Spotlight Saturday: Modify your Resin

When it comes to using resin, you have more options than you realize. You can use beads inside of resin or put resin into a mold. But did you know that you can add pearlizing powder, dyes and even glitter? I know for some of you I just said the magic word: glitter! But it's true, and you can get some really great effects by adding different elements.

Featured Video: How to Use Pearlizing Powder in Resin

I love this video because it walks you all the way through your resin project. This is a wonderful technique to learn. We have so many bezel settings for you to fill with resin, and you will notice that in the video, there is a good amount of resin left over so you should be prepared with lots of bezels to fill. That way you can make several pieces all at once!

Featured Project: Pink Sugar Bracelet

I just love this bracelet because it really does remind me of sugary sweet candy. By watching the video above you will learn how to do this project. It's a great introduction to using different elements to modify your resin. For a nice perk, when you purchase this whole kit you will end up with extra resin and powder to use in future projects.

Featured Product: Resin Pearlizing Powder

While it may seem that you need a lot of items to complete your resin project, once you get the hang of it, you will want to do a lot of experimenting, so you will need all those supplies. You may even want to purchase more variations to use in resin. Try using the powder with different colors or even no dye at all for a simple pearl look. Think about using red or amber for any Fall projects you may want to complete. This jar of powder will last you through many resin projects, as will the dyes. So get all your resin supplies, watch our tutorial videos and get started!

Good luck and have fun!

Quick Tip Tuesday: Measuring Resin for Molds

Our Quick Tip Tuesday comes from our wonderful customer service representative (and resin expert) Jason:

"When trying to figure out how much resin you need to mix to fill a mold, first fill the mold with salt and then pour that salt into a measuring cup - this will then tell you how much resin you will need.  I like to mix just a little bit more resin then what the measuring cup says to be on the safe side."

Don't forget to clean your mold after doing this trick!

Quick Tip Tuesday: Vibrating Bubbles out of Resin

Whenever I hear a good tip relating to resin, I definitely like to pass it along. Fig, who works as one of our awesome customer service reps, excels at many forms of jewelry design but is especially fond of resin. Recently he told me a great tip for getting the bubbles out of a 2-part resin pour: 

If you apply a gentle vibration to the side or bottom of a filled resin bezel or mold, it will cause the lower bubbles to rise to the surface where they will either pop on their own or can easily be popped with a pin. Who knew! For the vibrator, we have used cell phones, massage mats, and even electric tooth brushes. Just make sure that you protect (with plastic) whatever object you are using to cause the vibration and make sure that it is gentle enough that it does not cause the resin to spill over the edge of the setting. Vibrate for 5 minutes.  

Happy Resin Making!
Julie

Learning Through Practice: High Temperatures and Resin

A note from Julie:

Well, I had a bad resin pour this past weekend, ugh! This was incredibly frustrating but I wanted to share my story in hopes that it will help others avoid the same mistake. Here is what happened:

I was making a series of 20 compacts with my husband's art work on top of the lids. I had cut, glued, and sealed the images in place (just as I always do). I had purchased a brand new batch of resin specifically for this pour. I mixed up 1 oz of resin in a small measuring cup, making sure that I used exactly equal amounts of part A and part B. I waited 5 minutes to let some of the bubbles rise to the top and pop on their own. So far, so good. Next, I went to pour.....and......my resin was already starting to set!!! It was slightly sticky and when I spread it onto the top of the compact, it was no longer fluid and self-leveling. I used up the entire cup on about 8 compacts before I realized how bad they looked. The centers were fine but the edges were lumpy and uneven.

My problem: it was too hot in my house. Resin works best in temperatures around 75 degrees. However, it was around 90 degrees this weekend in Pasadena and inside my house was even warmer then that. It had been a hot day and I had been gone so the house was closed up and hot. I should have known better but I honestly did not even think about it. 

My fix: this morning around 7am when it was still cool (for summer that is), I mixed up another 1 oz batch of resin and poured it on top of my "bad" layer. This time the resin behaved as it should and evenly spread out to the edges. It filled in the gaps and unevenness that was left from the last pour and my compacts look great.

