Resin-ant Evil!

Alright... you've spent gobs of time cutting little pieces out of cardstock and gluing them all together...

... what now?

Now, Young Padawan, we solidify things.

I have read that there are 'non-toxic' and 'non-smelly' alternatives, but the substance that seems to be the 'go-to' goop for crafters seems to be Fiberglass resin.

This stuff is NASTY!

Each of these cans is around $15 or so...  the mask as well.
Well worth it... it's quite noxious... also read the instructions... if at all possible, do it in a well-ventilated area.

Wear a breathing mask with this stuff... this stuff is literall y a goopy substance that will harden into a resin-like substance... what do you think particulates of this stuff will do in your lungs?
Your clothes ARE GOING to smell... and you WILL get this stuff on your clothes... so wear clothes you will be willing to sacrifice to your craft.

It's sticky... so wear gloves... you can get a box of 'medical examination' or latex (or non-latex) disposable gloves from your local pharmacy... if I recall the box will have like 50 gloves for $25ish.

Now... when it comes to mixing the resin with its hardening agent (the agent comes in a little tube with the can... or if you're like me and run out of agent, you can buy it separately for about $5 per tube)... when I mixed, I used an empty (duh) can of salmon. If you have an eye for absolute accuracy, you can figure out what exact measurements you will require of the reagent to add to the resin... but I'm not that precise nor am I particularly patient. I played with the amounts and I find that 1/2 can (about a 5 second slow pour or so) takes about 20-25 drops of the hardener... it's not an exact science to me... if you use too little hardener, though, the resin won't set and you'll be screwed. Scrap the piece and do it again.
Like I said... 5 second slow pour (about 1/2 a can of salmon) and 20-25 drops of hardener should do it.

Pictured here is a spatula (bought as a pair at a dollar store) that have this remarkable talent for not getting the resin stuck to them permanently. The flexible rubber-plastic part only, though... the handle will keep the resin ad infinitum. It's good - if nothing else - for mixing the resin-hardener mixture together...

For APPLICATION of your resin mix, you can use the spatula to slather it on the pieces... or if you prefer a slightly more intricate method, save the brushes from your used-up rubber cement bottles - you should have a half-dozen or more - and use THEM to apply the mix.
The problem with THIS method is that the brushes are finite... one use only once they dry... and you won't be able to free them from the mixture the way you can with the rubber blade of the spatula. If you opt to use the brushes... use each one as much as you can in one sitting... the resin won't dry right away... so you can get away with filling and refilling your can with resin mixture a number of times.

The fun part about this is that if you don't finish resin coating everything in one sitting (and you won't - you have two coats on the outside to do and two on the inside) your can - left to dry - is basically coated with resin. You literally need only one (maybe two) cans to hold the resin mix.

Stay tuned for more!