Here Be De Resin

[kerravonsen]

So, here are photos of my surviving resin experiments. I say "surviving" because most of the ones made using the Loon UV resin... broke. As in SNAP CRACK broke, with just the pressure of my fingers. No wonder it was cheaper than the other UV resins...



Pendant: acrylic bead, UV resin, mica pigment

This one was my first experiment; then I went back and added another layer or two later. This is a rectangular plastic bead, and I put mica pigment/glitter on it and then resin, cured it, and more layers. So the edges aren't exactly perfect, but I don't care.

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Focal: UV resin, mica pigment


Pendant: UV resin, mica pigment

These two were done with the same silicone mould, but with different resins. This is what proved to me beyond doubt that the Loon UV resin is not suitable for jewellery making. Both roses were made with the same mould, with an initial coating inside the mould of the same red mica powder, both cured the same way... but the Loon rose (a) didn't retain all the powder, (b) flexes when I try to bend it, and (c) has a slightly yellowish cast. The Bondic resin was as hard as a rock, and the pigment stuck to it better. I'm not going to get more Bondic resin, though, because they only offer tiny refill tubes, it's not cost-effective. But it was a good introduction to the whole UV resin thing.

Mind you, UV resin is EXPENSIVE, no matter which brand or source you use. Especially here in Australia; if you buy it from Australian vendors they mark it up (or only have the smallest sizes), if you buy it from overseas, you have the postage to worry about as well. My current plan is to get the large-size bottle of Lisa Pavelka UV resin from Fire Mountain Gems because they sell the large (6 floz) bottle for US$43 (as opposed to A$75, which was the cheapest I could find from Australian vendors), and they offer a flat-rate parcel service to Australia; so it would be a good time to buy a bunch of stuff from them at once. (And they currently have a "$1 or less" sale going on...)

The reason why people say that a little goes a long way is because they're mainly using UV resin for doming; that is, using it to put a clear protective dome over pendants and charms that were made from something else. And that is a good use for it, definitely; I just want to do more.

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And this is the more I wanted to do. Aren't they pretty?


Teardrop Pendant: UV resin, glitter, mica pigment


Teardrop Pendant: UV resin, glitter, mica pigment


Teardrop Pendant: UV resin, glitter, mica pigment


Pendant: UV resin, mica pigment

Layers and layers of mica powder, curing in between, gives a lovely faux-opal effect. Okay, not faux-opal, but sooooo pretty.
I actually made three other teardrop pendants first, but they were among those which broke, which was sad, because I think they were prettier than these ones. Next time I'm not going to put glitter in the first layer, I think; it makes it look too fake. Glitter in later layers would be better, because that just gives a hint of glitteriness, rather than in-your-face as these teardrop ones were. But hey, I wouldn't know that if I hadn't tried it out.

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Pendant: acrylic bead, UV resin, mica pigment

This one was another rectangular plastic bead with layers on top of it. I used some mica flakes as well as the glitter powder (that's the dark bits). And you can't see it, but with this one I was trying so hard to make sure the resin got to the very edge, that there was one spot where it overflowed. Fortunately I was able to break off that bit with pliers (but not my fingers, because this was the Bondic resin and not the Loon resin).

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Yes, I definitely want to do more... when I get more resin. I only have a little left.

Comments

[watervole]

I can really see the appeal. There's such a glorious swirl of light and colour. I agree with you about the glitter, too much looks fake, but a hint is another thing entirely.

Have you decided what you're going to do with the rectangular ones? Can you get a little frame to turn them into broaches, or will you make them into a bracelet?

[kerravonsen]

I can really see the appeal. There's such a glorious swirl of light and colour. I agree with you about the glitter, too much looks fake, but a hint is another thing entirely.

8-)
I've been saying to my friend J that if I did nothing but layered mica glitter with the resin, that it would still be worth it.

Have you decided what you're going to do with the rectangular ones? Can you get a little frame to turn them into broaches, or will you make them into a bracelet?

I was intending for them to be pendants, since they have a hole drilled right through the long axis, and thus could be turned into a pendant using a head-pin or the like; but I could turn them into broaches, with glue-on broach pins, I hadn't thought of that. I'd have to use a glue that can glue metal to plastic; either E6000 or, at worst, epoxy glue.

[reynardo.livejournal.com]

Oh how lovely! And yes, I can see how you'd use a lot at once. I think it's the same stuff I used to coat a picture to make a cheese board, and yes, it was horridly expensive.

[kerravonsen]

8-)

I need to turn these into necklaces for Creating A Welcome, if I can in time. I have a bunch of stuff for them already (mostly rainbow-band bracelets this year); and more if I can manage to be-necklace various pendants this weekend (and photograph them). We need to rendezvous! I expect they would like to have stuff in their hands before the 12th... are you (and I) planning to go there on the 12th like we did last time? Plans! Telephone!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

They're beautiful, especially the faux opals ones.

[kerravonsen]

8-)

[jaxomsride.livejournal.com]

Those are lovely faux opals!

[kerravonsen]

8-)

[delphipsmith]

The roses are lovely -- the color vividness and shadings are glorious. Would it be cheaper if you got somebody to buy it for you in the U.S. and then mail it to you? I'm pretty sure that it wouldn't cost $20 to mail 6 oz. to Australia.

[kerravonsen]

The roses are lovely -- the color vividness and shadings are glorious.

I really like how the second rose turned out: you have the red in the front and a hint of gold/bronze from the layer behind.

Would it be cheaper if you got somebody to buy it for you in the U.S. and then mail it to you? I'm pretty sure that it wouldn't cost $20 to mail 6 oz. to Australia.

I don't know. If they could get it cheaper than Fire Mountain Gems, and if they could post it cheaper than Fire Mountain Gems (who charge a $15 flat rate per order, no matter how large or small) then it would be worth asking someone, but I don't have sufficient information to know.

[delphipsmith]

Hm, well, it turns out shipping even a tiny thing to Australia from the US is supremely expensive. Who knew, what with all the transatlantic travel these days?

Interestingly, I did discover this service though: Reship.com, which is a service you can sign up for that gives you a US shipping address and then forward on packages to you. I don't know how much international shopping you do, but it might be worth it.

[kerravonsen]

Hm, well, it turns out shipping even a tiny thing to Australia from the US is supremely expensive. Who knew, what with all the transatlantic travel these days?

But we're a relatively small country, population-wise, so we don't have the "bulk discount" advantage that, say, posting to the UK would.

I did discover this service though: Reship.com

Interesting. However, while I do a fair bit of international shopping, I only buy from shops who do offer shipping to Australia; Reship is intended for those shops which refuse to ship internationally, and me, I'd rather not give them my money in the first place. Though I have run into the dilemma, a couple of times, where a shop refuses to ship internationally because they have Australian agents, but the Australian agents don't actually sell the thing I want to buy (e.g. the Zippy Loom). In any case, Reship doesn't look like it is in any way cheaper, since you have to pay the US shipping, the US-to-Australia shipping, plus all the Reship fees on top of that.

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

Very pretty.

[kerravonsen]

8-)

[vjezkova.livejournal.com]

Marvelous!!!

[kerravonsen]

8-)