Materials and tools:
- Two syringes without a needle (sold at any pharmacy)
- Container for mixing resin and hardener (plastic cup)
- Stick for this very mixing (wooden)
- Ceramic tiles or cardboard (in general, any flat hard surface, preferably on a flat table)
- Scotch tape (wide one-sided)
- Accessories for jewelry (connectors, fasteners, connecting rings, bases)
- Mini drill (sold in almost any construction store, take the cheapest one, I personally use the DREMEL 300)
- A set of nozzles for it (a small drill and an emery head for turning)
- silicone molds for pouring balloons, which can be purchased at a craft store
- Good mood for yourself. Well, gloves with a respirator would be nice
Progress
We fill the silicone mold with a two-component epoxy resin to the middle.
Then we carefully place our rose in it, trying not to break it.
After that, fill the mold already to the brim. Everything, nothing else depends on us. We are waiting 24 hours.
Take the ball out of the mold. Under warm water, this process will become much easier. At the ball, we cut off the ugly top in the place where the mount will be.
If there are bumps or scratches on the ball itself, you can polish it. This will require a separate mini-drill at low speed and special polishing nozzles.
Hi all! I continue a series of my master classes. This time it turned out to be an MK experiment, because. the end result of this event was not even known to me. And for starters, the background of this master class:
In addition to the line of jewelry made of plastic and beads, I have long thought to launch a line of jewelry made of epoxy resin in vintage style (soon, by the way, finally, the ordered accessories will reach me from America, and even more prettiness and tenderness will appear in the store :-). And, of course, most of all I wanted to create jewelry with epoxy balls, and, as you know, molds are needed to make them. Where to get them? A well-known store went on vacation ... I thought and thought and decided to create molds on my own.
Many attempts were made to find at least one MK on a given topic both on Russian and foreign portals, but alas, I did not find a single more or less successful master class, except, perhaps, one Chinese who made a mold of some kind of mouse ( however, looking ahead, he thereby prompted me to think about the necessary type of silicone). A lot was spent on ordinary silicone sealant and cornstarch, but my attempts to make a mold from these materials were unsuccessful (by the way, I give note recipe for making leaf molds for ceramic floristry : silicone acid sealant + corn or potato starch mixed in a 1: 1 ratio, first with a stick, then you can knead with your hands until it stops sticking to them, make cakes half a centimeter thick, apply a leaf, gently smooth it, press it in and leave to dry for a day , as a result, a good mold comes out). After reading about various brands of silicone and looking at the Chinese :-), I came to the conclusion that I need a two-component silicone, which is prepared like an epoxy - the silicone part and the hardener are mixed. I found it on eBay from the British for 6 pounds 250 grams of weight and 25 grams of hardener + 5 pounds shipping. Here he is:
Instruction on English. But everything is more or less clear there: we mix the silicone mass and the hardener in a ratio of 100:10, i.e. for 100 ml of mass we take 10 ml of hardener. For the correct measurement, we use measuring containers and syringes. IMPORTANT do not pour the amount of hardener, 100:10 and the point, if you pour in more, then nothing will come of it, because everything will begin to thicken quickly, bubbles and other troubles will appear. So, they united two substances in pure and main DRY glass and begin to carefully, slowly stir until the mass becomes soft pink (salmon pink in their language), no white streaks of the mass should remain, especially carefully knead from the bottom and walls of the glass. Shuffled, took another DRY glass, poured the whole thing into it in a thin stream and gently mixed again: this way we will definitely achieve uniform mixing of the components and reduce the number of bubbles. Something like that:
Next, we take small cups (can be cut off from under yogurts, the main thing is that they are at least a little bent), drip a small drop of glue such as a “crystal” moment to the bottom and put the balls there (I purchased a set of such glass balls in the store " fixed price" for 37 rubles and chose the most even and pretty ones). After about five minutes, the glue will grab, and the balls will not run away:
Let's start filling. With a little trickle, keeping my hand on the weight on top of the cups (and I also managed to take a photo at the same time ;-)), we start pouring our silicone directly onto the ball (the instructions say that if you pour it this way, then this reduces the number of bubbles as they burst):
All this filling procedure IMPORTANT to complete within 40-50 minutes, because then the curing reaction begins, and the silicone begins to thicken, which means it will not flow in a beautiful thin stream. However, this time is quite enough to perform these simple procedures. Additionally, I filled a small plate-plate with a layer about 1 cm thick and set it aside to set. So, they poured it, waited for about five minutes, lightly tapped our containers with the bottom on the table so that the remaining bubbles rose to the surface and pierced them with a needle and so 2-3 times (not forgetting about the bowl without balls):
We pierced the bubbles, put our glasses in one container for convenience (I have from under sushi) and for now you can figure out the location of the balls for our plate:
It took about an hour ten to twenty minutes from the moment of pouring, and the silicone in the plate had already begun to harden and compact - it's time to load the balls. We immerse the balls by slightly pressing them so that they enter the silicone mass somewhere in half, but do not touch the bottom:
That's it, work is done for today. We close our box with containers with a lid, but not tightly, so that fumes come out during the reaction, and put it in a far corner to dry for 20-24 hours, depending on the ambient temperature. The room must be ventilated. I put on the top drawers in the kitchen, not far from the open window.
