Cast resin ring
Issue #34
Craft-off Contest: first place
By Laurie Freivogel
Published: December 1st, 2007 | 2:59pm
Laurie Freivogel has been crafting since she was young (remember latch-hook rugs?) but hadn't made anything in years, unless you count her two kids. After visiting and being inspired by a DEPART-ment craft sale in Chicago in 2004, she launched her fused-glass business, kiku handmade (kiku-co.com). Freivogel is now crafting full time, along with co-organizing DEPART-ment. She’s no longer making children.
Skill level: senior
Total Cost: $39 (makes 12 rings)
Supplies
• polyester casting resin and catalyst (about $20)
• transparent resin dyes (about $5)
• silicone ice cube tray for mold (about $10)
• something to embed in resin (free!). Here, we use computer chips that that we cut into circles, but you can use just about anything, such as wood, buttons, little plastic figures, or glitter.
• rotary tool and sander bit
• sanding disc pad for drill and sanding discs (150 and 500 grit)
• extra fine (600+) sanding pad (you can usually get this in the automotive section of a hardware store)
• really good respirator or air mask
Tools
• craft sticks, chopsticks, or something to stir with that won't be reusable
• plastic cups
• drill press (use a drill bit that is a little smaller than your finger. We used a spade bit.)
• locking pliers
• buffing wheel and plastic buffing compound to polish (it's white)
Go to it
1. Be safe: Put on your respirator. In a plastic cup, mix the resin with the pigment, and then add a few drops of catalyst per instructions to harden it.
2. Pour into mold a little more than 3/4 full (you want the resin to cover the embed by about 1/8 inch).
3. Let that harden for about an hour. It should be at a firm gel stage. Then place your embed in the center.
4. Mix some more resin and catalyst (this time with no color added), and pour over the top and let harden for 12 to 24 hours.
5. When it's ready, pop them out of the tray, and then measure where you want the ring hole. Make sure the drill bit will not hit the embed, but also allow enough room on the bottom for the shank to be about 1/8-inch thick so it won't break.
6. Place the cube on its side, hold it with the locking pliers, and drill the hole. If needed, sand the inside with a rotary tool to enlarge the hole to fit.
7. Attach the sanding disc pad to the drill press and put on the 150-grit sanding disc. Start sanding it down to the rough shape you want, and then switch to 500 grit paper to make it the exact shape and nearly the smoothness you want.
8. Sand by hand with extra-fine pad to remove the rough edges and scratches.
9. Attach buffing wheel to drill press and turn it on. Hold the plastic buffing compound up to the wheel as it's spinning to get the compound on the wheel, and then do the same with the ring to buff it until it's nice and shiny.
Comments
Please login to be able to comment on this article.
more