Polyester resin

From CosplayWiki

Polyester resin is commonly used to cast gems that are used in cosplay. The advantage of casting your own gems is that you can make them in whatever size, quantity, color and shape you need! There are several different brands of resin that are available, but universally they come in two parts. The resin and the catalyst. When you mix the two of them together the resin will harden over time, but will also produce heat - something to take into consideration when choosing your mold! Several different types of molds can be made for casting gems such as latex molds or using a silicon mold. The first is look at the shape of your gem. If it is just a circle gem you might be able to find a hard plastic (think ice cube tray) mold that you could pour the resin directly into. If you cannot find something that you could pour the resin directly into you will have to create a mold for your gem to be cast in. A positive is usually sculpted out of clay then allowed to harden. A negative is then made of the positive using either a substance like the silicon or latex. The resin is mixed together with the catalyst and any colouring that you wish to add to the mixture and then poured into the mold. Use up all your resin as it will harden in the cup! Use popsicle sticks to stir it as it will be covered in the stuff as well. It is sometimes suggested to spray the mold with a releasing agent first.

Tips

• Make sure to mix the resin in a well ventilated area, as the reaction produces toxic fumes - don’t breath the mixture!