Cold temperatures will cause bubbles. If you can't work in a warm environment and your resin is cold, put it in warm water for a few minutes before mixing. This way it'll get rid of a lot of small bubbles. But keep in mind that heat will accelerate resin curing. You'll have to work faster this way.
When you mix the resin and the hardener, you have to stir slowly. Stirring too fast will cause bubbles.
This way a lot of the bubbles will rise to the top and pop on their own. Even if they don't pop, you can always scoop them out. But don't wait for too long. Otherwise, the resin will start curing in the mixing cup.
When you are pouring, remember to do it slowly and gently and place your mixing cup very close to the surface of your work. If you position your mixing cup too high up and dump out your resin, it will cause bubbles to occur.
Fill a fine mist bottle with alcohol and spray the surface of the resin. I use 99% alcohol. The alcohol will cause the bubbles to pop and it will evaporate very quickly without affecting the resin.
You can use a heat source such as a heat gun to pop bubbles. I use a torch for my large projects such as paintings and a kitchen lighter for my small projects such as coasters and jewelry. Be very careful working with a flame and remember to not heat one spot for too long, the resin won't cure correctly if you do that.
⚠️Warning: if you are going to use alcohol, DO NOT use fire at the same time as alcohol is highly flammable.⚠️
If your piece is really thick, I strongly recommend you pour your resin in layers. Not all resin is created equal. Some resin is not made for thick pieces. Working in layers will avoid a lot of bubbles.
Sometimes, even when you have done all of these, there are still bubbles in your resin! What can you do really? You just have to accept the imperfections in your life and try harder next time!
Let me know if my tips have helped you and what else do you usually do to get rid of bubbles in resin?
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Materials:
Flowers
Heavy Book
Parchment Paper (recommended for better results)
Weight (can be more books)
Steps:
1. Prepare your flowers. I am using the wild yellow buttercup flowers that I handpicked from a local park here in Richmond, BC. Remember to collect them on a sunny day and make sure they are not wet from the rain or dew. You want to start by removing any unwanted leaves or stems. Also, only pick the ones that are spotless or without any blemishes.
2. Open the book and place the flowers on the book's pages. Heavy books such as phone books work best for this. I am using an old book with many pages that I don't mind getting damaged. The pages will get wrinkled because of the moist from the flowers. For better results, place a layer of parchment paper on the pages before you lay the flowers down. The parchment paper will help absorb the water from the flowers. You can always place the flowers face down in the book. I find it easier to maintain the flowers natural form that way.
3. Close the book and weigh it down. You can simply just place more books on top of it, or add other heavy objects. What I always like to do is to put the book back on my bookshelf, where all my books are tightly squeezed together. It adds weight to both sides of the book.
4. Let the flowers sit for 10 days. You can always press the flowers for longer if you want to. Some people suggest leaving the flowers in books for 3-4 weeks, which I find more than enough. But the longer you press the flowers, the less moist left in them. I recommend leaving them in books no shorter than a week for the best result. After 7-10 days, if they are still not completely dry, change the parchment paper and let them sit for longer.
Once you've created some beautiful pressed flowers, you can use them for so many DIY projects such as pressed flower frames, pressed flower phone cases, or pressed flower jewelry. I will post more DIY tutorials in the future for you too!
How to store your pressed flowers when they are not in use? I like to put them in plastic pouches with silica gel packs to make sure they stay dehydrated.
There you have it. The steps couldn't be more straightforward. Now it's your turn to make something stunning out of these pressed flowers of yours! Be sure to check back for more tutorials from us!
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Plant flowers in others' gardens and your life becomes a bouquet!
-Anonymous
After women, flowers are the most lovely thing God has given the world.
-Christian Dior
There are always flowers for those who want to see them.
-Henri Matisse
Flowers are happy things.
-P. G. Wodehouse
Flowers grow out of dark moments.
-Corita Kent
I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck.
-Emma Goldman
Where flowers bloom so does hope.
-Lady Bird Johnson
A flower blossoms for its own joy.
-Oscar Wilde
Flowers are words which even a babe may understand.
-Arthur C. Coxe
Love is the flower you've got to let grow.
-John Lennon
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