Tip: Even though I was making 20 compacts, I still only mixed up 1 oz of resin at a time. This way I was able to catch something like this before it caused too much damage. I never mix more then 1oz at a time, no matter how many pieces I am making.

With summer getting into full swing across the country, I hope this tip comes in handy.

- Julie Bean

Beading Table Wednesday: 6/20/12

Julie and Megan's Table 

Happy Summer Everyone! Megan and I have a shared table this week which is full of resin experiments. On the table you can see a bangle mold that has real flowers embedded into the resin, a fully cured resin piece that I drilled a hole in so that I could place a head pin through it, and multiple experiments embedding objects and trying to see if we can make a complete symmetrical sphere. Some of the experiments are coming out great, some not, but we are having a blast trying!

Mastering 2-Part Resin - Tips and Advice

Dancing Dragonflies Pendant

Over the last year I have happily earned the title of "resin expert" here at Beadaholique. When there is a question about how to use this versatile product, it ends up with me. I also receive a lot of questions describing challenges people are having with their resin pours. With so many wanting to learn and master this technique, I thought I would put together this little blog with hard-earned tips and advice.

Dreams in Flight Necklace

First off, do NOT expect your first pour to be great. If it is, that is wonderful, but expect there to be a little glitch here or there. Was the first wrapped wire loop you ever made perfect? How about the first time you tried bead weaving? All these disciplines took time, patience, and practice to master - resin is no different. It took me at least 6 pours before I was truly happy with my resin results. Hopefully with the information in this blog, it won't take you as many, but think of your mistakes as learning experiences and allow yourself some slack. TIP: For your first pour, choose an inexpensive bezel or bottle cap to pour into, even a mold would be a good option. Do not use sterling silver or spend a lot of time making a gorgeous piece. Think of this first pour strictly as practice.  

Work Area:
Before pouring resin, set up a pouring station. It should be an area that is relatively dust free with a flat plastic covered surface, where the cat can not jump onto, and the temperature of the room should be around 78 degrees (you must keep it around this temperature for at least 12 hours after the pour). Pouring in a cold environment can create a cloudiness to your finished piece and the bubbles will be more difficult to remove. High humidity can also affect the curing. I actually try to avoid pouring when it's raining out if possible, just to be on the safe side. TIP: pour your pieces on a piece of card board cut out of a box you were going to throw away. This way if any spills over, you can just discard the board. It also gives you the ability to move your resin (not recommended) if you absolutely must. Also have on hand some type of lid or platform to cover your resin once you have poured it. This prevents dust from settling on it.  

Prepping Your Pieces:
If you are using a collage image set down into a bezel setting, you must first prep your piece before pouring. To do this, it is important that you glue the image to the bezel. A "white" glue is recommended for this. Do not use E6000, it is too thick and will most likely seep through your image. After the glue is dry, paint 3 coats of sealant ontop of the image, letting each layer dry thoroughly before applying the next. I repeat - 3 LAYERS! Trust me on this one, it is tempting to skip the third coat, but doing so can and most likely will result in a bit of the resin seeping into the paper at random places and causing a spotted blotchiness to your artwork. I prefer Nunn Sealant for this application if you are using images you printed yourself. Let all these layers completely dry before pouring your resin. If you are using molds, make sure to use a mold release spray, this will help you pieces come out more easily. TIP: Print on a 100# white card stock if you are making your own images. A laser is best, but ink jet printers work fine too.  

The Mixing:
Resin hardens because a chemical reaction takes place between part A and part B. If you do not mix exactly equal amounts, this chemical reaction can not occur properly and your resin will end up either not curing at all, being squishy and flexible, or hard but not solid. That is why the number 1 thing to remember with resin is to measure carefully. Also make sure that you have not stored your resin in a cold place. If you have, place your sealed resin in a warm bowl of water for 20 minutes to bring it up to room temperature. After you have measured exactly, stir your resin for 2 full minutes until all striations are gone. If you whip your resin, more of those pesky little bubbles will appear - so give it a good stir and scrape the sides of the container, but do not be over zealous. Never mix less then 1/2 ounce, it needs this much for the chemical reaction to take place. TIP: After mixing, let your resin sit for 5 minutes before pouring. This allows a good deal of the bubbles to rise to the surface and pop on their own.  

