Jewelry made of transparent resin with their own hands. Epoxy resin with your own hands and unique crafts from it. Epoxy Resin Safety

Spring and summer rainbow herbs, pleasing to the eye, leave with the autumn rains, and you really want to see a bright piece of spring or a sunny reminder of summer in the autumn slush or winter blizzard.

It is this opportunity that is given to us by needlework masters who use in their work. Bouquets in vases, wall panels, scrapbooking remind of bright sunny days. Miniature plant still lifes in epoxy jewelry look especially impressive. Hidden in the depths of a transparent durable lens, they amaze with their grace, lightness, and exquisite beauty.

However, to make decorations from natural materials have not lost their beauty over time, one must be able to properly process natural raw materials before pouring.

Must be collected in good weather. High humidity is highly undesirable. After the rain should pass at least a day. You should also let the dew dry, do not collect in the early morning. Delicate sprouts are best placed in a book immediately after cutting, shifting with cotton pads. If you postpone processing even for a short time, they will become tied and it will be difficult to straighten them.

Flowers of different thicknesses (for example, a massive center and thin petals of uniform thickness) should not be laid to dry between flat surfaces. A thicker section will prevent surfaces from pressing thin elements, and they will wrinkle, losing their appearance. To avoid this, porous materials are used - medical cotton wool, paper napkins. Between the sheets, you can dry individual petals, but on condition that they do not have a typographic font.

If books are used to prepare raw materials, it is not recommended to put many blanks in one volume, or add fresh flora to a book with an almost ready herbarium. Interval - 10-15 pages.

fasten small parts flower and reduce their fragility will help hairspray. It is applied to the surface from a distance of about 30 cm, in a small amount. On average, it takes one to two months for high-quality drying.

conservation methods

Flowers, shells and insects in transparent capsules catch the eye, regardless of whether we like such bracelets, rings, pendants and souvenirs. But few people think that you can make such a miracle with your own hands, devoting some time to mastering the technology for the phased production of epoxy resin jewelry.

This liquid synthetic polymer, when subjected to a certain temperature regime for thickening and curing, successfully imitates glass, providing almost unlimited freedom in the choice of forms and filling.

How to choose epoxy for pouring

The range of epoxy resin is quite wide, so the first tip for beginners is to read the product description to choose it according to its purpose.

The best choice is a special resin paired with a hardener for mold casting and glazing. As a rule, such a product has the additional properties of increased transparency, UV resistance, and the like.

The second selection criterion is the authority of the manufacturer, which is reflected primarily in the price. To begin with, you need a small volume, so you should not skimp and it will even be logical to purchase several different sets of epoxy resin at once to test the master class on decorations.

Workplace and safety rules

Before you make your first attempt at creating epoxy jewelry, you need to choose the right workplace and read the instructions for the safe handling of polymers:

To Work with polymer composition you need in a well-ventilated area, preferably in a workshop, fenced off from the residential part of the house.
It is necessary to avoid getting the resin on the skin and mucous membranes, so gloves, a medical mask and goggles should be used.
Grinding of the finished product is carried out in a respirator.
If the resin gets on the skin, immediately rinse it under running water. If the solution gets on objects, it must be immediately removed with a dry cloth.

It should also be taken into account that during the manufacturing process and during the use of finished products, contact with food should be avoided.

Epoxy resin decoration can be made by both pouring and glazing, but in both cases, it is important to have a perfectly flat work surface.

Containers and tools

To mix the solution, you need a heat-resistant plastic container and a wand, which are usually attached to the kit. For accurate work with the polymer, disposable syringes are used, for the correction of fillers (flowers, insects, stones, etc.) - you need tweezers.

For pouring, you need to stock up on silicone molds. Alternative Method- application of the thickened mixture directly onto the dried filler. In this case, two layers are made on the front side, and one on the back.

The filler is placed on a tray with a glossy surface that prevents sticking. This procedure will take more time: to dry each layer, you need to wait 24 hours.

Rough edges and roughness are removed with sandpaper or with a grinder.

