Making resin buttons isn't the only way to use up leftover resin mixes. You can also use these to fill open frame charms. Metal ones are the easiest so I suggest you start with these if you are a resin newbie.
Shown below are some awesome Tierracast charms which come in a variety of colors. The tear drop lotus ones are simple in design. These can be purchased here or on Amazon.
The Buddha in meditation charms are double sided with a lotus engrave on the backside. These are available here or on Amazon.
I laid out strips of heavy duty clear packing tape, sticky side up on a clip board. Don't use ordinary packing tape as I have not found them reliable for resin work. I then pressed the Tierracast charms firmly onto the tape.
I rely on Little Windows' Brilliant Resin (15% discount with this code : BG1516). I added a few drops of their white resin colorant with some blue resin dye I had to a little leftover resin mix. I got a pale blue almost translucent color. Then it is just a matter of carefully filling the open spaces with the resin.
Remember to cover and let cure overnight.
You can also use just plastic sheet protectors or a flat piece of recycled plastic instead of packing tape. But you do still need to make sure the metal frame is firmly down on the plastic. Otherwise the resin might leak out.
Watch Masherisha, a resin artist, use silicone tipped pens like these to spread a little clear resin on the frame so that the frame can be "glued" onto to the plastic. Those pens are also useful for other techniques like nail art and polymer clay work.
Screen capture from Masherisha's video |
And here is how they turned out. The Buddha pair is available on my Craftagems. I teamed it with one of my laser cut wood frames. I used two jump rings to suspend the charm so that the latter could still swing freely.
The teardrops were dainty enough to hang on stud earrings.
Reader, Bev Carlson, of ringbyringdesigns, recently remarked how much she wanted to do resin and wood frame jewelry after she spotted my yoga meditation necklace in this past post. The necklace is available on my Craftagems.
Working with wood frames needs more patience as there are more steps. Firstly, you still have to glue down the wood frame even if when using heavy duty packing tape. This is double security. You need to stop resin from leaking out as there are tiny grooves on the wood even after thorough sanding. The silicone tip pen is better than the plastic spreader I used below as it doesn't pick up excess resin.
Press the "glued" frames onto the packing tape and let that cure overnight. I also protected the upper surface of the frames with a natural beeswax wood conditioner - or you can use a sealer of some kind, like Mod Podge. This protective layer allows me to wipe off remove any spilled resin later on.
A second clear resin step is needed beside the initial "gluing". Spread a little bit of resin around the inside edges of the open areas. Let this cure too. This second boundary layer will stop the main resin pour from pushing out under the frame.
If you overdo the second resin boundary layer and too much clear resin fills the spaces, the added final colored resin will be blotchy as you can see here.
All this is not technically difficult but it really takes careful work to get the resin designs right. And time as projects like these take several steps spread over days or weeks depending on how often you generate leftover resin. Or you could make them in batches.
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Original Post by THE BEADING GEM
I have been working with wood and resin over the last few weeks and realise that they demand incredible patience. There were pieces I got right in one shot and with others I tried 3 attempts before giving up. Technically when we protect the surface with MP or clear varnish the resin should stay put or it should be easy to clean up. However I noticed that this too is no guarantee.
ReplyDeleteIf that happens, what I would do is cover the top with a final coat of resin as shown in my last picture above.
DeleteI like the "blotchy" pink flowers, more realistic, sort of variegated.
ReplyDeletenow i want to go back to my wood frames....
Hmmm, you have a point there about variegation. Something to try for leaf designs perhaps?
Deleteyes, perfect for leaves!
DeleteThe wooden frames look gorgeous with the resin. Thank you so much for this tutorial with great tips on using the resin with the wood frames. I haven't done much with resin, but this is inspiring and I will certainly try doing a little more.
ReplyDeleteYou are so welcome. Hopefully my tips will shorten the learning time!
DeleteWow! This was an eye opener for me! So much great information.
ReplyDeleteNice tutorial. I love it when you show us the imperfect results. It makes it clear what will happen. This resin technique is ideal for your wood frames. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete