Resin and Having An Intelligence Crisis

Ok, I decided I wanted to mess with resin. It's just so cool and you can do all this fun stuff. I really want to embed things. Maybe Ipo. Well, maybe not. But other stuff. :)

So, a couple things happened here. The first was... I thought ahead. BIG mistake. Sigh..... First I decide that, because resin molds are so expensive, I will make my own. Ok. I buy the Composimold (see previous posts here). This is cool stuff. I get the transparent one and blog about it. Then, I received the other one which appears to be an exact duplicate even though it is a different formula. Ok, what is going on here? Both are transparent and both work very well. The second jar is somewhat sturdier but not all that different from the transparent. Ok, the upshot here is that I now have 2 jars of Composimold. This is a good thing.

WHAT, you query, does all this have to do with resin? Patience. I am making a long story... long.

Ok, now, I decide that I want to make a resin bangle. Now, Sherri Haab has this great book on resin. On the front are really cool bangles. I wants them! I loves them! I will makes them! :) I have LOTR issues. :D

So... because I live in the great state of Hawaii.... nobody here has ever heard of Envirotex Lite. WHY does this surprise me? So... what to do? Internet. I find www.objectsandelements.com. They are selling ICE resin. [See previous post here. ;)] I buy some. Holy bat snot! $25.00! PLUS shipping! Yikes. But... I reallyreallyreally want a resin bangle. I buy the ICE. Resin...ICE resin! That's for all the law enforcement people reading this. :D

Then, I let it sit on my table for weeks as I am afraid to try it. I have read all the posts about it being so messy and all the problems with resin, etc. I also read all the direful warnings on dropping dead if it isn't 72.3 degrees and that you HAVE to have gloves and a Hazmat suit and respirator and maybe the entire FEMA team behind you... just in case. Jeez.

I finally said... screw it. If I am done in by resin... so be it. I chance 'um. I pour this stuff all by myself. No Hazmat teams standing by, no gloves, no respirators, no temp controls. I just take a chance. Lo and behold! Here I am! Nothing dire happened. No mess. No fumes. No nothing. It was so easy and all I really needed were some paper napkins to wipe up drips.

Ok, back to the Composimold. :D Now, as you know, I have 2 jars of differing formulas. I have decided to mold the plaid/puce bangle {see previous posts here}. So, I gets out my directions and follow them... sorta.

Now... the directions say to put my bangle in a cup and pour the mold compound around it. Ok, I can do that. A couple things happen. One, I don't have enough mold compound so ...GASP... I MIX the 2 types together! Yikes! Is this like "crossing the beams' from Ghost Busters? Will universes collide? I chance 'um. Nothing explodes so I figure I am good to go.

I spend 20 minutes trying to find JUST the perfect container. Meanwhile, the mold compound is thinking about doing its solidifying thing while dripping all over hell and gone while I transfer the puce bangle from container to container trying to find the right size so the compound will cover the bangle. I am freaking out. I simply don't have enough compound no matter what. Sorta.

Finally I find the perfect container and bury the sucker. This is the plaid/puce bangle. Whrew. It is now encased in compound then... aaarrrgggghhhh! The intelligence crisis!

Just exactly HOW am I going to get this thing out of the mold? Crap. I am stymied. 2 days go by while I think that I now have a puce/plaid centerpiece. Encased in rubbery mold goop. Swell. Unless I change our home decor to puce and elephant gray, this new centerpiece will simply NOT do. :(

So, this morning, I rise. I am bright eyed and bushy tailed and ready to take on mold compound. Ok, I get out the serrated knife that Stan says he uses when he cuts the compound. Now, Stan is the owner. He oughta know, right? I have a serrated knife circa 1979. It bounces off the Composimold. Swell. I betcha Stan's knife is newer. And sharper.

I get out the heavy artillery. Hah. I have KNIVES! Oh brother. Now, you have to picture this. I have a plastic container from the grocery store. It is now filled with one plaid/puce bangle and a pound of mold goop. I had to cut the freaking container off the goop because I forgot to use mold release. Now, I have a perfect replica of the container. Inside, I can clearly see the puce bangle. HOW am I going to get this thing out and still be able to use the mold? I suppose I could cut it in half but it's a bangle! I don't want it to have a seam. Sigh...............

I finally manage to hack a layer off and peel out the bangle. Holy crap! I have a bangle mold! It's slightly wobbly as I have 9/10's of a pound of mold stuff inside the bangle and about 1/43rd of an inch of stuff surrounding the bangle. This will be fun.

Now, I brave the ICE. I get all set up. Banish the cats and I am READY! I measure exactly, all the while, living in fear of being off 1 millionth of an inch. Worlds WILL collide if you don't measure PRECISELY! But, it seems to be ok so I stir gently for the requisite 2 minutes. Then I add my powders. Oh boy! This is so pretty! I pour the stuff into my wobbly mold and lo and behold... the measurement is perfect! No waste. The mold holds! It doesn't collapse! So, I go back to the directions... WHAT!!!!! Oh NO!!!!!!

Bat snot! I have to wait until tomorrow to see what my bangle looks like! Two things have happened here. One, I have NO idea if I have the dread air bubbles in my bangle and two, I have no idea if the 24 hour waiting time applies equally to a small pair of earrings as well as a fat puce bangle. HOW will I know? What if I believe them and take the bangle out of the mold only to find that once out, it melts all over my table? The directions firmly state that you will NOT touch the resin as you will NOT want to leave fingerprints. I am living in fear. This is NOT good. And now.... you will have to wait until tomorrow to find out what happened! :D And, you wanna know the worst thing? The bangle was always too big for me. It's going to come out great and I have to mail it to Ginger. Sigh....................... :D