In the process of mastering the process of working with epoxy resin, you can also master the technique of creating interesting silicone molds with your own hands for original jewelry and souvenirs.

Preparation of fillers

Before making your own model, you should familiarize yourself with photos of similar epoxy jewelry with various fillers. For a plant theme, it is necessary to dry the fillers in advance, 3-4 weeks before starting work.

Leaves can be placed under pressure in a book, as for a school herbarium. Bulk vegetable fillers, such as buds or berries, are strung on a thread and dried in the air.

Almost any item of decorative value can be used as a filler - shells, tree bark, rhinestones. The epoxy capsule can contain images printed on matte photo paper. For an additional effect, special dyes are used.

Note!

Stages of work

Mixture preparation. At this stage, it is important to carefully observe the proportions recommended by the manufacturer. Mixing with the hardener is carried out for 10 minutes, with uniform and smooth circular movements.

Seizure process. For chemical reaction with a hardener, it takes from 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the parameters stated in the product instructions. After mixing, bubbles form in the solution, which should disappear during the chemical reaction.

Pouring into molds or creating layers on the filler must be done exactly according to the timer and as quickly as possible.

The hardening process is completed after 24 hours. The workpiece must be placed in a stable and dust-free location.

Note!

Even the most best ideas epoxy resin jewelry can remain in dreams without careful observance of technological subtleties and when using low-quality material.

Therefore, it would be more correct to first master the process of creating a solid and transparent capsule, and then start experimenting with fillers and combining epoxy parts with metal fittings for jewelry.

Photo of epoxy resin jewelry

Note!

List of everything you need:

Epoxy resin, two-component
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, earwires, 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)
Good mood for yourself;) Well, gloves with a respirator would be nice

Advice: Before you shop, make sure you have a suitable workspace. If you live in a odnushka with your grandmother and mother, you will have to wait a little while making resin jewelry. At a minimum, you need a separate room where you can inhale the harmful fumes of resin (if you do not take care of ventilation) in splendid isolation.

This work is dirty, noisy and generally not conducive to health, but a few simple manipulations will reduce negative influences creativity to a minimum.

Epoxy Resin Safety Precautions:

if you are not a drug addict, at least open the window
always keep a rag handy - believe me, it is much easier to wipe the resin than to chip it off the linoleum later
don't want thrills? Then remove all carpets in sight
take pity on your neighbors in living space, do not turn jewelry while they are at home. Wear a respirator while doing this.

Speaking of leaves

Leaves (petals, flowers) must be well dried. This is not a quick business (4 weeks), so prepare them in advance. I put fresh petals in folded white paper, then in a book (this is so that letters are not imprinted on the flowers). The thicker the book, the better (old Soviet textbooks are great). To store dried leaves, you can use magnetic photo albums.

If you decide to work with buds (for pouring into balls), you will need a dark, dry space, such as a closet. You thread the needle, tighten the knot thicker at the end of the thread and pass the needle through the legs of the buds (it is for this operation that these same legs should be left). We tie the resulting garland to two hangers and hide it in the closet. Four weeks and the material is ready.

It is worth bearing in mind that many petals visually change during operation, and completely cease to resemble what you picked in the garden. Some shrink to something awkward, some blacken or completely discolor. And if you don’t feel sorry for the stupid chamomile, then the ruined expensive hydrangea flowers will definitely make you sad.

accessories

The lion's share of the pleasure of working with jewelry is precisely the choice of accessories. It's simple: the more expensive it is, the better it is. In the whole process of creating jewelry, you can save money, but not on accessories, this is exactly the case when the miser pays twice. Not only do the fasteners made in China regularly break, but they also look frankly pathetic and, most likely, your hand will not rise to stick something like that on your hard-cultivated leaf.

Resin preparation

Well, all the preparations are completed, we can begin. To get started, read the instructions for your resin - mixing ratios vary from brand to brand. I personally use Crystal resin, 4 ml of resin per 1.2 ml of diluent.

We collect both resin and hardener with syringes without needles, naturally different. After use, it is better to throw them away, they cost a penny. It is better to carefully lower the hardener along the wall of the cup so that it does not splash.

