How to Make a Resin Pendant – The Easy Way

How to make a resin pendant

 

Hey, incredibly craft person. I’ve got an afternoon DIY project for you. I’m going to show you how to make a resin pendant.

Now if you’ve spent any time stalking people on social media (not talking about exes here), you already know that making resin crafts is the IT thing to do.

But, if you happened to take a chance and found this article. (Like you clicked the Google ‘I’m feeling lucky’ button.) Let me tell you why making a resin pendant is one of the awesome ways to spend an afternoon.

✅ Make it today and wear it tomorrow.
✅ Make it with resin supplies that won’t cost you a fortune.
✅ Make it even if you’ve never done this before.

(that last one is the best part)

So here’s what you’re going to need to make your resin pendant:

Step 1: Get ready

When you’re making a resin pendant, this is the equivalent of the warm-up. Put down a silicone mat or tape wax paper to your table. (Resin works like glue too.) You’ll also need to wear your gloves and craft in a well-ventilated area.

Step 2: Prep the mold

 

spraying mold release onto a plastic mold

Spray a light mist of mold release over the mold and let it to dry for at least 20 minutes.

💡 Pro tip: Mold release is not cooking spray. You don’t want to spray every crack and crevice with a thick coat of release. Instead, think of the mold release like perfume. A light mist is all you need for your resin pendant mold.

Step 3:  Mix resin

 

resin and hardener in mixing cups

You want to use the super clear resin for this project because it cures hard and crystal-clear. You won’t get any bendy resin pendants like you can with some other brands. Besides, it’s got top-level UV protectants so your hard work looks amazing for years.

Mix 1/2 ounce (total) of resin. Since this resin mixes 2 parts A to 1 part B (also known as a 2:1 resin), you’re going to need mixing cups with measuring lines. You’ve got to see what you’re doing.

Measure 10 cc of Part A into one cup and 5 cc of Part B into the other. That will get you 15 cc which is 1/2 ounce.

Technically, it’s 0.50721 ounces but you get my drift.

💡 Pro tip: I get it, you thrifty crafters. It’s tempting to use only one cup. But, using two cups allows you to pour off any extra if you accidentally overpour. Otherwise, you’ll be guessing how much more of the other liquid you need to balance it out. And that doesn’t always work out well when making a resin pendant.

mixing epoxy resin

Pour your hardener into the cup with the resin and mix with the stirring stick. Scrape the sides of your cup and stir stick several times during the process.

💡 Pro tip: When resin cures sticky, it is almost always from incomplete mixing.

⭐️ BONUS: If you want more help in this area, this article breaks down the details of how to mix resin.

Step 4:  Add to the mold

 

pouring resin into a mold

Pour your resin into a pendant cavity.

💡 Pro tip: Squeezing the cup into a spout will make pouring easier.

Step 5:  Add buttons

 

placing buttons in mold cavity

Drop buttons into the resin.

adjusting button placement in mold cavity

You can use your stir stick to move them around.

Before letting your resin pendant cure, be sure to check for bubbles. They are notorious for popping up from the button holes. You can pick them out with your stir stick. Or, my favorite, go over the surface of the resin with a heat gun.

If you don’t have a heat gun, don’t use a hairdryer. Unless of course, you have a huge silicone mat on your table to catch the resin mess you’ll make.

Sometimes trapped bubbles can come up to the surface later. Be sure to check your resin pendant again in 20 to 30 minutes to look for any new bubbles.

Cover it with a plastic container while it cures.

Step 6:  Demold

 

demolding resin charm from a plastic mold

Remove your resin pendant by pressing from the back of the mold. You can grab the cured resin edge to peel it out the rest of the way.

Step 7:  Finish edges

 

sanding edge of a resin charm

Sand off any sharp edges or extra resin with a 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper. Wet the sandpaper first.

You can also use a coarse nail file if you only have a couple of spots.

Step 8:  Apply the bail

 

adding e6000 adhesive to glue on a bail finding

After sanding your resin pendant, glue the bail to the back with E6000. (This is what makes the resin pendant wearable.) Apply glue to the bail and the back of the pendant. Let both sit for 2 to 3 minutes before pressing the two parts together. Then, give your resin pendant 24 hours to dry.

 

resin pendant with buttons

Who’s ready to wear a fancy button-filled resin pendant?

Ready to make that resin pendant…and more?

Here’s the thing. I can’t teach you everything you would ever need to know about resin jewelry making.

That’s why I wrote a book about it.

For less than the price of a resin kit, you can learn for me. I share everything I teach in my in-person classes. But you can stay at home in your favorite pajamas.

But the ebook now and get a download link to your email. You’ll learn to make resin jewelry that will have people saying, ‘Wow, you made that?’

 

Unpublished Blog Posts of Resin Obsession, LLC © 2022 Resin Obsession, LLC

Like this post? You may be interested in  How To Make A Bottle Cap Coaster With Epoxy Resin

9 thoughts on “How to Make a Resin Pendant – The Easy Way

    1. The manufacturer recommends in their SDS to wear protective gloves and wash hands after use in addition to avoiding eye contact.

    1. While I like your thinking Debra, I’m afraid there isn’t a way to attach the bail in the ‘mid-cure’ process.

    1. Hi Beryl, there are many reasons bubbles can happen, but insufficient mixing is not one of them. In general, I think beginners mix too briskly which causes a lot of bubbles.

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