Make it: Resin Guitar Pick Necklaces

Make it: Resin Guitar Pick Necklaces

EasyCast is a reactive clear casting epoxy. It's solvent free and low odor. It can easily be colored, tinted or combined with fillers to create faux granite or metallic castings. These characteristics make it ideal for casting and embedding up to 6 ounces (maximum) per pour. Due to heat build up and discoloration, do not attempt to cast more than 6 ounces at one time. For larger casts, use Castin'Craft Polyester Casting Resin.

Supplies:Easy Cast (resin and hardener kit)
Food grade silicone spray or mold release spray
Plastic measure / mixing cups (do not use wax coated cups)
Vinyl gloves
Wood stir sticks
Mold
Foam paint brush
Tweezers
Wax paper or plastic sheet to protect work surface.
Images or items to embed
Decoupage medium (optional)
Resin dye (optional)
Ball chain or leather necklace
Hand or electric drill
1/16” drill bit
18-20 gauge wire
Round-nosed pliers

Steps:
1. WARNING: Due to the strong bonding properties of EasyCast, only use plastic molds designed for resin casting. Other molds such as candy, soap or candle molds are generally not useable even with a good mold release. If you're not sure, test a spot on the mold, such as the back side. Prepare the mold by spraying with mold release spray.

2. Carefully measure equal amounts of resin and hardener into a straight sided, flat bottom, wax free measuring container.

3. For EasyCast to chemically blend, it must be mixed together in two stages. With the resin and hardener measured, use a stir stick and mix together for two full minutes. During mixing, use the stir stick to scrape the sides and bottom of your mixing container. Occasionally scrape the mixture from your stir stick back into the solution. After two full minutes of mixing, pour the contents from the first container into a second container. Using a new stir stick, mix the contents of this second container another minute, again scraping sides of container and stir stick. Pour immediately from this second container.

4. Pour resin into the mold until it is half full.

5. Prepare your item for embedding by brushing it with resin using a foam paintbrush or the stir stick while holding it with tweezers. Set it in the half-filled mold, face down. All organic items such as candy, paper or fabric should be sealed with decoupage medium first. All non-organic items such as a guitar pick can be brushed with resin directly.

6. Fill the remainder of the mold with resin. Fill just shy of the top to prevent a lip of resin forming at the edges. If bubbles form, use a hair dryer and pass heated air quickly over the EasyCast surface to remove bubbles. Be careful, excess heat can melt or warp plastic molds.

7. If a colored piece is desired, follow steps 1-5, let the half-filled mold cure for one day, then mix more resin and add dye. Fill the remainder of the mold with the colored dye. Allow the item to finish curing for 2 days.

8. For best results, cast pieces should cure at temperatures between 70° F and 85° F. Curing time will vary depending on room temperature and thickness of cast. Thin castings will take longer than thick castings. Normal cure for castings ½" thick is 24 hours for soft cure, 72 hours for hard cure.

9. To clean up: While liquid, the material can be cleaned from tools with alcohol or solvent. Use warm water and liquid soap to clean from skin. NEVER USE SOLVENTS OR ALCOHOL TO CLEAN EASYCAST FROM YOUR SKIN.

10. Once the item is cured, release it from the mold. Rigid type plastic molds can usually be twisted slightly to break the cast pieces free. Pushing in from the back side of the mold will also help.

11. Drill a small hole in the top of the pendant using a 1/16” drill bit. Use a jewelry needle file or a bead reamer to smooth the hole edges.

12. Thread a 5” piece of 18-20 gauge wire through the hole, form a small loop and then wrap the base of the loop with the end of the wire. Add the pendant to a ball-chain or leather necklace.