After that we start mixing. There is nothing phenomenal here: you can interfere with even a finger, 3-4 minutes. Do not be embarrassed by the abundance of bubbles in the resin, let it settle and they will go away.

Stir the resin periodically. The mixture, ready to use, should resemble honey in consistency. It is difficult to explain on the fingers how much to mix it, it naturally depends on the number of petals prepared, their size and, noteworthy, the density of the resin. Fresh instantly spreads and it turns out that you have pitched the tray itself more than the petals. So it's important to seize the moment here.

While the resin is settling - prepare the workplace. Clear the table, take out the tray and flowers. It is advisable to do a wet cleaning, because there is nothing more offensive than a potentially beautiful decoration, smeared with dust.

Tray preparation

Requires a flat table, which is not a pity to splatter, and a tray. The key point here is the choice of coverage, which should have a number of properties, such as:

cheap
available
should not stick to the resin
must be glossy (matte surface mattifies cured resin)

A store-bought plastic bag immediately comes to mind, but to my deep regret, it does not satisfy point 3 and sticks tightly. At one time I used food bags for baking, but they also periodically let down and ruined entire trays of jewelry.

Advice: Tape the tray with tape and forget about such a problem as sticking decorations forever.

fill

So, the resin has thickened, the petals are laid out on a surface covered with adhesive tape, we begin to create. We take our battle stick, dip the tip into the resin and put a drop on the petal.

In principle, you can smear it on it, holding the leaf with your finger (in latex gloves, so that there are no greasy marks left), but it itself spreads well. Here you will check how even your table is. Having covered all the prepared petals with the first layer of resin, cover our miracle tray with a lid and leave it all for 24 hours. Then we apply another layer of resin (for now, both layers fall on the front part).

After a day, turn the petals over and apply last layer, but already on the back sides of our products.

Turning

Now these shapeless epoxy blots with petals inside need to be processed.

It's time to uncover our mini drill. Attach an emery nozzle to it and grind the jewelry (with a shudder I remember how I sharpened them manually with a nail file). Keep the edge of the product perpendicular to the drill. After turning, you can varnish the edges of the products or make another fill.

If the resulting decoration suits you, make holes for attaching the rings. We make holes with the same drill, but with a drill (diameter 0.5 mm).

In general, we have done the most difficult work, now it remains only to attach the fittings. We thread a ring into the drilled hole, and a fastener into it. Our real flower petal earrings are ready!

Rules for the storage and care of flower decorations

Products coated with jewelry resin should not be wiped with alcohol or any other solvent, as this may damage the glossy surface. Epoxy is not chemical friendly at all, so keep it away from detergents, air fresheners, etc.
Put on jewelry after applying decorative cosmetics, perfumes, deodorants. Do not expose the glossy surface to acetone. It is better to wash off nail polish without rings, since acetone is a volatile substance, and it is not so far from the nail to the ringlet with the leaf.
Do not wear jewelry while playing sports and do not go to bed in them.
Attach brooches to clothing before putting it on (this way you will be sure that the pin is well fastened).
The cured epoxy itself is very strong, but with the right degree of diligence, you can break anything, and in this case it is no exception, store the products in boxes.
Do not leave them in the open sun for a long time.

Epoxy resin is very popular among jewelers. This material is great for making brooches and bracelets, pendants and pendants. Transparent plastic mass is ideal for self made, and everyone can learn how to make jewelry. Jewelry resin in finished, solidified form imitates glass, crystals, gems looks elegant and original.

Description of jewelry resin

Epoxy resin - modern polymer material, actively used for construction, installation work, as well as casting haberdashery, jewelry, household items. Epoxy is very popular in needlework, it allows you to create real masterpieces with your own hands.

In appearance, jewelry epoxy resin is a transparent liquid with a rather thick consistency. This is a two-component product, it consists of the resin itself and a hardener. The last one is essential component, which triggers the polymerization (curing) reaction. Without a hardener, the resin remains fluid, only this substance gives it certain properties. Here are the main ones:

resistance to ultraviolet, moisture, household chemicals;
strength, lack of response to shock, vibration;
heat resistance.

