A little while back I posted about receiving my UV resin and ultraviolet lamp to try out. I finally got around to testing it.
I had to install the bulb into the lamp but fortunately it was easy because the whole top comes off. The lamp didn't look all that sturdy online but I was pleasantly surprised to find it has some weight to it. The open area is mirrored, I imagine to bounce the light around.
The resin is called Gel du Soleil. It's not cheap but it sounded so convenient. The packaging said 15 minutes under the lamp to set up. They recommend multiple thin layers I purchased the smallest bottle available just in case I didn't like it.
I chose a oval silver plated pendant and some chiyogami paper for my test. I cut the paper to size and did a couple of coats of Mod Podge to seal the dyes in the paper. It took longer to dry then normal because we were having lots of rain when I decided to try this out. Once the paper was dry I glued it in to the bottom of the pendant and allowed that to dry, it took about an hour in the damp air.
This pendant is fairly deep so I followed the directions and planned several layers. One of the things that attracted me to this resin is the fact that there is no mixing. All you have to do is drip it into the pendant.
I had watched several videos and one recommended waiting 15 minutes to allow any bubbles to come to the surface. After the 15 minutes I used a bbq lighter very lightly. Just hovered quickly over the surface of the resin to cause any air bubbles to burst. (I don't recommend this, you can also use a heat gun) If you use a heat gun be careful not to blow the resin out of the bezel.
Once the 15 minutes were up I put the pendant into the lamp and turned it on. I then walked away so I wouldn't be tempted to touch. I am really impatient. After time was up I took it out and sure enough, I had dry but warm resin. Wow, 15 minutes instead of days. I love that.
I did two more shallow fills, I didn't want to mess up. This resin is so easy to work with. I will note that it does have more odor then some craft resin but not a smelly as the industrial resins. It wasn't bad enough to be a bother but I did open a window. I think ventilation is always good to practice.
I decided to add a Sworovski crystal element charm in the last layer of resin. It looks like it is floating.
These last two photos are the completed resin. I am really happy with the way it turned out. I will be keeping this resin on hand as much as possible. I can still see where the two part resins would be good for some things but for now this is my favorite.
I would love to hear what everyone else is using.
I had to install the bulb into the lamp but fortunately it was easy because the whole top comes off. The lamp didn't look all that sturdy online but I was pleasantly surprised to find it has some weight to it. The open area is mirrored, I imagine to bounce the light around.
The resin is called Gel du Soleil. It's not cheap but it sounded so convenient. The packaging said 15 minutes under the lamp to set up. They recommend multiple thin layers I purchased the smallest bottle available just in case I didn't like it.
 |
| Lamp and resin |
I chose a oval silver plated pendant and some chiyogami paper for my test. I cut the paper to size and did a couple of coats of Mod Podge to seal the dyes in the paper. It took longer to dry then normal because we were having lots of rain when I decided to try this out. Once the paper was dry I glued it in to the bottom of the pendant and allowed that to dry, it took about an hour in the damp air.
This pendant is fairly deep so I followed the directions and planned several layers. One of the things that attracted me to this resin is the fact that there is no mixing. All you have to do is drip it into the pendant.
I had watched several videos and one recommended waiting 15 minutes to allow any bubbles to come to the surface. After the 15 minutes I used a bbq lighter very lightly. Just hovered quickly over the surface of the resin to cause any air bubbles to burst. (I don't recommend this, you can also use a heat gun) If you use a heat gun be careful not to blow the resin out of the bezel.
 |
| filled bezel on toothpicks to keep it level |
Once the 15 minutes were up I put the pendant into the lamp and turned it on. I then walked away so I wouldn't be tempted to touch. I am really impatient. After time was up I took it out and sure enough, I had dry but warm resin. Wow, 15 minutes instead of days. I love that.
I did two more shallow fills, I didn't want to mess up. This resin is so easy to work with. I will note that it does have more odor then some craft resin but not a smelly as the industrial resins. It wasn't bad enough to be a bother but I did open a window. I think ventilation is always good to practice.
I decided to add a Sworovski crystal element charm in the last layer of resin. It looks like it is floating.
These last two photos are the completed resin. I am really happy with the way it turned out. I will be keeping this resin on hand as much as possible. I can still see where the two part resins would be good for some things but for now this is my favorite.
I would love to hear what everyone else is using.
17 comments:
that turned out lovely thanks for sharing
What a cool way to speed up your work process!
Thank you so much for posting about this. I'm really fascinated! I'm not sure what I want to use resin on again, but its so helpful to know what my options are.
You can see some of my resin play here: http://studiotau.blogspot.com/2008/10/experimenting.html
very cool! thanks for showing this!!
Cool! I was thinking of trying this stuff at some point too.
I do recommend giving this stuff a try, it's pretty awesome.
Tau, I was thinking of doing something similar to your butterfly with fabric flower sculpture we'll see if I get around to it. Surgery first :)
It turned out great! Good job! Thanks for sharing. I played around with resin a little bit before, but I didn't spend too much time on it. Your post got me thinking, maybe I should bring it out again...
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That's so great that you got it to work! That pendant came out lovely.
♥
Grace
www.helloagainvintage.blogspot.com
I've noticed a couple different brands of uv resin around the web. I'm curious if they are really unique or just the same re-packaaged
I haven't tried UV resin, but my single experiment with "standard" 2-part resin was disappointing. Even in my dry climate, the pieces remained tacky for nearly two weeks. Combined with the difficulty of removing them from the mold (which I had sprayed with mold-release), I gave up after that one attempt. Perhaps I'll try again someday.
The two part resins are definitely tricky. I had a couple pendants that were still sticky after a week and I was able to save them by applying a layer of the uv resin over the top. That said if you are filling a bunch of deep pendants this stuff can get pricey quick so it will bring up the cost of supplies quickly.
Wow! That is gorgeous! I never knew how the did that!
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Well this is interesting, I know so little about creating things, this is beautiful.
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This is awesome!
I love the layers!
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Mary C. Nasser
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Pretty pendant! Thanks for sharing your process.
Thank you for information!
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