Resin Magnets Tutorial

I love magnets. I love the simplicity of magnets. They can add so much character and life to furniture and appliances that are not very exciting, like refrigerators or office cubicles.

Last Christmas my friend Courtney and I decided to do a homemade Christmas exchange. The only rule was that we had to use a craft medium or technique that we haven’t used before. I decided to experiment with craft casting resin.

Luckily my experiment was a success! I hope that Courtney likes her magnets, I certainly enjoy them. I made myself a handful of magnets for my cubicle at work and always get compliments on them. They are very unique and funky – I haven’t seen anything like them at the Christmas craft fairs.

Supplies:
•    Hard plastic ice cube trays (polypropylene ice cube trays)
•    Castin’ Craft Casting Resin (I found this at Opus)
•    A container to mix the rein in (I used a left over glass jar)
•    Various odds and ends: locks and keys, ribbon, embroidery thread, straight pins, crayons, beads, paper clips, dice, guitar picks, anything miniature that will fit in an ice cube tray.
•    Magnets
•    Glue gun and glue sticks

Directions:
This craft is pretty simple. Basically you put your trinkets in the ice cube tray, pour in the resin, and wait for everything to set! Please note that the casting resin used to make this craft has a very strong odor – please make this craft in a well ventilated area.

Step one: Read the directions for the casting resin. Stir the catalyst into the resin at the recommended ratio. Mix well. The catalyst precipitates a chemical reaction.

Step two: Pour a little bit of the casting resin into the bottom of each ice cube tray. Allow the resin to set.

Step three: Place your trinkets in the ice cube tray on top of the poured resin. Pour more resin in the ice cube tray until the trinket is covered. Allow everything to set completely (the directions from the casing resin will let you know approximately how long this will take).

Step four: Pop out your hard, transparent plastic objects. Hot glue a magnet onto the back of your new plastic cubes to create some super fun magnets!

You are done! A simple craft project that will definitely impress your friends.