How to Make Resin Jewelry
Making your own jewelry is a lot of fun and you can come up with many interesting and creative designs. If you are thinking of making fashion jewelry that is unique and one of its kind, then how about trying your hand in making resin jewelry. Resin is fast becoming one of the most popular materials for creating fashion jewelry. There are many different varieties of resin available from epoxy to polyurethane which can be colored to match your jewelry design. Resin is basically a liquefied form of plastic that hardens when mixed with a hardener. Resin jewelry making is not a very complicated process and it is usually made by pouring resin into preset rubber or silicon molds.
How to Make Epoxy Resin Jewelry
For resin jewelry making, you do not need any special skills. All you need are the right supplies and a lot of creativity. Make sure that you work in a well ventilated room as the fumes from the resin can be harmful. If you are wondering how to make resin photo jewelry then you need to enclose a small photograph in a epoxy bezel and set it with resin for a beautiful finish. Given below is a resin pendant making project.
Things required
- Resin and hardener
- Balsa wood strip, 1/8 inch thick
- 1 jump ring
- Sandpaper
- Spray adhesive
- Work gloves
- Two bamboo skewers
- Scissors
- Bowl
- Aluminum can
- Hammer
- Small paintbrush
- Plastic container
- Ruler
- Wood stir stick
- Black marker
- Drill and 1/16-inch drill bit
The first step in making resin jewelry is to wear the protective gloves and then cut the top and the bottom ends of the aluminum can with the scissors. You can also use a can opener for a neater job. Once you have the hollow cylinder in hand, mark a straight line from one end of the cylinder to the other. Cut along this line and then flatten the aluminum can so that you are left with a rectangular tin sheet. To keep the aluminum from rolling around the edges, just flatten the edges by tapping with a hammer. Mark a rectangular shape on the rectangular sheet of aluminum with the marker and then cut the piece out with scissors. Since the edges of the aluminum piece will be quite sharp, make sure that you handle it carefully.
With the help of sandpaper, sand one side of the rectangular aluminum piece making sure that the piece is rough to touch. Spray adhesive over the aluminum piece and glue it to the balsa wood strip. Once the wood piece is secure with the aluminum metal piece, cut the excess wood around the aluminum piece. With a fine grit sandpaper, sand the edges of the wood strip and color the sides of the wood with black marker to give it a neat appearance.
In a plastic container combine the resin and hardener and mix it with a long wood stir stick. Once the resin has become a little malleable and tacky, apply a thin layer of resin on the surface of the rectangular aluminum piece. You can either use a paint brush or a bamboo skewer to apply the resin on the piece. Make sure that you apply the resin evenly or you will be left with an uneven coating. Now cover the resin piece with a bowl, so that dust and dirt does not settle on the surface of the resin jewelry. Let the piece dry naturally for three days and then drill a hole at the top edge of the pendant. Attach a jumpring to the back of the pendant piece and then string a silver chain through it. Your resin pendant is ready and now you can wear this beautiful piece of resin jewelry.
You can add color, sequins and glitter in the resin to make your unique handmade jewelry more attractive. If you are wondering how to make clear resin jewelry, then the procedure is the same.