Before polymerization begins, various dry fillers can be added to the mass - for example, dyes, modifiers, plasticizers, wood chips or cork. They change the properties of the glaze in the right direction. The hardener is added strictly in a certain proportion with the resin. Usually the ratio is 10:1 or 8:1, but may vary depending on the particular brand.

You can buy transparent jewelry resin in any store of building materials, repair goods, creativity and needlework. It is quite budgetary in cost, easy to work with, and the end result is always pleasing. Domestic brands are cheaper, while they have excellent quality. Foreign jewelry resins are most often equipped with additional accessories - gloves, cups, kneading sticks. Sometimes molds are included - molds for pouring epoxy. Better buy quality material, otherwise it may turn yellow, become cloudy over time.

Precautionary measures

When working with resin, safety precautions must be strictly observed. You need to immediately buy personal protective equipment:

respirator;
gloves;
apron;
protective glasses.

Do not work in an unventilated area. If there is not sufficient ventilation in it, you will have to breathe fumes, which is harmful to the body. Vapors may cause an allergic reaction, irritate the respiratory tract. The strong chemical smell is unpleasant, although some expensive brands of epoxy don't smell that bad. After curing, the epoxy resin is completely safe, various rings and brooches can be given even to children.

If resin or hardener comes into contact with skin, wash immediately with soap and plenty of warm water. Do not use epoxy for products that come into contact with food. When polishing, you also need to wear a respirator - so the smallest particles of the substance will not enter the respiratory system.

Working with jewelry resin

Costume jewelry is the most popular use of epoxy among needlewomen. In order to make jewelry, you need to purchase the appropriate molds. This is the name of the casting molds, which are made of silicone or other materials. They are easy to use, the finished product is easily removed from them.

When working with resin, you must strictly observe temperature regime. The polymerization reaction proceeds with the release of heat, while the epoxy is heated to +60 degrees. When overheated, it irrevocably deteriorates.

Workplace preparation

To work with jewelry resin, you need a flat place - a small table, a tray. The base coat should be glossy and not stick to the resin. The use of plastic bags is inconvenient, resin drops stick tightly to them. It is best to glue the tray with paper tape with a shiny surface. Can also be placed on the table ceramic tiles, a sheet of cardboard.

Before work, it is important to prepare all the necessary fixtures, fittings, decor. Of the basic materials, you will need resin and hardener (usually included). Also useful:

two syringes (needles are not needed);
dishes for mixing resin (you can take a disposable cup);
wooden stick for mixing the mass;
mini drill;
nozzles for a mini-drill for grinding, polishing, a nozzle-drill, a head for turning;
individual protection means;
sieve;
vegetable oil or vaseline;
tweezers.

Accessories are selected depending on the type of jewelry being made. These can be bases, connecting rings, fasteners, connectors, frames. You can’t save on accessories, otherwise the fasteners and fasteners will quickly deteriorate. Decor for products is chosen independently. These can be such items:

cones;
leaves;
flowers;
shells;
dried flower;
rhinestones;
beads;
glitters;
sequins.

Natural material - plants, flowers - is preliminarily dried between the pages of the book. It must be prepared in advance, because the drying process can take up to a month. The buds are put on a thread through the legs with a sewing needle. The resulting "garland" is hung in a dark closet, it dries for 3-4 weeks.

Resin preparation

Before you work, it is important to read the instructions for jewelry resin. It will indicate what temperature in the room must be maintained, what are the proportions of resin and hardener. Usually the manufacturer advises to work at +25…+30 degrees and low humidity - up to 55%.

Since small portions of resin are used to make jewelry, there will be no strong heating during polymerization. Therefore, it is recommended to warm up the resins of many brands a little - this is done by placing the tube in hot water(60 degrees). After 5-10 minutes, the resin is removed from the water and mixed with the hardener.

Operating procedure:

dial epoxy and hardener with different syringes without needles;
pour the required amount of resin into a disposable cup;
add the hardener in small portions in the indicated ratio, immediately mixing the mass thoroughly;
stir the product for 3 minutes, but not too intensively - this will cause the appearance of air bubbles.

