| Castin'Craft Idea Book |
4-LAYER CASTING (INTERMEDIATE)
Whether you collect the embedments yourself or purchase them from a shell shop, this dimensional project is a delightful way to enjoy treasures from the sea. Use your ‘Frozen Ocean’ with other castings as part of a shell and sea life collection, or use as a paperweight.
FROZEN OCEAN |
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MATERIALS NEEDED
1 MC-4 Poly Mold (2-1/8” x 3-1/4” x1-1/8”)
4 Oz. Polyester Casting Resin Catalyst
4 Graduated Paper Mixing Cups
4 Stir Sticks, Small shells, coral, tiny starfish and sea horse for embedding.
Turquoise and Pearl Transparent Dyes for Polyester Casting Resin
Acetone or Rubbing Alcohol for clean-up
INSTRUCTIONS:
First Layer
- In paper mixing cup measure and mix thoroughly 1 ounce of resin and 5 drops of catalyst. Pour into mold.
- Allow to gel, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Second Layer
- Place sea horse face down on gelled surface of first layer.
- In a clean mixing cup, measure and mix thoroughly 1 ounce of resin and 4 drops of catalyst.
- Pour second layer over sea horse and allow to gel 15 to 20 minutes.
Third Layer
- Arrange shells, starfish and coral face down on a second layer of gelled resin.
- In a clean mixing cup, measure and mix thoroughly 1 ounce of resin and 3 drops of catalyst. Pour third layer and allow to firm gel about 20 minutes.
Fourth Layer
- In a clean mixing cup, measure and mix thoroughly 1 ounce of resin, 2 drops of Pearl Dye, 1 drop of Turquoise Dye, and 2 drops of catalyst.
- Pour this final layer and allow your Frozen Ocean to harden completely.
- When cured (hardened), the edges of the casting will shrink away from sides of the mold. The surface will ‘click-hard’ when tapped with a stir stick. (This will take from 4 to 24 hours depending on your room temperature.)
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REMOVE CASTING FROM MOLD
- Invert mold, grasp edges, flex and allow the casting to gently drop onto a piece of Mylar™ or plastic wrap.
- Do not handle your casting until it is completely tack-free.
TIP: Some small shells and sea creatures will continue to make air bubbles which will be trapped in the finished piece. For example, a sea horse will sometimes appear to be blowing bubbles! If you prefer not to have any bubbles trapped in your finished piece, soak shells and sea creatures in catalyzed resin for 5 to 10 minutes before embedding. This process allows resin to soak into air pockets. Using tweezers, remove shells from the resin, place on gelled layer, and pour your next layer. Clean tweezers with acetone or rubbing alcohol immediately. |
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