Thursday, March 7, 2013

Tips N Tricks: Fixing Resin "Oopsies"

Hi all!  I know a lot of you have read my "not-really-a-tutorial" on how I make my pendants because I've gotten some great feedback from you.  As an addendum, here's a tip/trick for when good pours go bad (and how I fix them).

Sometimes, no matter how careful I am, some resin will spill over the edge of my glass tile and adhere to the front.
You can see where the resin spilled over the edge and onto the
front of this glass tile (which will be an art pendant for my friend Jenn!)
 If the spillover is thick enough, it can be peeled off cleanly and with relative ease after about 12 hours of curing time (the resin will be dry, but still pliable).  If only a tiny amount of resin has gotten on the front of the glass, it leaves a cloudy residue that doesn't peel up.

Don't use anything abrasive - it might scratch or damage the glass tile.  Do this instead:
Rubbing alcohol is your friend when you're working with sticky resin!
  • Soak a cotton pad, folded paper towel or rag with rubbing (isopropyl 70 or 90%) alcohol
  • Set the tile face-down into the soaked pad and allow it to sit for a few minutes 
  • Gently rub the surface with a paper towel to remove the softened resin (if you notice the resin isn't dissolving, add more alcohol to your pad and start over)
  • Be very careful not to get alcohol onto the finished resin coating the back, and only hold the tile by the edges so you don't press fingerprints into the resin which still may be soft
With some patience, the alcohol, and some gentle rubbing with your fingernails and the paper towel, the unwanted residue will come right off the glass.
Now the glass tile is so shiny, you can see my
yard reflected in it.  Yay!
The resin on the back needs to cure for another 12-72
hours, and then I can add a bail and ship the pendant

I hope this little tip helps.  Be sure to check around for more of my tips and tutorials (there are links at the top of my blog) if you want to know more about mixing resin or sealing paper before pouring resin.  There are also tutorials on crafts and various techniques I use in my paintings.  Enjoy!

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