Working with Resin - Making Book Page Pendants

Book page pendants aren't easy to make.   They seem simple, but trial-and-error has taught me a few things.

First you need your supplies:

Bezels

Resin

Mixing measuring cups and stirrers

What you are putting in the bezels

Scissors or punch cutters

I tend to get the pre-measured resin even though I get less resin for more price.  I won't have to measure it out - just make certain I use even pressure when injecting the resin into the mixing cup.

Even pre-measured things can affect how the resin hardens, or doesn't harden.  Too much of the yellow side (I'm blanking on what it's called) and the resin will not harden.  Too high humidity will impact how long it takes to set. 

You also need to be in a well-ventilated room. Or outside.

Step one - Prep your bezels and book pages. 

This means a glue or paper sealer.  Apply the sealer to the bezel.  Position your book page in the bezel - do this now before the based sealer dries.  *Apply the first coat of paper sealer to the book page. It's a good idea to apply some sealer in the corners and the sides.

**Then wait.  That first sandwich coat has to dry.

*Repeat with second coat. **Repeat

*Repeat with third coat.  **Repeat

That can be anywhere from an hour to three per waiting session.  The sealer has to dry.  Otherwise you get gloppy spots.

Step Two - As stated before - in a well-ventilated room, mix equal parts of the resin mixture (or whatever your resin calls for) together and mix for two minutes or until it is clear.

Step Three - Pour carefully into the bezels.

You may notice some bubbles.  Give it a few moments; many of the bubbles will pop on their own.  Some of the bigger bubbles will need to be popped.  If you use a needle clean the resin off between each bubble.  Blowing gently on the resin will also pop them.  Something technical  about the carbon dioxide.

But don't breath in the fumes.  If you get it on your hands wash it off.  On your clothes, carpet, etc - good luck.  Hot water (from the other post) and soap will only go so far.

And read the warning labels. 

 Step Four - Wait 24 hours.  Gently touch.  If still sticky, wait 24 more hours.  If still sticky, carefully pour another thin layer over the resin that did not sit and begin the waiting process over again. 



As you can tell, even with three coats of sealer sometimes the resin will still find a way to touch the paper.  Hence the water looking mark on the Green Gables bezel.

If something went wrong - like with the Green Gables pendant, see this blog post on how to remove resin from bezels.  Removing Resin

You might decide resin isn't for you after all.  There's no harm in helping support the artists and makers who do work with resin and have worked to perfect their skills.

Alicia