Crafting with 2-part Epoxy Resin

Epoxy resin can add a beautiful and protective shiny coating to handcrafted jewelry and other items.

BUT it can also be scary to work with for someone who hasn’t used it before.

This instructable aims to reduce some of that fear while also reminding the user that these are chemicals and need to be used with respect.

Step 1 Gather your materials

You will need:

2-part epoxy resin mix
I used Easycast Clear Casting Epoxy, others that are popular include Envirotex lite, ICE Resin and Glaze Coat Epoxy Sealer.

Disposable stir sticks
I usually use (unused) popsicle sticks but as you can see from the pictures, I also use the other end of the paint brushes I used the last time I coated jewelry. I also use either sticks or paint brushes to smooth the resin out to the edges of the item I am covering.

Plastic cups
Find ones that have ridges so that it is easy to get an equal amount of each part of the epoxy mix. Others use cups like those used at the Dentist office.

Wax paper
Epoxy resin is not suppose to stick to it, though I have found that if it gets warm enough it will stick to the bottom of the item, and is then easily sanded off.

Elmer's Glue
This is used to hold items so that they don't float in the resin and also helps to seal in any paper so that you don't get a translucent look if you weren't looking for it.

Craft heat gun
This is used to remove bubbles. If you want to be even surer of bubble removal, a small propane torch or even gently blowing through a straw works as the carbon dioxide draws out the bubbles.

Disposable gloves
To be even safer protective glasses and a mask are recommended by some, though I haven’t used them.

A mold
Or base to put the resin on.

A level
Not shown but is a great idea as resin is self-leveling.