When you craft with resin, it’s okay to work smarter, not harder. Case in point…. making a resin bead doesn’t have to involve a mold.
Resin supply list:
Clear acrylic tubing with an outer diameter of 3/8 inches and inner diameter of 1/4 inch
Jeweler’s saw
Masking tape
Drying mat
Resin Obsession super clear resin
Resin Obsession transparent pigments
Mixing cups
Stirring sticks
Toothpicks
Drill
Size #60 drill bits
Assorted center-driled glass chip beads
Stretchy bead cord
Step 1: Cut the clear tube
Cut varying lengths of tubing from 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch long with a jeweler’s saw.
Then, cover one end with masking tape.
Step 2: Fill the tube sections with resin
Place the taped tube end into a dry mat.
Then, mix your jewelry resin in 3 colors: transparent yellow, transparent red, and transparent orange.
Pour the colored resin into the beads.
💡 Pro tip: This step of resin bead making can be a little tedious. Pouring the resin onto a toothpick while holding it over the opening will help guide it into the tube.
Cover the tube sections and allow to cure.
Step 3: Drill the center
Peel off the masking tape. Then drill the center length of the bead with a size #60 drill bit.
💡 Pro tip: A drill press makes this step easier. You can drill with a Dremel tool or flex shaft, but it’s harder to drill resin straight.
Step 4: String the beads
Use stretchy bead cord to thread the drilled beads and glass chips together. Tie the ends.
Enjoy wearing your resin bead-making project.
Ready to learn more jewelry projects besides resin bead making?
Then you will want the ebook Resin Jewelry Making. The Amazon best-seller has helped thousands of artists worldwide make something unique with resin. Buy now, and you can download it in minutes.
Unpublished Blog Posts of Resin Obsession, LLC © 2022 Resin Obsession, LLC
How did you get the bead out of the mold? Thanks
Hi Jill, I left the resin in the acrylic. It’s clear, so you can see the resin through it. No need to demold!
I’ve been trying to figure out how to make my own large focal beads with approx. 2.5 mm holes in the center. I think I’ll make a silicone mold of the bead…[standing upright]…..then try using the plastic tubing in center, so I don’t have to do any drilling. I’m pretty sure I could tape in in place . Worth a try anyways.
I love this idea. I am definitely trying this one.
What a cool idea! You come up with the best things! Thanks!
Where do you buy the acrylic tubing you used for the bracelet? Can you use other tubing?
I don’t recall where I bought it, but if you search for acrylic tubing, you should find options. What other kind of tubing were you considering?
You can purchase tubing from a pet store, in the aquatics section. It’s used to run air pumps for tanks.
I never knew that. Thanks for sharing the tip!
Thanks
I have clear plastic tubing which is 3/8 or 1/4 inches outer diameter, and if I’m careful, I might be able to make this work.
By the way, why didn’t you try using toobies for holes? seal the hole on the bottom end, it’s easily pushed out when the resin is cured.
When I first started with resin, I looked into buying a drying mat or dooming mat and decided to use something I already had because they were expensive and didn’t want to spend money on this till I knew if it was going to be something I wanted to continue doing. They are working fine, so I have continued using them. But to color the pieces I’m having some issues. High cost for 1 bottle of colorant. I know your site sells the colorant, does it ever go on sale? I’ve been using pastels crushed up to color my resin, but work like to try the transparent colors.
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I wonder if you could drop a thick fishing line into the center and then pull it out just before it cures if it would leave a nice bead hole in the center for stringing.
Also do you think it would work if we made one really long tube and then simply cut them to length after its cured?
I don’t think that would work. Either you will pull the resin with the fishing line or the hole won’t stay nice. Yes, you could create one long tube and cut them into pieces after curing.