Iced Enamels with Polymer

by Staci Louise Smith

Karen McGovern did a post on playing with the new Iced Enamels by Susan Lenhart Kazmer.  They are a cold "enamel" system, using some sort of embossing powders with resin to seal them.

Of course, I thought right away, how can I use them on polymer?

Though I really did plan to use them on metal as well.  

I could not wait for them to arrive.  Of course I tried them on polymer clay before metal, of COURSE I did.  Though I did metal as a quick second.

First I followed the instructions, Susan has a nice little video here, but I didn't like the look of the globbed on "enamel".  I wanted a crusty look, both on my metal and polymer.  Something more gritty.

Here is the "globbing" or applying a thick full layer of power on polymer (on the area's I wanted anyhow)

Here is what my first tries on metal looked, like

I mean, I don't NOT like it, but I was not thrilled

So, I kept playing......

For this black polymer donut, I used the German silver and I really bubbled nicely, and gave me a sort of raku'ish look I liked.  However, it just wiped off the polymer, so I used resin to seal it on.  I only put the resin over the "enamel" and a tiny bit over the edges, because I wanted the matte look of my black to remain.  I like it a lot, and now it doesn't come off.

So then I tried to over my already based coat painted polymer, and then put my crackle layer over top. (the donut has stripey circles painted on in the faux 'namel and the pink bead has one stripe at the top)

LOVE these.  Love them so much.  It is exactly what I was going for.  

The crackle layer was enough to seal it on (plus of course the actual sealer I use on top of that).  I didn't need to use any resin on these at all and they are soooo cool.  I love the texture it adds to the pieces.

My painting and crackle tutorial is available here for purchase.  Though it does not include how to use the iced enamels, it does tell you how to layer paints, alcohol inks and use a great crackle that works wonderful with polymer and doesn't take forever to achieve a great aged look.

Another polymer artist, Tammy at Paisley Lizard,  was playing with them as well.  Here is a link to her post. 

http://www.paisleylizard.com/2015/06/using-iced-enamels-with-polymer-clay/
 I loved that she mixed the powder in with the translucent.  Though it may not have given her the look she was going for, it sure did make some pretty beads.  Since I just bought a bunch of translucent to play with, this is on my list to try.  I have mixed other things into translucent and loved how it looked, but the iced enamels were pretty awesome too!  Instead of having to add color and something with particles, like chalks and mica, it is all in one for you!!!

I ended up making some metal pieces I liked as well with the Iced Enamels.  I liked them very much, but they needed the resin to really seal them well.  However, it was soooooo shiny, it not only didn't look like enamel, it was just distracting.

So I sprayed them with some matte sealer....and that made them funky, and matte, and turned the clear resin milky looking in spots.

So I think next time I will use a satin finish over the resin, so its not so shiny.  Anyhow, I don't hate them, and I am having a blast!

I can definitely see me using these........which is nice, because I can sometimes jump into things and then not end up finding a use for them in my work!

Anyone else use these?  What are your thoughts?  Your results?  Feel free to share your pictures of what you did with Iced Enamels on our Facebook feed in the comments.

Resin - A Love/Hate Relationship by Karen McGovern

Resin has come a long way, baby. I've recently been experimenting with jeweler's resin, thanks to the inspiration of Susan Lenart Kazmer and her Ice Resin. Ice Resin is a fairly recent development in the mixed media art jewelry world, an easy to use, crystal-clear resin specific for jewelry design. The possibilities are endless...fill bezels and embed gems, color it with inks or powders, layer it, add metals, glitter, dried flowers, coat art paper, anything you can think of. It's quite amazing what you can do with a bit of imagination and some free time.

As you probably figured out from the title of this post, I both love and hate resin. I love it because my head is filled with a million ideas to use it, I hate it because I am the most impatient person on Earth and have limited time and space to work on jewelry in the first place. Working with resin takes time, patience, and attention to detail. Three strikes, I'm out!

For those of you that haven't tried Ice Resin (or similar products, the are several jeweler's resins out there now), I encourage you to do so, but be prepared. You need a dedicated, clean space to work, and a clean, dust-free space to cure. Cure time is at least 24 hours. I'm including some links and photos here of my favorite products and artists working with resin to inspire you. It really is a fantastic art product that totally frustrates the Hell out of me! I long to be able to create works like these, from Altered Alchemy and Susan...gorgeous! Sigh....

