Amazing Casting Products: resin sheets

Sunday, February 21

#Cre8time Valentine's for One... by Maria Soto

Hi there! This is Maria and today I want to share a special project. I got a new paint kit and had been waiting for a project I could create using my favorite resin and these new paints. I previously shared how I took a frame mold I made in Amazing Mold Rubber and used the back to either create sheets of resin or to use as a resin work area instead of non-stick mat.

For this project I used Amazing Clear Cast Resin and the Mixed Media Discovery Set by Pébéo. I received these paints in a Charity Wings Live in 4D Ultimate Sample Box for winter CHA.

Though I have the Alumilite Dyes and Metallic Powders – it is wonderful how versatile Amazing Clear Cast Resin is in accepting a wide variety of media for coloring... as long as it's not water-based. These paints are solvent-based, so I knew they would be OK to try with the resin.

Have you heard there is a new Live from CHA event coming up on March 6th... Live in 4D from NAMTA/CAMEX and there is an Ultimate Sample Box to correspond with this event. CLICK HERE for all the details. We hope you join us... Amazing Casting Products will be just one of the amazing companies featured.

First step was pouring into a plastic cup 1 oz. of each parts "A" & part "B" of Amazing Clear Cast Resin, making sure to mix well – then let the resin rest for a few minutes before adding into my mold slab {CLICK HERE to view mixing/preparation}.

I added drops of paint onto the resin using a wood stick. I think I added a bit too much, it was fun to see how this paint reacts in the resin... but even more fun when you add other colors, into the mixture – so I added some gold too.

I loved how the paints were mixing together all on their own, but I decided to just mix them up using the wood stick. The results were very pretty, however, one thing I learned in this process is that until the resin is totally set, the paints continued to mix. I ended up with a very overpowering red, yet the gold came through very pretty.

I let the resin cure over night. I did get up very early the next day, to make sure the resin was not completely hardened, because I wanted to cut up some resin hearts to use in this Valentine project. Lucky me, it was still flexible, so I was able to cut the resin sheets using my Westcott scissors.

Since the resin was still flexible and not fully cured, when I applied the resin sheets onto the glass, the resin served as glue. I pressed them into place and left it alone then went to work. When I got back home after work, the resin hearts were completely cured and glued onto the glass. I had cut a very thin resin strip that I wrapped on the stem of the glass – I thought it looked pretty so I left it alone.

I have to be honest it needed something else... so I figured why not do some etching on the glass. I cut up some hearts making sure these were big enough so that the resin heart would sit in the center and I would be able to etch around the resin hearts.

I used masking tape to protect the rest of the glass from getting any of the etching cream, as I only wanted the etching to be done around the resin hearts.

I decided to use the little hearts on the bottom of the glass as you can see below, I added some etchall resist gel around the hearts and I added etching cream around the strip of resin on the stem... figured why not, so I did.

After the 15 minutes were up, I removed and rinsed off the etching cream under running water in my bathroom sink, then removed all the tape and the hearts. I was left with a pretty etched glass, but I didn't like the hearts on the bottom of the glass – they looked very distorted. I was also not happy with the resin strip on the stem... I didn't like how it felt when I held the stem so I removed it. Since it was never glued onto the glass, it was loosely wrapped which made it easy to remove.

I painted over the hearts at the bottom of the glass with the red Pebeo paint and I also added a few red dots over the etched hearts.

I decided to mix a little bit more Amazing Clear Cast Resin. I took a few drops of the resin and added this to the painted hearts on the bottom of the glass. I really liked the red hearts at the bottom, the addition of resin was enough to bring out the painted hearts. I love it!

This is my Valentine glass for one... I had my chocolate hearts, a few candies and a little bit of wine after I got home from taking my kids out for pizza on Valentine's day. A perfect way to end my day with my very own one-of-a-kind Valentine's glass.

How will you customize your wine glasses?

Please do share your ideas with us by leaving a comment below.

Thanks for visiting! I invite you to stop over to my blog, "What is Creativity" at http://chuy-creativity.blogspot.com to see more of my creations. ~ Maria Soto

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Wednesday, January 7

#Cre8time FAUX Film... AMAZING #DIY Colored Casting Layers by Lonnie Sexton

It preparation for another project I needed some thin colored layers to insert in and on clear cast. I found some transfer filter film but the cost per sheet doesn't really justify cutting it into pieces and it's flimsy. I remembered pouring left over Amazing Clear Cast Resin on wax paper. It ran out thin and created a thin layer of casting 'film' when cured. This film can be used in other casting projects to created the desired effect, shape, design, lettering, etc.

Parts/Tools:

Amazing Clear Cast Resin
Alumilite Dyes - used Red, Yellow and Blue
Mixing Cups
Mixing Sticks
Xacto or Clay Knife
Ruler
Wax Paper
Bubble Level
Modeling Clay

Steps:

Create a Clay Barrier
Prep a level work area
Mix, Pour and Leveling
Cutting, shaping, etc.
Uses

Clay Barrier

Roll the modeling clay to aproximately 1/8" inch thick.

Cut the clay into strips.

Place the strips on wax paper and press lightly together at the seams.

Prep a Level Work Area

Using a bubble level straight edge, make sure you have a sturdy level surface to work on. I'm using a 24 inch x 24 inch painted board. Make sure its level in both directions near perfect to ensure the film is uniform thickness.

Mix, Pour, Leveling

Apply mold release to the clay edges. Pour and separate parts each of "A" and "B" for preparing three (3) batches of Amazing Clear Cast Resin. To view mixing and preparation please CLICK HERE.

Add to each part "A" the desired amount of Alumilite Dye. Mix the color darker as spreading it thin with lighten the cured product.

Pour out approximately half of the Amazing Clear Cast Resin batch into each section. Tilt the work surface in all directions to cover the entire surface. Add more resin as needed. Be careful not to over tilt and/or over fill. The layers should be from 1/32" in to 1/16" thick. Let Cure.

Cutting and Shaping

After the casting is cured the thin layers can be cut into shapes using medium duty scissors or craft knife. It will also be pliable depending on how thick is was poured.

Uses

These thin colored film layers can be used in other casting projects or crafting experience. Unlike plastic film, colored casting layers will adhere perfectly inside other casting projects. They are a little more ridged so the weight of the fresh Amazing Clear Cast Resin will not wrinkle or distort the patterns/shapes you are casting.

Colored Casting Layer Project

In revisiting an ongoing project, I created some shapes from the 3 casting layers.

How awesome will this look lit up???

Thank you for joining in. Come back for more exciting projects

from the Amazing Casting Products Creative Team. ~ Lonnie S.

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Keep a lookout for our AMAZING CREATIVES this weekend at CHA Winter 2015. A variation on this project will be demonstrated at the Amazing Crafting Products/Alumilite Corp. Booth #1427 – come by and meet the artists and try out these amazing products!