Dyes and Pigments:
Remember that there is a chemical reaction that needs to occur for your resin to set up properly. Any liquid you add to the mixture will affect this. A couple drops of dye or pigment per ounce of resin will not affect the curing process, however, an abundance of color will off-balance the mixture and cause the resin to not cure properly. Glitters and other dry substances are fine to add in quantity.  

The Pouring:
If you have a large area you are covering, by all means pour directly from your mixing cup. However, if you are making pendants or smaller items, then use your popsicle stick as an applicator to transfer your resin to the bezel or mold. Just grab some on the tip of the stick and then let it drip from there into the bezel. Also use that stick to push the resin to the edges versus trying to directly pour near an edge where you run the risk of spilling over the side. TIP: You have approximately 30 - 45 minutes of work time, go slowly and be patient.

Learn To Soar Necklace

Air Bubbles:
There always seem to be air bubbles in resin. With all the pours I have done, I have never not had to deal with air bubbles. That said, I am happy to report that only rarely does one slip by me and end up in the cured finished piece. I prefer to use a micro torch or a bbq lighter to remove my bubbles. Do not get the flame too close as it can burn the piece. In a pinch, I have used a lighter. For molds which you can not apply flame to, you can try breathing your hot breath over the top surface, this does actually remove some bubbles. Vibration also works to bring the bubbles to the surface where they can easily be popped with a pin.  

Chocolate Hearts Magnet Set

Curing:
You can actually start to work with your piece after 24 hours, but allow 3 days for it to fully cure.  

Things to keep in mind:

• Most resins have a shelf life of about 12 months. It will turn bad after awhile so only get as much as you will use in this time frame. Resin which has turned will appear much more yellow in its unmixed state and the resulting pieces will usually be flexible or maintain that yellowed look. 
• You can not reuse your mixing cup
• You can not store mixed resin for a later use
• You can sand, file, and drill resin 

I hope these tips help you along your creative journey! 

Happy Resin Making,
Julie

Glitter and Resin!

Hello Friends!

Last week Andrea and I had a joint beading table filled with a confection of colored and glitter-infused resin curing in molds. Well........ we popped our resin out of the molds!

The results were just too exciting not to share. We made red glitter hearts and gold stars which will become refrigerator magnets. Multi-colored butterflies will soon be attached to bobby pins and adorn the hair. The really large (and really cool) butterflies are screaming to be hung in a window. The plethora of rounds, ovals, rectangles, and diamond shapes will be made into rings and necklaces.

As we were working, Sarah made a very astute comment: "when you think you have enough glitter, add more". This proved to be the key for making the really intense focal points we were desiring. Some of the molds we poured earlier with less glitter now look dull by comparison. Another discovery was that a thin, clear layer of resin placed in the mold first (and allowed to fully cure) produced a magnifying effect when the next layer was glitter filled resin. Finally, we also discovered that pouring a dark opaque colored resin as the third and final layer really helped to make the colors below it pop.

If you love resin and are wanting to try some molds, check out the selection here.

- Julie

BTW: Bead Table Wednesday 5/25/2011

Andrea's and Julie's Joint Beading Table!

This week we decided to try a little something new and are having a blast! We love working with resin here at Beadaholique and have been anxious to expand on some popular resin techniques, push them a bit further. On the table you can see molds where we have added glitter to resin, layered resin, and even tried to duplicate the look of opals. Not shown in the photo is a also a bangle bracelet mold where we have embedded lucite cabochons at staggered heights. Now we are at the hardest part of the process, waiting the 3 days to pop the objects out of the mold!