Continuing on with post 2~
I do this way too often 🫠
We're back on the subject of the little Owl Tealight Candle Holders! The other thing wrong with those molds were... they don't actually fit tea lights, lol 🙃
But, they will fit fairy lights.
Unfortunately, I don't have any so I had to order some 🙃
This morning I broke out my ResinCrete, for the first time in a while, actually... was kind of like seeing an old friend, but an old hobby that you missed doing, if that makes sense? Because it's been at least half a year since I've used ResinCrete.
Don't take this as me complaining or ranting or whining, but they kind of jacked up the pricetag on ResinCrete by a whopping 20$ USD or something crazy. It wasn't a small increase. So, I just stopped buying it.
I took economics, I have a degree in accounting, I took business classes, I get it. It's called supply and demand. When your product is doing good, you raise prices. And then there's other economic and political things you take into account and add onto it that I'm not going to dive into because I'm not trying to turn my blog into some controversial debate club or woe-is-me hotspot but what I am trying to say is- it's not in my budget unless it goes on sale.
[Which hey, right now as I'm writing this, it is on sale on Amazon. I'd order more but I have a brand new bag still waiting for me 🙃.
Edit: I ended up buying another bag after all, Lol 😅😋.]
I also wasn't using it as much as I used to, so 🤷🏻♀️
Because it's been a good while, I actually had to look at the back for ratios. I couldn't remember 🫢
I didn't know how much these took and I'm bad at guessing, so I went with 300g ResinCrete and 90g Water. Though, I like to add a bit extra water to make the ResinCrete a little more crepe-like consistency and easier to work with. It also allows me the ability to work with it a bit longer and removes more bubbles, AND gets into nooks, crannies, grooves, crevices, etc better.
Just take into consideration not to add too much water. You'll make the ResinCrete too brittle or ruin the molecular structure of it and you definitely don't want that.
Another thing I've noticed that I do differently from a lot of people who work with ResinCrete or other art cast-like mediums is that I add my powder... to my water. Re-read that if you need to.
A lot of people will add their water... to their powder.
Nuh uh. I can't stand that. Gets way too many lumps doing it that way.
I'll also add about 1/4th of my powder at a time, mixing it completely before adding more. I know it risks curing because I'm taking longer by doing it, and maybe that's why I like adding in more water, but I really do get out all of the lumps by doing it that way.
Everyone has their own way and that's mine 🤷🏻♀️
This was after pouring the first 300g + 90g ⤵️
I was prepping another 150g ResinCrete + 45g Water for the last owl. Thing is, I ended up making extra things and if I didn't make the extras, I probably could have made ALL the owls with just 400g of ResinCrete and 120g Water. I'll try the next time I make these.
You can see I have some leftover ResinCrete in my bowl there. This is what I do with it ⤵️
Let it finish drying/curing, crunch it up, break it up, save it in a container for later use like Terrazzo.
If you don't want to leave it in a silicone cup like I did, you can spread it out on a ziplock bag, or a piece of cling wrap and wait for it to dry/cure and then break it up.
I'd advise to wear gloves or something before breaking it though. It can get sharp. I know in the photos I did not- mine was still on the hydrated/wet side, barely dry/cured, when it wasn't sharp but it's better to be safe than sorry. This is one of those cases where I'm doing that "do as I say, not as I do" 🙃
Here's the owls demolded after 30 minutes or so ⤵️
That's one of my favorite things about ResinCrete; Quick demold.
And here's the Owls after cleanup ⤵️
I had a LOT of overpour because this was my first time pouring them, so there was a LOT of cleanup involved. They came out super cute though! I can't wait to paint them, seal them and add fairy lights to them 🦉💗
Oh and I want to add this as my last blurb (for this post); ResinCrete Related.
There is a Content Creator out there, I will not name-names- and they are telling people in their videos that you CAN wash this stuff down your sink when you are finished working with it. As in, to clean your cups, tools, work station, yada yada.
I'm refraining from being blunt and unfiltered here- but this stuff is a powder that you literally mix with WATER to turn into a dense ceramic, equivocal to plaster of paris. What do you think is going to happen if you run it down your sink with MORE water? Please use your brain.
And it's not like they're new to working with this stuff either and they're giving out this misinformation.
As content creators, especially on platforms like Youtube making videos, if you guys do not know something, for the love of God either say you do not know something if you insist on saying it and you do not have all the information, or don't say it at all, or do the research, rather than spread misinformation.
Because new people come into these hobbies weekly, daily, hourly, by the minutes. They look up to you. They listen to you. They take your word as gospel and truth. When you say something as idiotic like "run ResinCrete down your sink to clean it out" and it clogs their plumbing, and they end up with thousands of dollars in bills and repairs, it's not going to fall back on you (the content creator), it's going to fall back on them. You're not going to feel the repercussions, but it could be enough to push that person who was already stressed and just needed a cozy hobby outlet- over the edge. So, stop being irresponsible.
And yes, that was a rant. That was my version of sugar-coated, you do not want to hear my raw-unfiltered rant. I'm tired of people NOT taking accountability for their actions.
How to clean ResinCrete properly? Use a damp paper towel with water to clean your tools and then throw it in the garbage, or use a baby wipe. Wearing gloves is preferred because as mentioned above, when dried/cured it can get sharp.
You might be thinking, well, what if I take it outside and hose it down? I'll say to you, what about the birds, cats and doggos that walk around? This stuff gets sharp, you want them walking on top of that? Spraying that stuff into the street, onto the ground, where do you think it's going to go?
There's no way I'm the only one who thinks about this stuff. Lord help me if I am.