How To Make Small Resin Figures
Creating small resin figures for your craft projects is feasible at home provided you take a few simple precautions. Polyester resin is toxic, so make sure you have the supplies needed for safely working with resin. Fortunately, polyester resin is a versatile material that is reasonably easy to work with once you get the hang of it.
Things You'll Need
- Mask or ventilator
- Outdoor or well-ventilated work area
- Surgical gloves
- Plastic figure or polymer clay
- Silicon molding gel
- Wet/dry sandpaper
- Polyester resin
- 2 small rectangular cardboard boxes of equal size
Instructions
-
-
1
Pick a figure to mold, or create one. The best option in creating a figure is to mold it from polymer clay. When you are satisfied with your figure, cure it in the oven according to the clay directions and let it cool.
-
2
Create a mold for your figure. According to the Enchanted Gallery, the molding compound will cure quickly once you start the chemical reaction by mixing the compounds together, so work quickly. Put the mixed silicon compound in the first box, leaving ¼ inch on the top edge. Press your figure into the gel with the bottom of your figure flush against the side of the box. (This is to leave a hole at the edge of the mold for pouring in the resin.) Submerge the figure halfway. Let the mold cure, occasionally checking for tackiness. Once the mold is dry, remove your figure carefully and peel the cardboard away from the mold. Repeat this process with the opposite side of your figure.
-
-
3
Prepare your resin mixture according to the directions. Use your rubber gloves and mask while mixing and pouring the resin. Bind the two halves of your mold with rubber bands. Pour the resin mixture into the hole you left on the bottom of your mold. Allow the resin to cure for at least 24 hours and pop it out of the mold. (Sea Treasure Studios suggests letting the resin set two days or more.)
-
4
Remove mold marks around the edges of the small resin figure and any lines and excess resin that may have seeped from the mold. These can be removed by sanding the figure with a piece of wet/dry sandpaper. Sand your figure under running water to avoid breathing the poisonous dust from the resin. Reuse your mold to create as many small resin figures as you like.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Keeping the resin components warm before mixing can reduce bubbles in your finished product.
