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Friday, January 13, 2012

EasyCast in Bracelet Molds - Part TWO

Okay!  Whew!
My bracelets are out of the molds and I have sanded away a lot of the rough edges!  
They are starting to look really great!

I now have a tip to share.  It is really important to try not to overfill your molds...like I did in this picture.  Sometimes it is unavoidable I know.  These areas become a lot of work later when you have to sand them away.

My second big tip.  If you really want to learn more about resin I highly recommend Sherri Haab's book/DVD.  She does a great job showing you how to make bracelets!


Sherri taught me how to sand away your rough edges by using a series of fine sandpaper.  I bought mine in the hardware store and used four different grades of sandpaper...from fine to extra fine.  They came as a set.  I also wet my sandpaper and worked in my laundry sink.  This way I did not create any resin dust.

You can see that the areas I sanded are dull now.
My super fine sandpaper did an amazing job...but I still see some scratches.

 Sherri uses carnauba wax as a final polish.  I have already stared this and I can see it filling in all my fine lines.  I need a little more time to finish polishing these pieces to perfection though.  I'll make that step THREE.  By the way, buying carnauba wax out of the standard car waxing season means no sale price.  This big old can was $25!  I couldn't find a small bottle or a smaller can.

Hand polishing will take a little time and some hand strength.  I am coveting a machine to do this work for me.  However, more than likely you don't have a machine...so I need to see if I can get this all shiny and polished with no tools.  (If I was going to make bracelets all the time though...this type of a machine would be in my shopping cart.)

12 comments:

  1. UnknownJanuary 13, 2012 at 9:05 AM

    These turned out fabulous -- as I knew they would. Love the car polish tip!!!

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  2. PeggyJanuary 13, 2012 at 9:29 AM

    Hey we have a grinder like that so now all I need to pick up is some buffing pads. We got ours at a yard sale for pretty cheap... maybe $5 at the most with a number of other tools as well. So keep an eye out this summer and you might find something.

    ReplyDelete
  3. junehJanuary 13, 2012 at 9:37 AM

    Could you use a dremel with a polishing tip to do the job too???

    ReplyDelete
  4. sallaJanuary 13, 2012 at 9:41 AM

    alternate options to get rid of the sanding marks include coating with clear nail polish or with more resin.

    And definately, a dremel with a polishing wheel attachment would work for small, infrequent jobs.

    Note on polishing wheels: Keep a seperate wheel for each type of polishing compound you use and never mix them up!

    hmmm... I wonder what going through a tumbler with steel shot would do to resin...

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  5. Carmi CimicataJanuary 13, 2012 at 9:42 AM

    Hi Peggy, Sherri has some great tips in her book about these buffing wheels...you need a machine with a slow speed since resin is plastic and you don't want to heat it up. I wish I had one to test! They are not too expensive, so I might make the investment!
    June, you are right about the dremel too! I have a mini muslin polishing wheel as an accessories item, so that I will definitely try this weekend too...at a slow speed!

    ReplyDelete
  6. DeborahRead.comJanuary 13, 2012 at 11:34 AM

    Yes try re coating with foam brush some resin onto the bracelet. Try harbor freight tools for a buffing machine - about 89.00 plus they have buffing pads etc.. I make my own wax which is like renaissance wax with some beeswax pellets and some naptha (like acetone) (home depot)
    Try transparencies for images both color and black and white to suspend in the resin.

    ReplyDelete
  7. ChrisJanuary 13, 2012 at 12:02 PM

    These look really cool! Nice job Carmi!

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  8. Myléne HillamJanuary 13, 2012 at 10:45 PM

    Great result Carmi. If the wax treatment doesn't fill those scratches then try Micro Mesh polishing cloths before the wax. Start at 1500grit and work your way through the 9 grades until you get to the superfine 12000grit. It's a bit of effort but totally worth it when you see ALL those scratch marks disappear. Then you can use the polishing cream to buff to a super high shine!

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  9. UnknownJanuary 14, 2012 at 8:11 AM

    I love these bracelets but more importantly I love the fact you show the "OOPS" moments and how to correct/avoid doing the same. Great advice from your followers also. TFS, Mary M

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  10. Carmi CimicataJanuary 17, 2012 at 2:08 PM

    Thanks Mary! I do love a mistake for a teachable moment!

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  11. BeetiqueFebruary 11, 2012 at 9:31 AM

    There is a polishing compound that is 3 stage. Just like sandpaper only it's a polishing compound. I bought some on ebay for using on costume jewelry with plastic,lucite, or bakelite. You use it on the plastics to take off heavy or fine scratches so the piece will look like new. I forget the name of the stuff but if I find it in my craft room, I will let you know the name of it.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Jennie LanicsAugust 13, 2012 at 6:22 AM

    Just look this beautiful handmade bracelet-do.
    resin bracelets

    ReplyDelete

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