20 hours have passed. With excitement, we take out our containers and see what we got. We take out the balls from the inner space of our molds. They move away from the walls perfectly:
We make holes of the diameter we need from 5 to 8-9 mm for laying fillers using nail scissors. Here's what we got:
The shape with hemispheres bends in all directions and easily takes the previous shape:
It seems everything worked out! It's time for testing. The instructions say that, for some reason, molds together with epoxy resin can be used only a week after they are made, while with gypsum fillers at least on the first day. Naturally, I could not resist and filled the molds with jewelry resin a day after manufacturing.
And here is the result. I want to note that the resin after hardening is simply perfectly separated from these forms.
That's probably all that I wanted to tell you and show you today. I hope this master class experiment will be useful to you. After all, there are no discoveries without experiments! Do not forget about safety when working: wear gloves, work and dry molds and products in a ventilated area, store all chemical liquids out of the reach of children.
Thank you for your attention. Always your Lida Floral Beauty :-)
SILICONE BRAND: Moldcraft GP-3481-F RTV Silicone Mold Making. Type in the search bar, several options should appear. Mine was from England, from quantumsupplies1. He also has other types of silicone on sale, they seem to be hard, and there is even silicone for making food molds - for chocolate, marzipan, ice, etc. !
Designers and needlewomen have learned to preserve entire worlds frozen in glass. In fact, all these shells, tiny buds, leaves and insects are forever frozen not in glass or amber, but in a simple and accessible to everyone epoxy resin. And you do not need to have a laboratory or a separate room to create it yourself. Today we will learn how to create epoxy resin with your own hands, and then make your own masterpiece with it.
Advantages of epoxy resin and its difference from epoxy adhesive
Despite the fact that the word "resin" is present in the name, you will not find natural components in its composition, because it is a completely synthetic product created in laboratories for many areas - from construction to needlework.
Epoxy resin- This is a mixture of two components: a hardener and the resin itself. Depending on the ratio of parts of the hardener and resin included in it, it can be thick, liquid or even dense. Therefore, it is very important to follow the instructions on the labels when mixing epoxy at home.
Epoxy resin properties
Epoxy resin is great for making jewelry, decorative items, and even covering large surfaces. It has the following properties:
- she is very strong
- not subject to abrasive wear,
- transparent
- well waterproofed,
- absolutely non-toxic after curing.
Do not forget that you can also find epoxy glue on store shelves, which is completely unsuitable for us. Let's start with the fact that the glue itself is a derivative of the resin. It includes not only epoxy resin, but also a solvent, plasticizer, hardener and filler. Therefore, it is also durable, not subject to wear and firmly holds the parts to be glued.
Differences between resin and glue
There are significant differences between resin and glue, which reveal disadvantages that are unacceptable for our purposes:
- Glue has certain time curing that cannot be controlled, while curing of the resin can be accelerated.
- The resin retains transparency for a long time, while the glue quickly begins to turn yellow.
- Epoxy glue is less flexible and cures faster, while resin is more pliable and allows you to work with it more accurately.
- Glue can only be used to connect parts, while resin is suitable for making beads and other shapes of a given shape.
- Depending on the proportion used when mixing resin and hardener, we can get the right consistency that suits our needs, while the adhesive is sold as a ready mix.
Resin Safety Rules
In order not to be harmed by the vapors that are formed when mixing the hardener and resin (the polymerization process entails a significant release of heat), some safety rules must be observed.
- Arm yourself with gloves.
- Wear a protective mask or respirator to protect yourself.
- Ventilate the room while working.
- Warn household members not to enter the premises while you are busy, or be sure to wear a mask.
- Before you start, organize your workplace so that you don't get distracted afterwards.
If you do not have a special surface for work, you can use a film or a simple file so as not to worry about the table and what can happen to it during the work.
How to make DIY epoxy resin
After reading the instructions, having prepared all the materials and the workplace, as well as following the safety precautions, you can begin to create an epoxy resin for your ideas.
So, to create an epoxy resin with our own hands, we need:
- resin and hardener
- disposable syringes or measuring cups,
- stirring stick (toothpick, skewer or other piece of wood of suitable length).
Carefully read the instructions for the components of the epoxy resin
First, mix the components in one small container.
It is necessary to mix the components while observing the temperature regime not higher than + 25 ° C.
It is most convenient to measure the right amount of resin and hardener with disposable syringes, so you will know the exact proportion and will not lose a drop when pouring them into a common vessel. Or use measuring cups, given that from now on they cannot be used for anything else.
Do not try to stock up, as polymerizing, the mixture becomes unsuitable for further use.
Gently mix the resulting composition in a circle to reduce the likelihood of bubbles, because they can spoil appearance epoxy resin crafts.
If the bubbles could not be avoided, then they can be dealt with. To do this, you must first let the mixture settle, and then warm it up. The bubbles will definitely rise to the surface, allowing us to gently remove them. After that, the mixture can be used for your ideas.
Resin processing after curing
Once the resin has cured, it may need to be processed as the compound may appear cloudy or uneven. Due to the elasticity of the composition, we can bring it to mind, and not disappointedly throw it into the trash, believing that we did not succeed.
Resin becomes cloudy after curing
Suitable for grinding sandpaper, or even a milling cutter for polishing nails.
Since there will be a lot of dust during grinding, it is worth putting on a respirator, and it is best to moisten the sandpaper with water.
In this DreamWorkshop tutorial, you will find step by step photos of the resin making process and some great tips on how to make cured resin transparent and smooth using the simplest tools.
DIY Epoxy Resin Crafts
So, we learned how to get epoxy resin on our own, talked about precautions and organization of the workplace. It's time to try your hand further. After all, creating crafts from epoxy resin with your own hands is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance.
To begin with, it is worth noting that a material such as epoxy resin is quite versatile and can be used in needlework in different ways. It is used to create both separate decorations and accessories, which are complemented by works made in other techniques. It is great for figurines, cabochons and even stained glass.
Creating crafts using molds
The most common use of resin is to fill silicone molds with it. The resulting blanks can later be used as pendants, beads, pendants on or, key rings, etc. A variety of molds allows you to create even rings and bracelets from epoxy resin.
Such molds should be made of high-quality platinum silicone, which will be resistant to the poured solution and make it easy to remove the frozen product from it.
Benefits of molds
The advantages of such casting molds are that:
- You can buy them at any craft store these days.
- they are plastic
- do not react with resin
- don't stick to it
What decor to use when creating crafts
Molds are great for pouring dried flowers, foliage, moss or shells into them - any volumetric element. To do this, you only need epoxy resin, a suitable silicone mold, as well as pre-prepared decorative elements.
Be sure to pay attention to preparation! Leaves, flowers and buds must be thoroughly dried so that they do not turn black over time, spoiling the finished product with their appearance. Shells, crystals and stones are best degreased with alcohol or solvent, and then dried too.
In the resin, you can add not only dense decorative elements, but also potal, gloss and even stained glass paint, but not much (so as not to spoil the ratio of the main components and not disturb the desired consistency).
Epoxy resin crafts can be decorated with plants…
... sequins ...
With this method of pouring, decorative elements are most often unevenly distributed over the shape of the product. This is clearly seen in the bracelet example:
In the case when the decorative elements are small, heavy and / or you just want to place them in the center of the mold, it is first recommended to fill the mold with resin, and then dip the necessary decor into it - leaves, small shells, dried berries - whatever your heart desires!
Method 2. When the resin settles, pour it into the mold in a thin stream, evenly distribute it over the entire form, and then immerse the selected decorative elements in it, helping yourself with a toothpick.
If you are limited in time or are afraid of the appearance of bubbles, you can send the form to the oven, preheated to 80 ° C (turned off and ventilated) for 15-20 minutes. After that, let the workpiece stand in the mold for at least a day, so as not to damage the surface of the resin. Carefully remove the bracelet, sand it from the top side and varnish it for better preservation.
