Have you seen the resin crafts with dots and drops of color in epoxy? You know–those ones that look like rainbows and clouds are growing in the resin? That’s a resin petri.
Less gross than the petri dishes you find in a lab somewhere.
How do you make a resin petri?
I’m so glad you asked.
Grab these resin supplies:
Resin Obsession super clear jewelry resin
Resin molds
Alcohol colors for resin
Pinata white alcohol ink
Mixing cups
Stirring sticks
Step 1: Mix resin
The super clear resin is a great choice for petri projects. It releases bubbles easily and cures hard like glass.
⭐️ BONUS: Check this out if you’ve never mixed epoxy resin before. It’s got all the details, including pictures, showing how to mix resin.
Step 2: Pour into the mold
Add your clear epoxy to the mold.
The super clear resin also works great here because it mixes in a thin viscosity. The sides of this earring mold are narrow, so getting a thick resin in there bubble-free is brutal.
Your stirring stick can help you get resin in specific spots too.
💡 Pro tip: Don’t overfill the cavities. You need room to drop in your alcohol colors.
Step 3: Add the alcohol tints
Pick complementary colors of alcohol tints. These tints are the only colors I’ll use for my epoxy projects. Because they’re designed for resin, they won’t fade or change colors as other brands can.
💡 Pro tip: Your colors are going to blend some. Be sure you use ones you like, even when the colors mix.
Next, add white alcohol ink on top. Continue alternating layers of colored ink and white ink for three to four layers.
Once the mold is full, allow it to cure. The colors will continue to blend to create some neat resin petri effects.
Step 4: Demold
Once the resin cures, peel the epoxy from the mold.
💡 Pro tip: Alcohol inks add extra moisture to resin which can make it cure bendy. Give your resin an extra few days to cure, especially if it’s a thin pour.
Once your resin petri earrings are cured, use wet/dry sandpaper to sand off the sharp edges on the back.
💡 Pro tip: It’s normal for the open side during casting to cure with a resin edge.
Step 5: Finish
To make your resin petri earrings wearable, add a jump ring and ear wire. This is even easier if you use silicone molds with cast in place holes. You don’t need to drill after demolding.
I love my group of resin petri earrings. But, I can’t decide which shapes and color combinations are my favorite.
These are pretty cute. There are a lot of colors, making these easy to wear with almost anything.
Then I see the purple and blue resin petri earrings and think those might be my favorite. Or perhaps the little dainty blue and emerald ones are.
Then again, there are the blue and emerald dangles and the petite red resin petri earrings. Good thing I have lots of choices because I can’t decide.
And if videos are your thing, that’s cool. I love making them.
See the resin petri technique in action:
Ready to jump into making more than resin petri earrings?
Then you’ll want to get your copy of Resin Jewelry Making. The Amazon best-seller gives you a clear path on how to make gorgeous jewelry with resin. Buy the ebook now and have the PDF version to read in minutes.
Unpublished Blog Posts of Resin Obsession, LLC © 2023 Resin Obsession, LLC
like the concept , so presume that the tints do mix o”k and cure hard
I’ve done this a ton with pendants and I’ve found I can go deeper with deeper pours, as I don’t always want to show the “FRONT” spots but show the 3D aspect of them. There is much going on behind those front dots but too many layers can clutter up the front facet.
Do you get scratches from the sandpaper? How do you get rid of them?
The coarse sandpaper will leave scratches. Continue sanding with finer grits of sandpaper until the scratches are gone. Ending with a 1000 grit or higher works best.
Thanks Katherine. I am finishing with 2000 grit ( 150 and up…) and still unable to polish away the cloudy areas that remain. Really challenging for this newbie who loves the glass finish of resin!
Thanks Katherine! Grandad suggested rubbing compound for cars…have you ever tried this to get rid of the cloudy after-effects?
Yes! We sell it in our shop here: https://shop.resinobsession.com/collections/tools-and-supplies/products/novus-resin-polishing-kit?variant=965321401
Do you use the wet/ dry sandpaper for the tiny grit or so that you can wet it and prevent resin dust from escaping? Do you spritz the partier or use it under water? I searched ‘sanding’ but I’m still not sure. Thank you.
I use fine grit wet/dry sandpaper as well. You can generally find it at automotive parts stores in the car restoration section.
How do you clean your mold once you are finished? I have some spots with ink and resin stuck to the mold.
I like to use a good soap and water. Slap it onto a a cloth or towel to get out water drops. Allow to dry.