I am a schizophrenic artist at best. I flit between projects, never make the same thing twice, and jump between media like a jack rabbit. I also screw up...a LOT. So, I shall share my most recent resin screw-up, which I actually managed to salvage, thanks to a surprising automotive product. Are you on the edge of your seats yet??

I recently was inspired to make a ring based on a pomegranate. I constructed a brass ring with a dish-style bezel. Really pleased with how that turned out. I planned to fill the dish with tiny garnets in resin, representing pomegranate seeds. As usual, I was going for broke, in a hurry, and mixed what I thought was the perfect amount of resin, and set my garnets. Lovely. I carefully placed the ring in a clamp, set it in a dust free space (a shelf in my kitchen) and tried not to have a brain embolism waiting 24 hours. The next day I snatched the ring from the clamp and found the garnets resting in a pile of sticky goo. What the...?? Okay, maybe it needs to cure a bit more....imagine the Jeopardy theme song in the back of your mind as I waited, and waited. Test number two, now 48 hours...still a pile of goo, with garnets in it. Craptastic! At this point I had to accept that I had not mixed the resin correctly. I obviously used too much resin and not enough hardener, even though I thought I was being very careful. You need to be precise, one part resin, one part hardener. Soooo, I spent an hour scraping the mess out of the setting. When I was done, the setting was free of most of the resin glob, but still coated with a film of sticky gunk. How to clean? I didn't 't want to use paint thinner, I was afraid it would affect the patina I had painstakingly created on the brass. Salvation came in the form of a can of WD40. I knew WD40 worked well to remove adhesive residue, so I spritzed it into the setting, and wiped it around with a Q-Tip. Viola! The resin wiped away completely, and the patina wasn't affected at all. Rinse, dry, ready to go again. This time I used calibrated syringes to measure out the resin and hardener, mixed, poured, set the stones, and THANK YOU JESUS IT WORKED.

WD40, the miracle in a can, and the ring that tried to kill me.

The moral of this story? Patience is indeed a virtue, which I do not possess...and, WD40 is pretty awesome.

Also, there is another type of resin out there for those of us who need instant gratification. UV resin. Lisa Pavelka's Magic Gloss is a pre-mixed, ready to pour resin that cures in sunlight in about 5 minutes. It must be exposed to UV light to cure, you can even purchase a UV bulb set-up specific for this resin. Nunn Design also has their own version, and the product is fantastic. BUT, you cannot color or free-embed anything using this resin, since the UV light has to penetrate completely to cure (yes, I learned this the hard way). I love this product for coating paper/photos or filling bezels that are fixed with items glued down to the base. Resin-coated papers are my favorite thing at the moment...more on that in my next post--"Resin-nating" (see what I did there??).

 

A necklace I made featuring vintage nudes UV-resin set in steel wire frames.





Until then, give resin a try and let me know,what you think. Share some pics and stories about your experiences. Stay sticky, my friends....

 

yet another way to love -

mary jane dodd

'...with intention' 2012

it is relatively common knowledge (i think) that i love using ice resin in my work in different ways... 

while designing this piece, i became concerned about the stability of the tablet... at the moment it is on tightly, but what if the fiber wears or stretches?

i then remembered that ice resin can be used like a glue... 

it's true!

and so i went back, and 'glued' the tablet onto the metal plate... 

then i 'glued' leather into some end caps to hold them firmly and create a smooth look... 

i can now sell this piece confident in its durability - which is of great importance to me... 

give it a try!

** be on the look out for  a new question and answer feature... you submit questions and we will do our best to answer them or find you a source that can... 

from the depths of your experience

mary jane dodd

life is bitter sweet - a beautiful struggle... and it seems to be intensified by the holidays... i have been musing upon this, needing to put my hands on these words to fully embrace both sides... cutting antique paper that has been touched by others... finding the balance... 


it is our humanity that is universal - we share these things... one year may be filled with more of one than the other, but it evens out over time... for one, for all... 


so if it is more of a struggle year for you, a wish to find some of the beauty is being sent your way - it is there, just stay open... 

'only from the heart

can you touch the sky.'

~ rumi