Catchall Tray with EasyCast®

Good morning everyone.  Steph Ackerman here today and I want to share how I created this tray for my husband.  He has no spot for his left-over coins so I thought I'd create a tray just for him.  I wanted to include some gears and washers that I found (to give it a more masculine feel), so I used EasyCast® Clear Casting Epoxy  to seal them into the tray.

Materials:

• EasyCast® Clear Casting Epoxy 
• Mixing Cups
• Stir Sticks
• Wood Tray
• ForkArt® Ultra Dye by Plaid Enterprises - Turquoise
• Gears and washers
• Gloves

Project Instructions:

To begin, mix equal parts EasyCast® Clear Casting Epoxy resin and hardener into a mixing cup.  Stir for 2 full minutes to properly mix the products.

Pour into a new mixing cup and stir for another minute.

Prepare a wood tray by painting it 2 - 3 times it with FolkArt Ultra Dye in Turquoise, allowing to dry between each layer.   Once the final layer has completely dried, pour the resin mixture into the tray.  Tilt the tray to coat the entire tray.  Check for bubbles and pop any you might find. 

Place assorted gears and washers into the resin, being sure to pop any bubbles for a smooth finish.  Allow to cure overnight.  This will ensure that the gears and washers are embedded in the resin before moving to the next step.

Mix another batch of resin as described above and pour into the tray.  Again, tilt the tray so the resin covers the entire tray.  Pop any bubbles you might see. 

Since the gears and washers have been allowed to sit overnight, the resin has hardened around them and they do not move when you tilt the tray adding the next layer of resin. 

What do you think?  This is a fun project that would be perfect for anyone on your gift list this year.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Steph