Bubbles are the main difficulty faced by beginners. To maintain the transparency of the glaze, allow the mixed resin to stand for 10 minutes. Bubbles will come to the surface and can be pierced with a needle. The finished mass should have the consistency of thick honey.

If required, fillers are added to the product at this stage. Everything is done quickly, until the resin has entered the polymerization stage. Usually add wood shavings, sawdust, chips, cork. It should be noted that they immediately fall down, so they must be distributed carefully.

The total weight of the filler should not exceed 50%. The more foreign substances in jewelry epoxy, the more fragile the finished product will be. It is better to introduce a little plasticizer into it (a couple of drops of castor oil are suitable).

fill

To begin the process of pouring resin, you should prepare a fine strainer. This method is not suitable if there are fillers in the mass. Previously, the form is lubricated with petroleum jelly, parquet mastic. This is only required for molds homemade from improvised materials. Forms made of silicone, plexiglass do not need lubrication, the finished product is removed from them without difficulty.

Next, the epoxy resin is poured into the mold, its depth should not be more than 30 mm. In the first 60-120 minutes, the composition will remain liquid, but will gradually begin to thicken. If you need to enter the decor, this is done with tweezers. It is important not to pour too thick a layer, otherwise the glaze will not be able to harden completely. If the decor is large, then pour ½ of the mixture, lay the decoration, then add the remaining resin. The form must be covered so that dust does not sit on the surface. Drying time of the product is 24 hours.

Polishing

The resulting resin products need . To do this, use a mini-drill with an emery nozzle. Jewelry is turned in the right way, while the edges are held perpendicular to the drill. Next, the edges can be varnished or the resin can be diluted again and smeared with a brush. After polishing, holes are drilled to secure rings, fasteners. The drill diameter should not exceed 0.5 mm.

Master class on making jewelry from jewelry resin

How to make various jewelry, jewelry? There are a number of subtleties in the manufacture of rings, earrings, brooches, pendants, they will be described below.

Making rings

A master class on creating rings should begin with the preparation of forms and accessories. Need to purchase resin, hardener and standard kit additional materials, including glitters, other decorative elements.

The work is done like this:

pour water into the container with a temperature of +60 degrees;
lower the sealed tube of epoxy (it is important that not a drop gets inside), leave for 10 minutes;
collect resin and hardener, mix with epoxy in the right proportion;
usually 3 ml of the finished mixture is enough for the ring;
to remove bubbles, a glass with a well-mixed mass is once again placed in a container with hot water;
again knead the mass directly in a container with water until all stains and bubbles disappear;
the remaining bubbles are blown out with a cocktail straw;
pour the resin into the mold, do it in 2-3 steps, in order to put the right amount of decor in each layer - powders, glitters, sparkles, dried flowers, needles;
layer-by-layer filling is done after 2-3 hours from the previous one, so each time a new portion of resin is added;
leave the ring to harden not far from the battery for a day;
the product is taken out of the mold by hitting it from the back;
sharp edges are polished, you can do it with a nail file.

The ring made of wood and epoxy resin looks original. To do this, you can take chopsticks for sushi or any trimmings. wooden furniture, sharpen them. The pieces of wood are laid on the bottom of the mold, poured with finished resin. You can pre-paint the material with special pigments, they are introduced before applying the hardener.

DIY resin pendants

You can make artificial amber from resin, very beautiful pendants are obtained. You can also make other crafts with the addition of paint of any shade, sparkles or other decorative elements. For pendants, wire must be prepared. The usual darkens over time, so a material with a special coating is used. Suitable soft, but not thin aluminum wire 1.5 mm in diameter. To secure a chain or lace, you need to roll up the wire ring and cut off its tail close to the junction.

The ring itself is glued to a double-sided wide adhesive tape, which is glued to a flat surface (tile, cardboard) with the other side. After laying out the decor in the mold, they fill it with ready-made epoxy resin with a hardener, the epoxy is preliminarily aged for 20 minutes. Pour one layer into the "lenses" to create a bottom and fix the pattern. Leave the product for 8 hours, then make another layer, then the third. In the latter, a ring rolled from wire is carefully immersed. Final drying lasts 24 hours. You can also drill a hole in the finished pendant and simply insert a wire ring there, the effect will be the same.

