For the fair sex, gifts and pleasant surprises are of great importance. Of particular value are gifts made to order or with their own hands. Jewelry in this list is far from the last place. Beautiful jewelry made by the donor himself will be much more valuable than the most pretentious and expensive headsets.
One of the most popular trends of our time are bracelets, pendants, brooches, rings and earrings made of epoxy resin. You can make such beauty at home. We will discuss how to do this and what will be required today.
Application of epoxy resin
The polymer material, known for its accessibility and ease of handling, is a transparent liquid with hardeners and other chemicals in the composition. It is widely used in various fields of activity: in the repair of automobile parts, the manufacture of furniture and interior items, in delicate painstaking work, for example, in the creation of unique jewelry.
The quality of the finished decoration depends on the source material. The more transparent the epoxy resin, the more beautiful and elegant the result looks.
For decorative products, special complex sets are sold in the departments for creativity. It has been verified that the price directly affects the quality. The more expensive, the more transparent the finished product will be.
What will it take to work
In order to make earrings with a unique pattern at home, you will need:
- Epoxy resin for creativity. It is sold as a ready-made kit (liquid and hardener) in the decoration departments.
- Mixing container, for example, a plastic cup.
- Wooden sticks (spatulas) for stirring the mixture.
- Measuring spoons or scales to control the uniform weight and volume of jewelry.
- Natural materials, such as dried flowers or printed images.
- Heat-resistant mold for filling of good quality (mold).
- Epoxy resin varnish.
- Accessories.
- A small diameter drill bit to drill holes in the earrings.
- Sandpaper or Dremel for grinding.
- Additional components (paint, tweezers, dried flowers, etc.).
When creating jewelry, you may need anything. Therefore, the ornament of the finished product depends entirely on the imagination of the author. Despite the relative safety of working with the polymer, certain precautions should still be observed.
Safety
Epoxy resin is a polymer material that is quite safe to work with. But still, while working, you should adhere to some rules:
- Perform manipulations with epoxy only in a well-ventilated room.
- Work in rubber gloves, try to avoid contact with exposed skin and mucous membranes.
- Turning and grinding of the product should be carried out in respiratory protection equipment (respirators, tight bandages).
- Do not allow the epoxy resin to come into contact with food.
- In case of contact with mucous membranes, rinse the affected area under the pressure of running water.
Compliance with these rules will allow you to perform all the steps for the manufacture of earrings from epoxy resin without negative effects on the body.
Following safety precautions when working with polymer material does not distract from the process, but guarantees quality and makes it possible to comply with the correct and clear manufacturing algorithm.
Preparation of components
The preparatory stage consists in the correct mixing of the polymer composition. The finished set contains detailed instructions for working with the material. The instructions prescribe the necessary proportions for the preparation of the liquid. Depending on the manufacturer, the mixing proportions may vary.
After combining the components, they must be thoroughly and slowly mixed for five minutes. A wooden stick or spatula is used for mixing. In the process of mixing, air bubbles may form, which it is desirable to squeeze out with the same wooden spatula or simply let the mixture settle. The fewer bubbles, the stronger and more beautiful the finished product. As soon as the mixture has become transparent, you can start the process.
Additional preparations may be the coloring of the epoxy mixture, as well as the preparation of natural materials that will be poured into the mold.
Online stores sell special dyes for epoxy resins in a variety of colors, but colors for alkyd paints are also suitable.
We leave the resulting mixture for 2-3 hours to thicken. While we are preparing drawings or stencils for future earrings.
Creating the foundation
A carefully prepared surface for work should be smooth, without the slightest lint or dust. Then the transparency of the jewelry will be higher, and the view will be cleaner.
To create a form, you can use ready-made stencils, you can print the desired pattern on a simple printer.
A thin layer of epoxy is poured into the prepared mold, after which decorative elements are placed on top. For voluminous earrings, you will need to lay a dried flower or other natural material on the bottom of the mold. It is more convenient to work with tweezers.
The molds are made of silicone. They are usually small in size.
When preparing natural material, it is necessary to make sure that the blanks are exceptionally dry.
The blanks are left until the resin dries completely. The minimum time for freezing is 12 hours, ideally we are waiting for a day (24 hours). Depending on the recommendations of the epoxy resin manufacturer, this time may be 2-3 days.
Shaping
Frozen components are carefully checked for the presence of villi, cracks and other flaws. After making sure that there are no defects, perform the final fill. To do this, a new portion of resin is diluted and the required amount is poured into molds.
For volumetric jewelry, it is recommended to fill the polymer composition to the brim. During the solidification process, the epoxy shrinks, which is why the volume decreases.
The blanks are again left to dry completely for 12-24 hours.
Final processing
After the resin has completely solidified, the resulting molds are washed with running water, wiped dry and proceed to final processing.
To do this, using sandpaper, stone or apparatus, the surface of the finished jewelry is carefully sanded, holes for seams are drilled with a thin drill, after which they are washed again and, if necessary, covered with a colorless varnish.
A shvenza is a hook that is inserted into the ear when wearing earrings.
Almost everyone who is fond of making jewelry from epoxy made a master class of this process.
You can buy ready-made epoxy resin earrings at souvenir points of sale and in online stores. However, it is more interesting to make such jewelry with your own hands.
Epoxy resin jewelry is quite popular. The demand for them does not fall for a long time, they are also easy and affordable to buy or make with your own hands. Components for creativity are widely available, anyone can purchase them.
The ornament of such products can be absolutely any, no one has canceled the flight of fancy. The pattern is most often paper, dried flowers, leaves or pieces of wood. Beauty does not always require sacrifices, sometimes you can even enjoy creating it.
