Friday, November 27, 2009

resin ring tutorial

Eee! A guest post! My favorite kind of post. Especially when the project is as cool as this one. I LOVE Miss London, and I adore all her amazing art. I wear my Starry Collage ring almost every day. Check out her Etsy shop for rings featuring her original paintings, plus tons of cool chipboard buttons. You'll be seeing her Deck the Halls buttons on an upcoming project from me--I love them! She also sells her paintings in her other Etsy shop, and she has a fun blog. Busy girl! Okay, enough from me. Here's London!

Hi! London here, from Such Sweet Tierney, Mandy was kind enough to ask me to guest post a fun tutorial! Today I’m going to show you how to make an easy, economic and totally unique piece of jewelry. These resin rings are a snap to make and would make the perfect handmade holiday gift.

Resin Ring Tutorial


Supplies:

1. Blank Ring trays (I buy mine on Etsy, but also eBay is another good source) The ones I use are adjustable and sterling silver coated brass, which means safe for sensitive skin…like mine!!
2. A resin or epoxy sealer. I recommend Sakura’s 3-D Crystal Laquer because it’s thick and totally clear, Diamond glaze can be substituted.
3. Heavyweight Gloss photo paper, I prefer HP.
4. Inkjet Printer
5. Photos, patterned paper, or other desired images
6. Display tray for rings or something to hold them level
7. Mod podge or other decoupage sealant
8. Paint brush
9. Scissors
10. Krylon Matte clear spray (optional)


Instructions:

1. Select images, photos or create mini collages for your base. I use photographic images of my own artwork and print them right off a word document. If using a printed image I suggest lightening it more than the desired effect as printing tends to darken such a small image. The square ring images are .87” X .87” but will vary by ring manufacturer. Set your printer to the best photo setting, print images and let dry. If using collage or patterned paper skip ahead to next step!


2. I prefer to use a krylon clear spray on both sides of the photo paper.


If you don’t have this, Mod Podge works great. Make sure your image is dry, and apply a thin coating of Mod Podge to both sides of the photo paper. Let dry 5-10 min.



3. Cut out your image and prepare ring tray by applying thin layer of Mod Podge inside. Working quickly, press image inside ring blank and evenly smooth. I use this handy little rubber tool to press down the corners and edges. I allow the image to crease up into the sides of the ring tray wall to ensure that there will be a tighter seal. A tight seal means less bubbling!



4. Allow ring to dry for 15-20 minutes.

5. Once dry, arrange in display tray or surface where the ring tops can sit level. You don’t want them to be lop-sided!


6. To fill the rings, tip bottle of epoxy all the way up and try to let the epoxy come out naturally instead of squeezing. This will reduce the bubbling. If your epoxy does not come out try cutting the tip wider. Fill each tray until the epoxy creates a dimensional “dome” on top of your ring.




7. Watch over your rings for about an hour as they start to harden. Use a toothpick, needle or bobby pin to pop bubbles that form in the epoxy. Epoxy will be hard to touch in 24 hours. Let harden for 5-7 days before wearing.

8. If you discover a large bubble or other imperfection after the initial 24 hours, the epoxy is still soft enough inside to easily remove/peel from the tray so that you may re-use the ring base.



Thanks for joining me in this fun project! Don’t forget to show and tell!

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17 Comments

17 Responses to “resin ring tutorial”

Janice said...

What a cool idea. I don't have any rings but I think I have some brooch backs that would work for this.

michelle@somedaycrafts said...

super cool idea! I can envision some really cute rings!

Unknown said...

Great idea! Thanks for sharing.

Janice said...

I did have some brooches and I adapted your idea to the materials I had to hand you can see what I made HERE

Wendy @ Ramblings from the Sunshine State said...

Those are neat!

Cindy Lietz, Polymer Clay Tutor said...

Great tutorial! It's nice to know the resin is removable after 24hrs should it have something wrong with it. I would hate to have a nice bezel wrecked by a mistake! Thanks for giving us your tips!

Ricki said...

Possibly the coolest project EVER!

Inbaraj said...

I am Inbaraj new visitor to ur sites. Then Yours blog looking very good carry nice tips and information

Unknown said...

Love. Those are so cool!

Vanessa said...

Thank you! I have a resin ring and have always wondered how difficult they would be to make on my own. Now I have another great project to add to the list!

Anonymous said...

HI thanks so much..question about the pics into the size not sure how to get these at the sz I need..any suggestions

Roberts said...

If I wanted to do the bottle cap necklaces on the Esty website do you think it would have the same effect? I am doing them for my daughter for her friend gifts and because of $$ the bottle cap necklaces are more cost friendly. Thanks

Rachel@oneprettything.com said...

These are so pretty! Thanks tons for the tutorial. I'll be linking to this.

Anonymous said...

Does your rings rust? Which buyer did you buy from in etsy?

Unknown said...

Hello! I linked one of your projects to my blog. If it’s not ok with you, let me know and I will remove links and pics asap.
http://cecrisicecrisi.blogspot.it/2012/06/13-tutorial-fai-da-te-per-realizzare-un.html
Take care, alex

Unknown said...

Nice, easy tutorial, this is my next project. Thanks

Vee_Bookish said...

Thank you so much for this tutorial, I'm currently waiting for my project thing to dry and it looks AMAZING.

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