[Katherine Swift]

This question comes from Alexandra:

Hi! Firstly, thank you so much for this helpful website. I’m new to jewelry making and I recently set up my first Etsy shop and have had quite a few sales! I’m making animal jewelry and I’m looking, desperately, to find a good, hard, clear sealant to cover my little animals. This is my question/issue – I don’t want my little elephants or little mini giraffe earrings to be anything but the shape they are (ie. I’d rather them not be a gold mini elephant in a circular clear ball of resin or square of resin, etc., just the actual shape of the animal itself). Is there a way to “paint” epoxy or polyurethane resin on my little mini animals with a brush? And will they harden that way? My animals are plastic rubber covered in a plastic safe metallic gold spray paint by Rust-Oleum. I have tried SO many other sealants/sealers/finishes and nothing has worked. Eventually the gold spray paint starts to come off around the edges of the animals. Any advice or help would be so incredibly appreciated!

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Alexandra,

I love your attention to detail. It’s thoughtful of you to make sure your earrings are going to look great for years to come.

How flexible are the animals? I ask because while the resin can produce a shell, a hard resin will crack if someone tries to squeeze your animals. A softer curing resin may be a better option.

The other thing I’m concerned with is how well resin is going to stick to your animals. Rubber is used for resin molds because resin won’t stick to it. I don’t know if a coat of paint is going to be enough to allow the resin to stick.

Have you tried clear coat acrylic sprays as a sealer?

[Jade]

Here’s a related question: I have a mold that makes really cool shapes, but they have a frosted surface. I wanted to make a batch super shiny, so as I have seen numerous times on this board I put a final coat of resin over the top. I used my usual Amazing Clear Cast epoxy resin, and some extremely handy little disposable paintbrushes from the model car section.
This morning when I checked the pieces, the resin had beaded up rather than staying in one thin, even coat. So now my pieces have shiny lumps and the rest is still frosted. How does one use resin as a coating on 3D objects and avoid this beading-up problem? I understand that doming resin works because of its high surface tension; do I need a non-doming resin for these brushed on applications? Or if that’s not the key, does anyone know what is?

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Jade,

I would expect the Amazing clear cast to work well for this, unless there is a lot of slope to your castings. In that case, I would suggest a couple of light layers of the resin gloss sealer spray. https://shop.resinobsession.com/collections/tools-and-supplies/products/castin-craft-gloss-resin-sealer-spray There is a video on that product page showing how to use it.

[Jade]

Katherine, to clarify- are you saying that resin just will not stick properly without beading up on truly 3D shapes? For example the small figurines the OP referenced, or perhaps a spherical bead?

[Katherine Swift]

@Jade, I can’t explain the physics of it, but if there is too much curve to a surface, the resin won’t stick properly. That’s why, for example, with a sphere or something similar, I generally recommend people rotate the piece several times during a resin application process. If there is too much slope the resin will want to pull away from the surface.

[Laura]

Any advice on coating polymer clay rings with resin? Seems like it’s hard to coat evenly/ to not get resin on the stones I’m using for the ring. And I was wondering if there’s a tool or a stand that can grip the stone but not touch the resin part so it can dry evenly

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Laura,

Can you link to a picture? I’m having a hard time visualizing this.

[Hunter]

Hello!! I have made rings out of copper and I am thinking that clear resin will be perfect for keeping them from patina-ing and giving the ring a little more sturdy feel. That way they don’t just bend when you put pressure on them.
Is there a good way to apply resin to the ring once it’s been shaped?

[Katherine Swift]

Hi Hunter,

I’m not sure resin is a good use for what you want to do. It’s going to be hard to brush it on in a thin coat and not have it pool during the curing process.

Have you looked for lacquers for this purpose? I remember using one from Rio Grande from my metalsmithing days.

[Hunter]

I have tried lacquer! Maybe I just need to apply a few more coats. And I will look into the brand that you mentioned!!
Thank you so much!

[Jenny]

Ok I came across this thread during my own search so I have my own question which I think is similar. I recently ordered these little charms with my dogs photos on one side and names engraved on the back, they are about the size of a dime. The place I got them didn’t put a protective coating on them and I don’t want the photos to run off. Can I dip them into resin or paint it on? Probably paint it since I can let one side dry before doing the other ( I think I just answered that part myself LOL) but I guess my other question is will it stick just fine to the metal charm. I was worried it I only did the picture side it may come off after time. I’ve never done a project like this before! Thanks for any help!

[Katherine Swift]

As long as your metal is clean and there are no protective coatings on it, a layer of resin should stick without any problems.

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