How To: Preserve Important Objects in Resin (Using A Mold)

There’s a prom corsage sitting on your dresser, an opening-night movie ticket from what you think could be your all-time favorite, or a treasured childhood trinket.  Everyone has something that holds such a strong memory that they’d never be able to let it go.  If it’s something you think that, maybe, you want to protect and pass down with a story and a wish, you should consider casting it in resin.

Resin, when hardened, is a preservative casing.  It’s often used for plants and insects.  However, it works just as well for charms.  I’ve used it before to create a casing for an origami lily, which I was then able to turn into a necklace for my friend’s birthday.  Resin-cast objects make for high-grade mementos.

Materials Needed

·         Easy Cast resin and hardener (purchasable at many craft stores)

 

      ·         A resin-specific mold

·         2 plastic measuring cups

·         2 wooden stirring sticks (toothpicks work)

·         A small object you wish to preserve (make sure it will fit inside the mold)

·         Wax paper or news paper

·         Time and patience

Instructions

1.      Spread the news or wax paper out onto a clean, dry surface for protection.  (You may also wish to wear a smock over your clothes if you’re the messy type.  Any resin that spills should be cleaned up A.S.A.P.  Its sticky and you don’t want it hardening on anything.)

2.      Fill the selected mold with water, then pour that water in one measuring cup.  This should tell you how much resin mixture you will need to fill it.  Afterwards, dry both cup and mold with cloth.

3.      Divide the measurement you just took by half.  Let’s say you measured that you will need 2 tbsp of resin mixture.  In one measuring cup, you would pour 1 tbsp of the actual resin (labeled Easy Cast resin).  In the second measuring cup, you would pour 1 tbsp of hardener (labeled Easy Cast hardener).  Make sure to do all of this over your wax or news paper.

 

 

4.      Now, pour the contents of one measuring cup completely into the other.  You can use your first wooden stirrer to scrape it all out.  Still using the wooden stirrer, mix the two substances together for two minutes.  You will see small, foamy bubbles, but that’s okay.  They won’t appear in the finished piece.

5.      Pour the contents of the measuring cup back into the other measuring cup, using your second stirrer to stir for another minute.  This is called a double-mixing process.

6.      Carefully, pour this mixture into your clean mold.  DO NOT OVERFILL.  Also, leave enough space that you will be able to fit your charm inside.

 

 

7.      Place charm inside the resin mixture.  The second stirring stick can be used to position it if necessary.  For example, I am using silver sparkles and a bead.  (As a fair warning, materials placed in resin will sink to the bottom of the mold.)  If you notice bubbles, they will rise and remove themselves during the settling process.

 

 

8.      Keep your mold in a warm, dry area to harden.  It will be “soft set” in 24 hours, at which point it is removable, but easily scratched, dented, or otherwise damaged.  It will be “hard set” in 72 hours, by which point it will be more durable and should have a glassy texture.

9.      When your resin is set, bend the mold to pop the charm out.  It may take some effort.  Do not try to hack it out with a knife, lest you do damage.

10.  Your piece is finished.  Enjoy and remember well.