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Piping bags are great for resin casting coasters when trying to create floral effects. They’re also great for piping glitter lines on geodes. Wooden dowel can be found at dollar stores.
Smaller round silicone moulds (20ml) are good to use when practicing piping effects, so you don’t use as much resin while learning techniques. These (shown above), are cut outs from a silicone muffin tray.
When purchasing moulds, check their gloss level. If area resin touches on mould is a Matt finish, the resin piece will also come out with a Matt finish where resin touches mould. If it’s a shiny mould, the resin piece will also be shiny.
- Plastic clay/modelling tools are great for doming smaller areas. These can be found at local dollar stores or Walmart.
- The dotting tool can be found at dollar stores, walmart, online and most artist supply stores.
- A plastic pallet knife set is handy to have on hand for various resin crafts when needing to manipulate the resin. These are found online & at walmart & art supply stores.
- Plastic pipettes are another way to pipe colours or glitters into resin castings or on to art pieces. These are often found online but many artist supply stores also carry these.
- Silicone hair dying brush is great for doming larger castings. Can be found at Sally Beauty stores or online.
- Silicone paint brushes in all styles and shapes can be found online, or in artist supply stores. If it breaks at the metal section, just use resin to glue it back together.
Silicone whisk from the dollar store can be used to mix resin, clean off after each use with paper towel and alcohol, so it's ready for next use.
- Plastic squeezable dropper bottles (work great for adding colours to various resin crafts, or squeezing fine glitter into small sections or lines.
- Clear disposable plastic cups work great for setting your piping bag for loading. These are often found at dollar stores, grocery stores, walmart and online. Anything polypropyoline will release cured resin.
- 2oz and 1oz medicine dose cups with measurement markers on them or fantastic for use in resin art projects requiring smaller amounts of measuring. These can be found online.
- Fine mist spray container for 99% alcohol can be found online or in dollar stores. Fine mist spray of 99% alcohol can help with bubble reduction of pieces in moulds.
- Plastic tasting spoons are good for scooping out pigment powders and pastes. These can be found in food supply warehouse or online.
- Cuticle pusher is an easy to clean option for scooping out mica powders as well. Most dollar stores, and drugstores, Sally Beauty Supply and walmart have them.
Automotive paint touch up brushes are great tools for painting mica into moulds in tiny spaces, corners and detailed spots. The ones shown here (Leiwoor 300 pcs touch up fine point paint brushes), were purchased online, and there are 3 sizes shown in photo.
Nitrile gloves are necessary. Latex, vinyl & rubber gloves are not chemical resistant like nitrile is.
Costco sells some in the pharmacy area, but they also the heavier duty thicker ones in automotive area. You can find nitrile gloves at Canadian Tire, Princess Auto, workplace safety supply stores, paint stores, hardware stores, drugstores, & online.
deburring tool works great for taking the lip off of cured pieces, but it works best if used shortly after demoulding.
Nail files for acrylic nails, such as emery boards work great for light sanding of edges
Pour a small amount of clear resin in bottoms of coaster moulds.
Mix your mica or paste in resin, then pour the coloured resin into piping bags. If you don't have piping bags, some artists use paper cups and squeeze to make a pour spout.
Some artists let colour mixed resin sit a bit first (depending on type of resin).
After you snip a small hole in the piping bag, (or if using a paper cup), test how it pours out first on a piece of plastic or parchment paper.
Put a drop of glitter in the middle.
Then use your coloured resin in piping bags, to make circles. Don't stress if they don't stay where you put it, resin often moves a bit.
Begin to pull through the circles (can use silicone brush tool), to achieve the various petal designs, wiping off your tool after each swipe.
Sometimes artists will do a slight swirl around the glitter in the middle with a toothpick, to give the petals a slight twist or turn.
Once your petal design layer has cured, you can either add whatever colour you like, to fill the mould (and the solid colour will be the back), or just add a topcoat of clear so you can choose which side you like best.