, how can I get some of the smaller peices from the molds to look like they are whole and not a half peices?

re: Mixed-Media Jewelry-Making with Resin: Five Things NOT to Do With Resin

sharferrin — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 22:30:49 GMT

What kind/type/brand of resin do you use?

re: Mixed-Media Jewelry-Making with Resin: Five Things NOT to Do With Resin

jacqueline_morris — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 07:09:54 GMT

I use a lot of resin for adding that beautiful glass-like finish on my polymer clay pieces. I have found the easiest way to pour resin is to mix it one of those little zip lock bags. i use a plastic spoon & add a spoonfull of resin & a spoonfull of hardener to the bag. I then knead the little bag for about 5 minutes, ensuring the resin is thoroughly mixed. Then I snip off a tiny corner of the bag and "pour" This tecnique gives great control over how much you use. You can go drop by drop if you need to and their is hardly any drips or spills!!

re: Mixed-Media Jewelry-Making with Resin: Five Things NOT to Do With Resin

mskillasmile — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 04:23:31 GMT

This is a very worthwhile article. I have a two part resin system that I have been hesitant to experiment with because I've heard horror stories about it, but now I want to try it.

re: Mixed-Media Jewelry-Making with Resin: Five Things NOT to Do With Resin

skaresearch — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 18:03:58 GMT

I discovered resin on the shelves of Michaels and whoohooo! Ran around sticking anything that'd fit in a little mold into resin! Stunk up the whole house, drove my husband to hide in the back of the house and made the guinnea pig VERY nervous.

This is what I learned: stuff in the spice cabinet makes very pretty baubles. Especially red chili flakes. Stuff from the garden? notsomuch. The resin eats the colors and you end up with sad looking off-white or dead-looking things. Put the oven on very low, put your resin trays on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper ('cause I'm not only impatient, I'm CLUMSY) and you can leave your baubles there for a couple hours for drying. But don't touch until they really ARE dry or you have baubles with fingerprints and all those tips for removing flaws don't work nearly as well as the how-to's say they do. Those little lego heads are fun to resin but they do trap air in odd places. Bits of old toys are also fun to resin and sometimes, they even work with their bits sticking OUT of the resin.

re: Mixed-Media Jewelry-Making with Resin: Five Things NOT to Do With Resin

roseytheriveter — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 13:02:07 GMT

Thank you for highlighting your resin failures! I also had to learn the hard way about sealer. I have found you can use just about any glue for sealing, but you HAVE to let it dry really, really well. I also learned in a class that if you wave a lit match above the piece, it pulls out any bubbles. And you need to pour the resin very s-l-o-w-l-y! Its a great medium to work with and wow, I'm having so much fun with it!

re: Mixed-Media Jewelry-Making with Resin: Five Things NOT to Do With Resin

roseytheriveter — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 13:01:59 GMT

re: Mixed-Media Jewelry-Making with Resin: Five Things NOT to Do With Resin

Nuttermom1 — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 12:32:16 GMT

Just a note to help with bubbles - I bought a heat gun at Michaels ($10 with 50% off coupon) and I just lightly blow the heat over the resin pieces after I pour them. This gets rid of bubbles and makes beautifully clear pieces. It also helps start the curing process.

As for sealing - if you use an inkjet printer you definitely need a good sealer. I use PYM II spray and print on cardstock paper. PYM II dries very quickly and seals waterproof. I also try to use a laser printer whenever possible because it tends to look better and soak up less resin.

Resin is awesome!!! There are so many options that the possibilities are endless!

Deanna (Nuttermom)

re: Mixed-Media Jewelry-Making with Resin: Five Things NOT to Do With Resin

Kreations3 — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 12:29:53 GMT

I have tried to use resin once with limited success. I want to make colored backs for beaded glass pieces. Any suggestions what I could use for a mold? I do not want to use a bezel on the back.

Kathi

re: Mixed-Media Jewelry-Making with Resin: Five Things NOT to Do With Resin

lessing — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 11:49:40 GMT

Do you have suppliers / distributors in South Africa

re: Mixed-Media Jewelry-Making with Resin: Five Things NOT to Do With Resin

ChristineM@63 — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 11:05:03 GMT

Was the resin you used a two part mix? You mention working in a warm room, but I wanted to add a note of caution. My daughter had a very unpleasant experience working with two part resin which can be very fumy and quite toxic. Over a period of three weeks or so of intensive working with the resin each evening, she came out in a very red and itchy rash on both arms, face and throat. At first we didn't associate it with the resin, but after stopping work with it and undergoing treatment from the doctor the rash subsided. Then, when she did start using it again, the rash flared up again. She is now working with other types of resin including non mix varieties, with no ill effects.