Finished Resin Bracelet

Finished Resin Bracelet Well, almost anyhow. I'm not rally satisfied with all of the charms. I learned some things in finishing. As I added the final coats, deciding how much to add was one thing but the most important thing was to use enough light so I could see exactly where the resin was going. Sounds simple doesn't it? I do plan on tweaking some of the charms on a nice sunny day. Remembering to use good lighting while adding the resin. I watched several videos from the lady who invented the brand I'm using. I also did some searching looking for ideas of what to use in the charms. (The design aspect) Fun! I'm looking forward to making more. Here is a look at the (almost) finished bracelet: When you look closely, can you see the flaws. Mostly resin not going to the edges or not enough resin. But I really like it. I'm thinking that because there are endless possibilities it makes a problem. Strange but true. So, any suggestions? Here is another view: space space space Here is a close up of one of the better charms. I think it would look  nice as a pendant in a larger size. What do you think? Remember Mother's Day (May 10) is coming soon. Here is a video I made with some suggestions.  Send me an email with any questions or to order. Until next time, Bev

Resin Charm Bracelet Saturday, I spent about 4 hours learning a new technique (new to me anyhow) at pflora beads in Canton, MA. We had a lot of fun but I was a bit tired when I came home. I didn't finish  the bracelet but the charms were mostly finished. Phyllis had many samples of what we could make to choose from and I chose the antiqued copper version. So, this is what I'm aiming for: It has a total of 15 charms and other dangles. We learned how to make our own bezels from (in my case) copper wire. (A bezel is the frame that contains the resin) We made circles, ovals, tear drops plus some that were just free forms. (Though Phyllis insisted on naming them)  After shaping the wire I treated it with liver of sulfur to give it that Antique Copper look. I admit sometimes I wonder why people intentionally tarnish metal but it really does look nice. I do, though, hesitate to do that to silver. Maybe just me?? Here is a picture of the charms I made. They are not finished yet. More resin needs to be added to give it that "domed" look. Because we made our own bezels, they are two sided. The ready made ones you can buy are more tray-like and have a bottom. While double sided is a very cool feature, it takes more time. Plus I'm a slow designer, it seems. One of the other students finished her bracelet. It was beautiful and entirely different from the one above. Here is a picture of the reverse sides, though it is hard to tell the difference in some. The ones that are dull looking don't have the final coats of resin and should look better when finished. Since the resin is "cured" with ultra violet light you can use the little UV lights you see when you have your nails done. We used these but the trays only hold three charms. So, since Saturday was a great sunny day, we took lots of charms outside to cure. That is what I need to do to finish my charms. Unfortunately, according to the weather forecasters, it won't be sunny around here until Thursday. Oh, well, I do have other things to do.. Depending on the weather and other projects that come up, I may have a finished bracelet to show you next week. I'd like to know what you think of this new technique. Send me an email. Until next time, Bev Website:  www.ringbyringdesigns.com also available at Easton Shovel Town Cultural District Art/Gallery Co-op 50 Main Street Building 9 North Easton, MA Saturday and Sunday 11 AM - 3 PM

A Cross

A Cross I have always wanted to make a cross in Chain Maille. I've seen many different patterns and never found a good one. So, when I saw a kit from Scott David Plumlee for a nice one, I decided to try it. I started with the center. Here is a picture of the start. Now, what you don't see is how many times I started. You, also, can't see the center rings. Two, one on top of the other. The instructions were not complete enough for me. The assembly order could go several ways and of course, I chose the wrong/probably hard way. Thus the restarts. This picture shows the longer length addition. The kit included small blue beads to be added at the crossing. Here are the blue beads added There is a reason for the blue beads being added. (See below) , While I liked the finished cross, I wasn't pleased with the look of the blue beads. The contrast was too much and seemed to overpower the cross. In addition to that, I really prefer silver. Plus, I would like it a bit bigger. Truth be told, I've made one just like this awhile ago, in a larger gauge, but it didn't look good.  Here is what my version looked like.   Droopy! The pattern is Byzantine and normally in a bracelet the looseness/droop is a plus but not in this case. In the kit, by adding the blue beads, the cross arms are tightened up and the droop is eliminated. The larger gauge rings I chose makes a larger piece. So, I thought I would add beads to mine but use beads with less color contrast. I settled on crystal bicones. It is almost impossible to see the crystal bicones, even in person. So you could say that I accomplished my goal of making the cross prominent. Here is the finished piece. The crystals are added, the bottom has been lengthened and strung on a black cord. What do you think? Any suggestions? Do you prefer the silver? Send me an email. with any questions or suggestions. I love to hear from you. Until next time, Bev PS, did  you notice it is late Tuesday? (I usually send this out at 5 AM on Tuesday). My computer got a pretty bad virus Monday and put a crimp in my schedule. Fortunately, it wasn't as bad as it seemed and I was able to have our great computer repair man fix it quickly. He even wiped off the finger prints on the cover.  :-) Website:  www.ringbyringdesigns.com also available at Easton Shovel Town Cultural District Art/Gallery Co-op 50 Main Street Building 9 North Easton, MA Saturday and Sunday 11 AM - 3 PM