With so many examples of combining wood and epoxy resin appearing online in the last few years, I decided it was time to try myself. Also my first time making earrings, I'm quite happy with the result.
The process started with some cherry scrap. I cut holes in two 1/2 inch thick pieces, and then sealed one side of each hole with a small piece of plastic and painters tape. I also made a small mold using paper board and duct tape to hold the removed discs.
I prepared the wood edges that would be exposed to epoxy by painting them with wood glue, thinned with a small amount of water. This is supposed to prevent air trapped in the wood from creating bubbles in the epoxy as it sets. I also applied a thin coat of silicon lubricant to the plastic sealing the holes, and the duct tape mold. This prevented the epoxy from binding to those surfaces.
I mixed three different colors, pouring one into each of the molds, and then left them to cure.
The mold and sealing taped popped off without any hassle, so I set to shaping. I cut the yellow circle into pie wedges, and then ended up resawing the wedges into 1/4 inch thick pieces. The discs, I cut across at an angle to produce a resin strip with two cherry arcs in it.
Sanding was the joy that sanding always is. Grits: 80, 120, 220, 320, 400, 600, 800, 1200. This left a light haze, which I like in these pieces. Buffing compound would be necessary to take them to a glossy finish.
I drilled a small hole through each piece, and then bent gold eye pins into place to hold them. I attached the eye pins to gold ear wires, and threaded a leather necklace through those on the pendant.
All recipients have been surprised by how light-weight the earrings are, despite being large in size. (They've also all liked the designs.)
Whew! Now back to the project that provided these wood scraps…
Categories: Woodworking
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