Forget braids -- these DIY resin bracelets are the latest friendship bracelet. They are made with love, fresh, and built to last like your friendship. The best thing about handmade resin bracelets is that you can match them; thus, fitting your best friend's taste and style.
Here's what you need to get started:
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Here's a step-by-step guide for making a bangle made of resin:
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Determine how much mastic you need by filling the bangle mold with water and pouring it into mixing cups. Put a mark on the water height to remind you of the amount of resin you should use.
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Following the manufacturer's instructions, mix half an ounce of resin and half an ounce of hardener in a mixing cup. Put the mold on a smooth surface and pour the resin into it around half full. Briefly hold a heating gun onto the mastic to remove the bubbles. Use the gun again if there are still bubbles left.
Wait until the pitch hardens a little before adding the found objects or beads. Otherwise, they will sink below if you put them in advance. If the beads are large, you need to flatten them so that they can fit into the resin jewelry bracelets.
Let the resin cure by itself, but you can speed up the process by placing it under a 60- to a 100-watt light bulb. You will know that the resin is completely cured when the surface is hard and tack-free.
Mold another resin cuff by mixing half an ounce of hardener and resin in a mixing cup and pouring it into the mold. Put another batch of beads or found objects and let it cure.
Remove the jewelry from the cast. Bend the casting resin bracelets and push on the back to carefully release the cuff. Then, push the middle of the mold inside out to free one of the corners.
Smoothen the rough ends at the top of the bracelet. Use 200-grit sandpaper or an emery board to remove them.
Keep rubbing the bangle in a pot of water with wet or dry sandpaper. Sand the upper and inner sides with 320, 400, 600, 800, and 1200 grits in that sequence. Use clean water after each sandpaper. Polish the bracelet as desired.
Use buffing mixtures on a muslin wheel for a crystal-clear surface. Begin with an incisive compound and a fringed roller at speed from 1000 to 1500 rpm. Use the unstitched wheel to apply the polishing compound for the last buff.
Your resin cuff is complete. Make more resin bracelets and give them to your friends or wear them with your favorite outfit!