Making earrings

The technology for making earrings can be even simpler, even special molds are not required. It is only important to buy high-quality resin and good fastener hooks, as well as get dried flowers, twigs, any decor.

The work is as follows:

prepare epoxy resin, knead it, leave for 2 hours to gain viscosity;
draw oval, round or other stencils on paper;
cover working area with oilcloth or rinse and wipe dry, lay out stencils, cover them with stationery multifors on top;
start pouring the thickened resin directly onto the multifora, carefully distributing it over the stencil with a toothpick;
the height of the workpiece should be no more than 1 cm;
from above, cover the blanks with domes from dust, leave for a day;
after hardening, attach to the earrings desired shape with a nail file;
knead another portion of the resin, stand for 2 hours;
put decor on the blanks, drip a little resin, let it dry a little;
then perform several more layers with a brush, each should dry for 2 hours;
at the end of the work, let the earrings dry for a day, then sand and drill holes for the hooks.

Resin brooches

To create brooches, you may additionally need acrylic dyes. After the resin and hardener are combined, the mass is allowed to brew for 2-3 hours, then poured into special molds for brooches. Previously, the edges of the forms can be coated with a mixture of PVA and dyes, then the products will take on an original look. Inside the brooches, a composition of dried flowers looks beautiful. So that they do not float to the surface, they perform the first layer of filling, let it dry for 2 hours, and then glue the decor with PVA. Finally, the products are dried for at least a day.

Cabochons at home

Cabochons are understood as a way of processing stones, in which they acquire a smooth convex surface without facets. The cabochons are flat on one side and look like a lens on the other. The easiest way is to pour them into special forms, diluting the epoxy according to the instructions. She smears the walls of the mold with a thin layer, and after solidification, the workpiece is removed. Now you can put any decor into it, then it is filled to the ground. After drying, the medallion is polished to perfect smoothness.

If there is no time to wait for a long drying of jewelry, the process can be accelerated. To do this, the product is heated in the oven at a temperature of up to + 50 ... + 60 degrees. Many craftsmen, if a drill is not available, insert a cord into the product while the decoration is still soft. This will help avoid drilling.

When pouring, be sure to ensure that the form is absolutely smooth. In this case, you do not have to grind jewelry for a long time. Do not wipe the finished product with alcohol, this will spoil the glossy surface. Careful handling will allow you to wear rings, earrings or pendants for a long time without complaints.

Wonderful bracelet made of twigs and epoxy resin

Many have probably seen original epoxy resin jewelry in stores. Such products are very popular, because each piece of jewelry combines magic, romance, and creative design ideas. Like frozen drops of transparent spring water with amazing compositions inside, earrings, rings, brooches attract fashionistas who want to emphasize tenderness, femininity, extraordinary taste in choosing accessories. Undoubtedly, to buy such a product, you will have to spend a lot of money, because the price of author's works is fairly high. Do you want to look stylish and elegant, spending a minimum of money? We offer you to learn how to make beautiful epoxy resin jewelry with your own hands. The process is incredibly creative, interesting, will appeal to all lovers of beautiful hand made bijouterie.

What is epoxy resin

You need to be able to choose the resin for creativity. This is, first of all, a synthetic product, its choice should be approached very responsibly.

Round earrings with leaves and flowers

Epoxy resin jewelry with leaf

Unusual earrings with roses

It is not worth saving, because cheap and low-quality material can turn yellow, has a too sharp and unpleasant odor, a low degree of plasticity and transparency.

All these properties determine the quality, aesthetics of jewelry. It is important that the resin completely imitates glass or transparent ice; amazing compositions from any natural materials are frozen in it. How to choose epoxy resin? The material is safe, it is a transparent liquid, it contains chemical resins and hardeners. In the process of mixing these ingredients, polymerization and solidification occurs.

