I really enjoyed making the sparkly glass chip resin coasters (see tutorial here) so much so that I wanted to show how you can you adapt the idea for jewelry and smaller items like fridge magnets. So in honor of Mother's Day which is fast approaching, her are some resin and chip heart jewelry and home decor ideas!
I received this lovely set of heart molds with matching cutting templates (for photos etc) from Little Windows for review. These are not the same as silicon molds which I generally prefer. But they have in-built mold release making de-molding easy. If you are using other plastic molds, spraying mold release is highly recommended.
The process of embedding chips is the same whichever size you use. I chose the second smallest heart mold for making fridge magnets.
I used Little Window's Brilliant Resin (Special reader 15%discount is BG1516). This low bubble producer and clear (before and after curing) resin has a long shelf life. It is clear and colorless before and after curing.
This resin mix requires 2:1 ratio of Part A and B. For this particular mold, I mixed 60 mL Part A with 30 mL Part B. Here are a couple of tips. Mark the levels you need before you measure out the amount you need. It is hard to see the cup markings if you don't do this! Also microwave Part A for 7 seconds on High before combining both parts.
Getting every last drop....
That brief heating does the trick. Not many fine bubbles formed when I mixed the resin. I also "rest" the mixture for 5 minutes as directed before using it which essentially gives time for these bubbles to rise to the top and disappear. Some brands I've tried produce a lot of bubbles which can be difficult to remove. Important - never use a torch or heat with these molds as the resin might well bind with the mold release.
As with my previous coaster tutorial, I did "dry" runs with the glass chips. You can also use gemstone chips or beads if you prefer. I set aside the glass chips into little plastic cups and mixed in some glitter.
Do not be tempted to put in the glass chips and glitter mix first and pour in the resin afterwards. The resin may not be able to run under the chips which means the top of the final hearts will be incomplete.
Pour a thin layer of resin into each heart mold. Then carefully add the glass chip and glitter mix. Stir gently to distribute evenly.
Top up to the brim.
Cover and let the resin hearts cure overnight. A reader once emailed me about the dust she got on her resin pieces. Covering is a must especially if you have carpet in your house!
Flex the mold a couple of times.
The resin hearts will pop out with a sharp tap or gentle press :
Edges may need smoothing. I had a slight overflow issue with this one.
So I had to sand the edges. An easy way is to use wet dry sandpaper under water. What grit grades you use depends on how much patience you have and how picky you are about how smooth you like the edges! I use 400 grit to get the really bad overflow edges off. Then if I am short of time, I do 600, 800 and 1000. Or I resort to using the split mandrel with my Dremel (see tutorial here).
I mixed up a small amount of resin to use as glue on the back of the hearts. I did not have rare earth magnets on hand - these are super strong. So I just doubled up the regular magnets I had. The glass chips do make these fridge magnets on the heavy side.
The smallest hearts were perfect as pendants. I used very tiny turquoise chips which had no holes. I usually do not use resin to glue on bails. The resin takes several hours to cure and bails have a tendency to float out of position. So I waited until the hearts were fully cured and edges sanded before applying the bails with E6000 glue.
The largest heart makes a great paperweight! I used a mix of gemstone and glass chips for this.
Disclosure
I receive books and products for review. This blog contains affiliate links. I do receive a small fee for any products purchased through affiliate links. This goes towards the support of this blog and to provide resource information to readers. The opinions expressed are solely my own. They would be the same whether or not I receive any compensation.
Photography
I used my iPhone 6S with the Camera+ app, and the Modahaus TS400 studio (no longer available) for natural light photography of the final projects. I used the Orangemonkie studio which comes equipped with LED lights - for artificial light photography in my windowless basement studio. The Foldio2 is particularly affordable. I use the Foldio3 because I need the room for tutorial photography.
My online class Easy Guide to Smartphone Jewelry Photography is now available. Read more about it here.
Before You Go:
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Original Post by THE BEADING GEM
Jewelry Making Tips - Wire JewelryTips -Jewelry Business Tips
Before You Go:
- How to Make Real Flower Resin Jewelry
- How to Make Pressed Flower Resin Jewelry Part I
- How to Make Pressed Flower Resin Jewelry Part II
______________________________
Original Post by THE BEADING GEM
Jewelry Making Tips - Wire JewelryTips -Jewelry Business Tips
Great tutorial Pearl, thanks for sharing. Whenever I sand the back of a piece which has glitter in it, it find that it opens up small pores that were previously pockets of air trapped underneath the glitter. Other than giving another coat of resin at the back is there any other way to fix it?
ReplyDeleteI actually don't sand the back - just the edges. If it is smooth enough, I leave well alone. If not, the only way is to add a thin coat of resin.
DeleteMaybe some day! Nice work btw Pearl! Very attractive!
ReplyDeleteThanks Aims! More importantly, I had fun!!
DeleteLovely pieces you ended up with Pearl. Loved them used as fridge magnets... it made a great sparkly set!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind words, Mylene! I had fun for sure.
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