First, prepare the clay - roll or twist the strips of the desired length using a pasta machine, rolling pin or extruder. After that, wrap the form you like with the resulting blank to make a frame, and send it to the oven, following the instructions indicated on the clay pack.
When the frame for your future jewelry has cooled down, free it from the mold and you can start pouring epoxy.
In more detail with the technology of manufacturing frames from polymer clay can be found in the master class of the author Rusalina.
Method 2: wire frame
If you are familiar with the basics of the Wire Wrap technique, then a wire will come to your aid, which can be twisted into any frame or base to surprise those around you with your author's vision of jewelry.
Method 3: working with wood
Working with home-made molds allows you to go beyond the limits invented by the hardware manufacturers. But still, such a combination of techniques requires more perseverance, accuracy and time, because now you are creating frames and frames yourself, which is a laborious, but at the same time very interesting process.
Natural wood is naturalness ...
…the beauty…
…and style
However, such products are not so easy to make, besides, they require a whole arsenal of special tools, because the tree itself needs to be fully processed and cleaned so that the result does not disappoint.
But if difficulties and painstaking work are your passion, and there are already tools for woodworking in the house, then be sure to try yourself in a unique technique for creating crafts from epoxy resin of various sizes and purposes.
Jewelery is all that epoxy can do?
And yet, despite the fact that these days we most often meet epoxy only as decorations, it continues to be popular in other directions. So it is used to fill the handles of knives, to decorate flash drives, key rings and even pens.
And experienced craftsmen went even further, using epoxy to fill large surfaces. Tables with an incredible imitation of water in the middle or a simple and even surface, from under which the original image protrudes, no longer subject to fading - this is a reality created by those who love to challenge their talent.
Wooden top with transparent epoxy resin insert
The tabletop is completely filled with epoxy resin.
Those who remain faithful to small forms have also found their own style: pocket mirrors and even articulated dolls! It turns out that resin can realize any of our ideas.
As you can see, epoxy resin is capable of a lot and is limited only by the imagination of those who are seriously interested in working with it. Try it and you will go from your first cabochons and beads to masterpieces worthy of world museums of epoxy crafts!
This silicone (elastolux) is good because it does not react with epoxy.
Catalyst (pictured is a small bottle with a clear liquid). It is sold in a set with silicone.
Capacity for weighing and mixing silicone and a stick for stirring.
It is very important that the product has a perfect glossy surface, since silicone tends to take over all the smallest scratches. The fact is that small scratches are not always evident on colored products, but when you pour a transparent epoxy into a mold removed from such a product, such a scratch will be visible on a transparent epoxy. I emphasize once again that the product from which the mold is removed must be glossy, otherwise all epoxy products will be matte at best, and sometimes simply opaque. To create a silicone mold in the form of a ball, I use balls for bearings (you can buy them in the Yunost market in Kyiv). They come in different sizes and are sold individually.
When you are convinced that the product is free of scratches and defects, you can start making formwork. You can use sour cream jars, plastic cups, etc. In this case, for the ball, I took an empty package from under the shoe covers, and for the ring, a glass and a cap. The box from under shoe covers is convenient for those. that it is just the right size and the bottom snaps tightly into it from below - this is very convenient both when pouring silicone and when removing it from the formwork after hardening. You will also need plasticine, scissors, a knife and hot glue in order to secure the products and formwork. So let's get started.
We wipe the products with a soft cloth to get rid of possible specks and fingerprints - remember that the surface should be glossy.
We roll out a sausage for a ring from plasticine and a ball for a ball :-)
Carefully fasten the resulting sausage to the ring. We flatten the plasticine ball and attach it to the ball.
After that, we attach the ring and the ball to the caps.
Now we take the upper part from the box from under the shoe covers and cut off the top - we will pour silicone through it.
Now we snap this upper part of the box onto the lid. It fits snugly and the silicone won't slip off.
Now take a glass and cut off the bottom of it.
When creating formwork, it is usually recommended to leave a gap between the product and the formwork of at least 1 cm. From above, the product must also be covered with at least 1 cm. But, personally, I sometimes neglect this, since, for example, the ball is removed from the mold with such a wall thickness very problematic. Yes, and silicone in vain does not want to translate ....
Therefore, we return to our glass with the bottom already cut off and cut it off to the required height with a small margin, so that it is enough to cover the mold with silicone and so that it does not escape through the top.
Trying on. It is obvious that the distance from the product to the wall of the cup is too large, so we cut the cup. adjust to the desired size and glue with tape. The joints must be sealed very carefully, otherwise the silicone will run away.