Valuable for its unique properties, the product is widely used by decorators, designers, artists, manufacturers of jewelry and souvenirs. If you learn correct work with epoxy resin, you can create magical 3D effects, protect any craft from dust, scratches, moisture. As a rule, for creativity, manufacturers prepare complex kits that include the chemical product itself, gloves, a measuring cup for ease of mixing, and a stick for kneading the substance. Preference should be given to proven manufacturers in order to avoid harm to precious health. The main secret of success is strict adherence to the instructions and proportions of the epoxy composition.

Epoxy resin

Despite the relative chemical safety, maximum care should be taken in the work:

avoid getting the resin on the mucous membranes, skin of the hands, work with gloves, a medical mask or a protective petal;
if glaze particles still get on the skin or mucous membranes, immediately rinse the area with running water;
it is forbidden to use resins for the manufacture of products that come into contact with food;
work with the epoxy composition should be carried out in a ventilated area;
when turning products, be sure to wear a respirator so that the particles do not get on the mucous membrane.

Compliance with simple safety rules can make the creative process more comfortable.

How to work with epoxy

5 main secrets

Many craftswomen were able to turn their favorite hobby into a successful home business, because beautiful and original jewelry is at the peak of popularity today.

Jewelry made of wood and epoxy resin

DIY epoxy resin studs

Pendant with dandelion on a chain

To learn this art, experienced needlewomen have a few secrets:

Filling forms. The forms, which the craftsmen call molds, must be made of high quality platinum silicone. This type of molding makes it possible to control the filling at any stage, as well as to comfortably remove the product after solidification. After work, be sure to wash the molds with warm soapy water.
Temperature regime. You should know that the polymerization process is closely related to the release of heat. During a chemical reaction, the resin can be heated up to high temperature even up to 60 degrees. Please note that the form for pouring blanks must be heat-resistant.
Required consistency. Before the polymerization stage, the resin retains the properties of a viscous liquid. If dry filler is used, such as cork, wood slices or chips, it sinks down. This should be taken into account when distributing the composition.
Transparency. The main difficulty faced by beginners and experienced craftsmen is air bubbles.

To make the surface and structure of the product as transparent as possible, you can let the mixture stand for a bit and then heat it up. So the bubbles will float up, after which they can be carefully removed.

Decor use. In this matter, everything is limited only by the imagination of needlewomen. Small cones, leaves and flowers, dried flowers, glitters, rhinestones, beads are the most popular decor for making beautiful epoxy resin jewelry. Using leaves and flowers, it is better to dry them first. The classic way is like at school, between the pages of a book.

You should not save on accessories for your jewelry, the stingy, as they say, pays twice! Agree, because it is very important what the compositions nurtured with such difficulty are framed inside a transparent drop.

Video tutorial on epoxy resin

DIY epoxy jewelry

Armed with theoretical knowledge and the secrets of experienced needlewomen, you can move on to the practical part of the creative process. We offer several simple and interesting master classes for beginners in making original jewelry.

Transparent ring with grass

Mysterious DIY ring made of wood and resin

Decoration with dried flowers

To create beautiful earrings, you need high-quality epoxy resin, a beautiful dried flower of heather, forget-me-not, oak veronica or any other flowering forest herbs. You will also need a hook for earrings. We will use the simplest method without special molds.

Brooch and earrings with ferns

The blue flower pendant looks like it's alive

Round pendant with cute flowers

The algorithm of work is the following:

