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Monday, January 16, 2012

EasyCast in Bracelet Molds - THE FINISHING TOUCH

 Here it is.  One last post about the two bracelets I started last week.
They are looking good.
Good I say, not great.  I am not 100% satisfied with my finished project yet.
 Last week we had a lively online support group offering ideas and suggestions for getting my two bracelets finished to a nice high gloss sheen.  I was on the right track, but I needed to see if there were tools at my disposal that might help.  I have a dremel.  When I bought it it came with all sorts of attachments and I knew there was a muslin wheel somewhere in my drawer.
 I also discovered I had a whole bunch of felt wheels.
 Having discussed my high gloss shine dilemma with Carl, my expert contact at ETI, he reminded me that when you work with high speed tools you have to use the lower speed setting so you don't heat up the resin or the wax polisher.  Great tip.  So I started...and sadly, my muslin mini wheel immediately disintegrated.  :(  Clearly it was too old.  
This is the "after photo" and all those tiny threads landed on my shirt.
 So I thought, what the heck, bring out the felt wheels.
The felt did a beautiful job finishing the surface...but it was still dull.  Evenly matte, but not shiny like I wanted.  This was a brilliant experiment for me, because in the past I had shiny items I wished were a little more matte.  The felt wheels are now my new best friends!
 You might like it finished this way.  
A combination of glossy sides and matte finished tops.
 But I need a shine!  I need gloss.  I needed a small coating of Envirotex Lite!
 So I am coating/glazing the top and the bottom with a little Envirotex Lite.  It will take longer I know, since I can only work on one side at a time...but for me, this technique is best.
Oh, and one last tip:  when you glaze resin on resin, sometimes it pulls back from edges or sections.  Be sure to watch your surface and add a little more in any area that might be missed.

5 comments:

  1. Love the lily design and the gloss. That's what I did with my Christmas pins. But the bangle seems so bulky. I hesitate to make them.

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  2. Now that looks GOOD! They're very pretty! Thanks for the how tos and tips.
    Hugs!

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  3. Very pretty! I like these a lot :)

    http://pearspalette.etsy.com

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  4. Good Morning Carmi. Thank you for sharing. I use Carnauba wax to seal, and shine my smooth surface resin pieces. I bought liquid car wax, at the local auto parts store. I pour a little onto wax paper, or anything inexpensive and disposable. I wear vinyl gloves, and smear the wax on by hand. Once it is completely dry, I use an old cloth diaper to remove excess wax and shine the piece. This also has the added benefit of filling in small defects. If I am not happy with the finished effect, I repeat the process. I hope this helps.

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  5. Joey, those are very helpful tips. I am going to try this bracelet making project again next month...a do-over and use the new tips and suggestions I got!

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