In my recent post on how I indulged my insanity created a clear resin bowl with a Peridot swirl, I promised to share how I devised a way to position the Peridot (or anything else) in a pattern within the resin.
Problems With Positioning Items Within Resin
The challenge is when you want to suspend or place something inside the clear resin in a specific position or pattern. The minute you place something heavy into resin it sinks straight to the bottom. And when you place something very light (like a photo) in the resin it floats to the top, or sideways.
My vision was to create a clear resin bowl with a strip of Peridot stones starting from the base of the bowl and swirling around the bowl up to the top. I had to put my creative mind into overdrive to come up with a way to achieve this look.
An Accidental Discovery…
While I was creating my first resin bowl, I found out very much by accident that at a certain stage of the hardening process the resin reaches a point where it is fairly formed but completely flexible and manipulatable.
…Gave Me A Great Idea
This gave me an idea. If I could find something to use as a very shallow, narrow form I could pour the resin into it, let it get to the formed/flexible stage and press the Peridot stones into the resin. I felt sure I could then peel the whole thing out of the form and position it any way I wanted it on the inside of my silicone mold for the bowl.
It Seems Like 90% Of Things I Need I Find In My Kitchen!
I wracked my brains and scoured my kitchen for something to use. I latched onto the idea of using the crevice in one of my Tupperware lids, but I had a certain shape in mind. I settled on a large cover from a plastic bucket with a flat, shallow indentation all around the edge.
Hindsight Is…Too Late For Me, But Good News For You!
In hindsight, the next time I do this I will make a silicone mold of whatever surface I am using for the resin. I figured since my cover was smooth plastic the resin would slip right out. It ended up being a little more difficult than it should have been.
Executing The Idea
I mixed up a batch of resin and very slowly poured it into the indentation of the plastic lid, being careful not to let it overflow. I waited a few hours until the resin had reached the stage I wanted and I carefully started pressing Peridot stones into the resin, just hard enough that they would stick. I did not want to push them all the way through the resin.
Placing The Ribbon of Resin in The Mold
I waited just a little bit to give the stones a chance to take hold and then I very carefully started lifting the ribbon of resin and Peridot from the lid crevice. As always, wear gloves, but for sure this required it! From there I positioned the resin exactly where I wanted it, pressing it firmly to the inside of the large silicone mold I was using for my bowl. The ribbon broke a few times, but I just continued to press it into place.
Note: Be sure to place the resin side of the ribbon in contact with the silicone.
Pour The Resin For The Bowl
After the resin strip was placed inside the silicone mold, I put the smaller silicone mold inside the larger one and filled it with rice to keep it in place. I then mixed up a large batch of resin and poured it in between the two silicone molds. Now it was time for the REALLY hard part. I had to let it cure for 24 hours without peeking.
The Big Reveal!
The next day I removed the silicone molds and revealed my silicone bowl. Guys, IT WORKED! The technique had produced a swirl pattern inside my resin bowl!
Apply The Same Basic Technique To Other Add-Ins
The same sort of technique works for other objects as well. It is as simple as finding something shallow and the general size of your object as a makeshift mold and then following the rest of the steps. It works great for placing photos exactly where you want them inside your resin project. For any paper item, remember to first seal it with several thin layers of clear drying glue or sealer before placing it into the resin.
Let Me Know If You Try This Method!
As always, I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and learned something new! This project really challenged my creativity and problem-solving skills but as always…
“She Believed She Could Do It, So She Did” (….and so can you!)
You May Also Like
