Make sure you’ve put your gloves and apron on to protect your skin and clothing. Resin on the skin can cause itching, swelling and a slight stinging sensation.
Most resin kits contain both resin and hardener. You will need to mix both to create the resin coasters.
First, read the instructions on the packaging of your resin. This is specific to each resin and hardener. Pour equal amounts of each into one cup.
The resin and hardener should be at room temperature. If it’s too cold or hot, this can cause bubbles and a gummy texture. Bring it to room temperature before pouring.
Once the mixing is done, choose your colour, glitter or powder. If you’re choosing gold flakes, you can put them at the bottom of the silicone mould or on top of the resin.
Stir in the powdered colours or glitter into the resin mixture in the cup. The colour has to be mixed into a resin cup before pouring it into the silicone mould.
Before you start pouring make sure the silicone mould is clean of any dirt or debris. Pour in the mixture until the mould is entirely covered and full.
When the mixture is in the mould, use an alcohol spray to get rid of any air bubbles.
Then, add gold flakes, beads or any other decoration of your choice on top. You can even use the stick to create swirl patterns with glitter. Let your imagination go wild, as there is no specific design for resin coasters.
The cure time is different for each resin kit. The cure time for the resin is usually 24 hours. After 24 hours the resin coaster will be solid. The cure time is affected by temperature. Room temperature facilitates the process of curing. The cold temperature slows down curing.
Once the coaster is cured and solid, carefully remove the resin coaster from the mould, and there it is your very own resin coaster.

Micah Furtado, Special to Gulf News

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