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If you have read some of my previous hub tutorials on pendant making, you will see I have mentioned EnviroTex Lite resin quite a bit. I’ve been wanting to write a hub just on EnviroTex Lite because I have found it to be such a great resin to work with. It is the first and only resin I have ever tried and continues to work really well for me. It is a little bit pricey but a small 8oz box of it lasts me for months since I only use small amounts at a time for jewelry making.

Maybe you are new to this and you aren’t sure exactly what resin is. Resin is basically a type of plastic. It starts out liquid and then cures hard through a chemical process by mixing together two equal parts of resin and hardener. There are different kinds of resin but two of the most commonly used resins in jewelry making is epoxy resin or polyester resin. Resins are used in molds to create the entire piece or as a thick glassy coating for your jewelry pieces.

With EnviroTex Lite, you can achieve a piece from a deep mold but I don’t think it’s the best to use for this. You will have to do smaller, thin layers which will take a lot more time. For shallow molds it works good but there are other resins better suited for use in deep molds.

What exactly is Envirotex Lite?

EnviroTex Lite is an epoxy type resin and is better used as a thick
top coating for your jewelry pieces but you can also use it on top of
images inside of bottle caps, pendant trays and poured into shallow molds. The
EnviroTex Lite that I use comes in a blue box which says EnviroTex Lite
pour-on High Gloss Finish. This resin is versatile and can be used with polymer clays, metals, wood etc.  One of it’s uses
is for coating and sealing table tops. Once you mix it up, just pour
it onto your table top. Then it will crawl to the edges and level
itself out. It penetrates the wood and cures into to a beautiful shiny, glass-like table top that is fully protected. It can also be used on top of fabrics and paper as long as
the fabric or paper is sealed properly with something like mod podge
or white glue. The reason for this is because it will soak into the fabric or paper and
get it wet causing dark spots or blurring to appear. The mod podge or glue works as a kind of “shower cap” to keep the porous material dry until the resin cures. This stuff is absolutely amazing! Whether
you are pouring into a shallow type mold, bottle cap or using as a thick
(sort of doming) top coat for something flat, your jewelry will have a beautiful, thick,
glass-like finish to them. The result is a more professional look with
great durability.

The main point I am trying to make with this hub is don’t be intimitated by
working with resin. Using this resin has really taken the fear away for me. It is not hard to work with. The main thing is just paying
attention to what I am doing and as long as I’m doing everything
correctly and in the proper order, the finished results are always awesome! If I
can do it, you can do it!

Tips For Using EnviroTex Lite Resin

Working with EnviroTex Lite IS really easy. You just have to make sure not to miss any steps in the process. Here are some things I have learned along the way. Hopefully these tips will help you out if you are new to making jewelry using EnviroTex Lite:

Getting Started:

  • Make sure to cover your surface really well when working with resin because once it is dry it’s there for good. Using wax paper on your work surface is a good idea since drips of resin will not seep through.
  • Make sure to have your supplies (mixing cups, sticks, etc.) sitting out and ready to go.
  • It is a good idea to have a roll of paper towels and a bottle of rubbing alcohol handy to wipe any resin spills or any resin that gets onto your hands. Cleaning up with water won’t work because resin is not water soluble.
  • It is recommended to wear gloves but I admit that I do not wear gloves. I don’t feel as much in control of my work with gloves on.  What I do is try to keep my hands out of the resin as much as possible and then when I am finished, I wipe any resin off my hands with a paper towel and scrub my hands really well with soap and water. I’m not recommending for you not to use gloves. It’s up to you and what you feel comfortable with :0) 

Mixing the two parts:

  • Mixing together the exact same amount of resin and hardener is crucial for good, clear resin. Pay really close attention that they are both exactly the same.
  • The best way to make sure you have two equal parts of resin and hardener is by using the 2 cup mixing method. Just measure out your resin in one cup and hardener in the other, making sure they are exactly the same. Then pour the resin into the cup with hardener and mix for one minute and then pour the contents (scraping the sides as much as possible to get it all out) into the other cup and mix for one minute. This way you have it all mixed together as much as possible.
  • Since I usually only work with small amounts at a time, I use small, plastic measuring cups (for liquid medications) purchased from a medical
    supply. You can get a ton of these for cheap at your local medical supply. Also, mixing small amounts at a time helps you to not waste left over resin. It’s better to have not enough than too much. You can always go back and mix up enough to finish off your piece.
  • I use a wooden popsicle stick to stir mine or sometimes a wooden skewer. Make sure you mix vigorously for a minimum of 2 minutes. Mine usually looks frothy and bubbly when I am done mixing it.
  • Inadequate mixing or uneven measurements of the resin and hardener can result in a resin that will not cure properly. It will be tacky or clouded so just really be sure to pay close attention to these two things.

As I’ve been saying throughout the hub, EnviroTex lite is that it is GREAT to work with when making jewelry and I hope that people are not intimidated by it because it is a “resin”. I know I keep mentioning the same things over and over but it’s just so important that you do certain things while working with it.  Good thing is that it is really easy to get the hang of and you will love the results every time!  You will end up with quality, handmade pieces of jewelry that will last for years. I have never minded the time and effort put into making the resin jewelry because I know the end results are completely worth it.

If you are interested, here are some of my pendant tutorials using resin:

Thank you for reading and have lots of fun making your own resin jewelry!

By AUTHOR

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