Cathie Filian and Steve Piacenza break the mold with hardcore resin jewelry, lay out chic buckle ideas, and break a totally avant-garde t-shirt technique.
These easy-to-make resin jewelry pieces use guitar picks to show off the hardcore fashion style.
EasyCast (resin and hardener kit)
food grade silicone spray or mold release spray
plastic measuring/mixing cups (do not use wax coated cups)
vinyl gloves
wood sticks
mold
foam brush
tweezers
Wax paper or plastic sheet to protect work surface.
Images or objects to embed.
decoupage medium (optional)
resin dye (optional)
ball chain necklace
manual or electric drill
1/16" drill bit
18 or 20 gauge wire
round nose pliers
Warning: Due to the strong bonding properties of EasyCast, use only plastic molds designed for resin casting. Other molds, such as candy, soap, or candle molds, are generally not usable even with good mold release. If you're not sure, try a spot on the mold.
1. Prepare the mold with a release spray.
2. Carefully measure equal amounts of resin and hardener into a straight-sided, wax-free measuring cup.
3. For EasyCast to chemically mix, it must be mixed in two stages. Combine the resin and hardener according to package directions and stir for a full two minutes. As you mix, use the whisk to stir the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl. After two full minutes of mixing, pour the contents of the first container into a second container. Using a new stirring rod, mix the contents of the second container for one minute, then scrape down both sides of the container and the stirring rod.
4. Quickly pour the resin into a mold until the mold is half full.
5. Brush the object(s) to be embedded with resin (hold the object with tweezers and apply resin with a foam brush or stir stick). Next, place the object in the half-filled mold, face down. All organic items, such as candy, paper, or fabric, should first be sealed with a decoupage medium. Any non-organic items, like a guitar pick, can be brushed with rosin.
6. Fill the rest of the mold with resin. Fill just below the top of the mold to prevent a lip of resin from forming on the edges. If bubbles form, use a hair dryer and blow hot air quickly over the surface to remove the bubbles. Be careful though:excess heat can melt or warp plastic molds.
7. If a colored resin is desired, follow steps 1 through 5, let the half-filled mold cure for one day, mix more resin, and add colorant. Fill the rest of the mold with colored dye. Let the resin finish curing for two days.
8. For best results, castings should be cured at temperatures between 70 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Curing time will vary depending on ambient temperature and thickness of the mold. Normal cure for 1/2" thick castings is 24 hours for soft cure, 72 hours for hard cure.
9. While in liquid form, material can be cleaned from tools with alcohol or solvent. Use warm water and liquid soap to clean from skin.
Safety Alert:Never use solvents or alcohol to clean EasyCast from skin.
10. When the item has cured, release it from the mold. Rigid plastic molds can usually be slightly twisted to release the castings; pushing from the back of the mold will also help.
11. Drill a small hole in the top of the pendant with a 1/16" drill bit; use a jewelry needle file or bead reamer to smooth the edges of the hole.
12. Thread a 5" wire through the hole, form a small loop, and wrap the end of the wire around the base of the loop. Add the pendant to a ball chain necklace