Let's prepare the epoxy. Strictly according to the instructions, knead all the ingredients, and then leave the resin to set the desired viscosity, for about 2-3 hours. Do not be afraid, initially a lot of air bubbles collect in the resin. After the mass settles, they gradually disappear.
We draw several stencils on a sheet of paper. You can make them of any shape, oval, round or even irregular, so the product looks more interesting.
While the mixture thickens, prepare the surface. This stage is very important, because every small speck of dust will break the delicate aesthetics of a transparent decoration. The surface should be perfectly flat, it can be covered with oilcloth or cling film on top.
We lay out our stencils on the oilcloth, and cover them with ordinary stationery files on top. We begin to pour the resin directly onto the file, distributing it according to the stencil, and adjusting the edges with a stick or a toothpick. The height of the workpiece should be equal to 2-3 centimeters. Cover the top with a domed lid.
We leave the blanks until completely solidified for a day. After we remove them from the files, they are separated from the polyethylene surface without any extra effort. We give the correct shape with a nail file or sandpaper, slightly turning the edges of the product.
We knead a new portion of the resin, and in the meantime lay out the dried flowers. We drip a little viscous mass onto the base and apply dried flowers, cover with a lid and let dry. To make the coating voluminous, like a lens, we cover it again with resin. We give the final shape with a file or sandpaper.
We drill a hole at the base with a needle and thread the fasteners. The product is ready.

Daisies on a red background

Epoxy resin and dried flower decorations

skeletal leaves

Designer bracelet

Amazing accessories with any filling are cast from epoxy resin. We offer an interesting lesson on creating an original bracelet.

Bracelet with flowers

Bracelet with weed and red berries

Bracelet with delicate flowers

Useful for work:

special mold for the bracelet;
two-component resin with hardener;
plastic container for mixing the mass;
wooden stick;
dry leaves or flowers.

Of the tools, simple toothpicks and scissors, as well as sandpaper for grouting, will come in handy.

DIY epoxy resin and wood bracelet

Let's get to work:

Wash and dry form. We knead the epoxy "dough" in the proportion indicated by the manufacturer. Stir the mass until the bubbles come to the surface.
Let's prepare a decorative filler. We cut the leaves so that they do not look out of the mold.
When the resin has thickened and settled, carefully pour it into the mold.

Filling must be done slowly, in a thin stream. The more accurately the substance is poured into the mold, the less polishing is required for the product.

Immediately lay the leaves in the resin in a circle, straightening them with a toothpick. In order for all air bubbles to come out of the resin, you can put the mold in the oven for 10 minutes, heated to 80 degrees, and then turned off.
After heating, we take out the workpiece, leave to harden.

When the decoration is frozen, remove it from the mold, grind the bumps and sharp edges with fine-grained sandpaper. To make the surface of the bracelet glossy, open it with acrylic varnish.

DIY epoxy bracelet

Colored resin products

The creative materials industry keeps pace with the development of the creative industry. Today, epoxy resin can be used to make not only transparent, like a tear, products, but also bright colored jewelry of any color of the rainbow. Jewelery of any shades made of epoxy resin and wood is especially popular. They will easily complement the image in boho style, creating a romantic mood. We offer you to create a creative miracle with your own hands by making an original and fashion accessory. In the work we will use transparent resin, pieces of acrylic, cuts from wood, luminous pigments. To shape the product you need a grinder.

Epoxy Rainbow Earrings

Let's start the process:

Prepare a sketch of the decoration on paper. Distribute the areas where the resin should be, and where wooden decor, define color transitions.
We glue the pieces of acrylic, put the cuts of wood according to the sketch on the bottom, glue them to the base so that they do not float in the resin mass.
We mix the resin and hardener in the right ratio, add a fluorescent pigment of blue or green color to the mass. If you use a simple luminous pigment, the resin will simply acquire a milky hue. With colored pigments, the product looks brighter, more original.
Knead the resin, stirring with a stick strictly in a circle so that the bubbles come to the surface. We fill the workpiece.

The polymerization time depends on several factors: room temperature, correct mixing and the ratio of ingredients.

We cover the workpiece with a lid to avoid getting dust particles on the delicate surface.

After a day, if the workpiece is frozen, we disassemble the formwork and remove the block. It's time to give it the right shape.

We level the surface with a grinder, cut out the desired shape according to the sketch, process the edges of the product.

From one block, you can make several decorations at once in the same theme for yourself, as well as as a gift for relatives and friends.

Epoxy resin jewelry is always stylish and original. Each product combines natural fragility, tenderness and the unique creative thought of the master. Having learned all the secrets of unusual art, you can create with pleasure, creating collections of unusual designer accessories.

Epoxy and paint colored glass earrings

fruit rings