I think that as crafters, most of us are naturally thrifty. We love to repurpose, and we hate wasting or throwing away material. So I wanted to give you several ideas on what to make with leftover resin.
How to mix the right amount of resin
The first tip I have though is for helping you mix up the correct amount of resin in the first place. Because the frustration of having too much left over is second only to not having enough in the first place and having to mix more.
If you are filling a mold with resin, first pour water to fill the mold. Pour that water out into a measuring cup and you’ll see the volume of resin you need – then do add just a little more to account for what might stay stuck in the mixing cups.
So if you end up with 4 ounces of water, you would want to do 2.5 oz resin and 2.5 hardener. That will give you about 5 ounces of mixed resin, making sure you can fill the whole mold.
Be sure that the mold is completely dry after this process, before adding resin to it. Any water left in can interfere with the curing process.
If you are doing a coating pour, check the product specs for how much resin to use for the project size you have.
Ideas for leftover resin
Ok, so you’ve done all that, your mold or pour is complete, but you still have some perfectly good and beautiful resin, perhaps in several colors even. What do to?
Get a collection of cute, small molds that you like. It could be earrings, a pendant, small charms that could be added to thumbtacks, or even an alphabet mold.
Have some of those molds selected and ready before you begin your original project. Then you don’t have to go looking for them later, possibly using up the rest of the pot time that your resin has.
With the leftover resin you have, start pouring some of those small molds. Layer colors if you need to.
If you have some molds with accents in their design – like a part that will be raised when demolded, use these small amounts of resin to color in those accents and finish them later.
You could even start to build a collection of crazy coasters. Fill a single coaster mold after each project, swirling and mixing whatever colors you have left. If it only covers the bottom of the mold, when you have a few of them ready, you could mix a new batch of clear or colored resin to fill in the rest of each mold to complete the coasters.
What are some things you have made with leftover resin? Have a picture to share? Put it in our Facebook group. We’d love to see it!
Stephanie is a crafty wife and mom living in the Pacific Northwest. She shares her creative ideas -along with a bit of “making it up as she goes” – on her blog, Crafting in the Rain.
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