Now, with hot glue, attach the cup to the lid. We check that there are no gaps through which silicone can drain.
In the photo, only a small piece is processed with glue - of course, this must be done around the entire circumference.
Now the products are ready for pouring with silicone.
The silicone that I use - elastolux should be mixed with the catalyst in proportions per 100 gr. silicone, 2.5 ml. catalyst. I will not go into the details and features of working with elastolux, since the manufacturer has enough detailed instructions on this account. Silicone is weighed on a scale, the catalyst is measured with a syringe. The photo shows that I took 150 gr. silicone, respectively, the catalyst needs 3.75 ml. I must say right away that this amount of silicone is enough for you for 5-6 molds of this format as in this micron.
So, we measure the catalyst and pour it into the same container as the silicone and immediately begin to stir.
According to the manufacturer's instructions, silicone should be stirred with a mixer for at least 2 minutes, completely immersing the nozzle in silicone. But, the fact is that when you prepare a portion of silicone in a small amount, it is simply impossible to immerse the nozzle completely, so I just stir with a stick.
Now we fill the product with silicone. It should be poured in a thin stream, so less bubbles form.
But it should be borne in mind that silicone quickly begins to thicken. Count on the fact that you will have no more than 10 minutes to fill the product (depending on temperature conditions), but in reality it’s good if it takes 5 minutes.
After the molds are filled, leave them to harden for 7 hours. The first 10 minutes after pouring the foma, bubbles may appear on the surface - they can be popped with a toothpick or a needle.
When the silicone is completely frozen, separate the caps from the main mold.
We cut the formwork and remove the mold.
Sometimes silicone flows a little onto plasticine - just cut it with either scissors or a clerical knife.
Molds are ready!
A few more words on the care of silicone molds:
1. Silicone molds pick up dust and small specks, so it is better to store them in some kind of closed box.
2. Before pouring the epoxy, the mold must be washed in warm soapy water and dried well. I prefer to wipe the molds dry with an ear cleaner, as it happens that when the drops dry, they form whitish spots on the mold and be sure they will all be imprinted on your epoxy.
3. Rings and bracelets from mold are removed much easier if this is done under running water. Then wash the mold as described above.
4. When using a silicone mold for a bracelet, it is advisable to initially choose a mold of the desired height. From my experience, I somehow poured several layers into the mold for the bracelet and on the 3rd layer I decided that this height would be enough for me (and the mold was designed for a higher bracelet), when removing the bracelet, it naturally scratched the walls of the mold and use it more it is forbidden.
5. Molds are easily scratched, so do not try to pry the product with something sharp.
6. Molds should be stored in such a way that they are not deformed.
If you follow these rules, molds will last you much longer.
Now that's it, I hope this MK will be useful to someone.
If the number of castings is important to you and you understand in advance that this form should normally transfer a sufficiently large number of fillings, use silicones on a platinum catalyst, for example, Platinum 25, MoldStar. Silicones with neutral platinum catalysts are in most cases more resistant to aggressive media. than silicones on a tin catalyst. This means. that the form will transmit its original gloss and appearance longer. If you are just starting out, look for more fluid mold silicones, check with the manufacturer or seller. In this case, it will be more convenient for you to work with them.
Silicones convey matte and gloss well. That is, if you have a matte master model, the shape will be the same and the resin pour will come out with a cloudy surface. In this case, it is imperative to use varnish or master models with an initially smooth, varnished surface. The photo shows an example of how silicone is simply poured onto a glossy mirror with a matte pattern. You can clearly see the transfer of matte and gloss silicones.
3. Accurately observe the amount of base and catalyst in the silicone when mixing. Mix thoroughly for at least 3 minutes. Although the mold looks ready in a few hours, let the mold cure for at least 24 hours.
4. Wet and/or fresh molds must not be used to pour resins. Resins do not like moisture, this can lead to a violation of their properties (turbidity, discoloration). The same applies to pouring in a damp room.
5. Wash molds - both after polymerization and after pouring - using warm soapy water.
6. The form wears out the faster, the more often it is loaded - resin is an aggressive environment. Let's form "rest".
7. For a perfect top of the form, firmly attach the master model to the bottom of the formwork around the perimeter.
8. Store molds in food polyethylene film. not allowing moisture to evaporate, in a cool room, away from direct sunlight, so the shape is better preserved.
Successful creativity!
