Easy to Use Resin

For the last couple of years I've been experimenting with various sealers and glazes for my bottle cap pendants. Until now, the most promising products were UTEE and Diamond Glaze. I did a previous post on them in 2009 that you might want to refer to. I was never completely satisfied with either of these products for my purpose, but they were the best I tried. I wanted to use resin, but the toxicity of the product was not something I wanted to deal with. I've just discovered a very promising product that has been around at least a year called Magic-Glos by Lisa Pavelka. It's a one part liquid resin that is UV light cured. That means it will cure in minutes in direct sunlight! I tried the product on a few of my pendants and I'm very happy with the results. The final product cures crystal clear and looks like glass. It takes a little while to learn to use it properly, but there are directions and videos by Lisa on her site and on UTube.

Glazes

I've been experimenting with various types of sealers and protectants for my pendants and magnets. I love the look of resin, but I won't use it due to its toxicity and the precise measurements involved. Two products that I have used with acceptable results are UTEE and Diamond Glaze.


I love the shine of UTEE (Ultra thick embossing enamel) and it's quick hardening. Bubbles are easily removed and the resulting surface is very smooth and glass like. It can be reheated and melted again if you're not satisfied with the results. On the downside, it isn't very scratch resistant. There's also a product called UTEE Flex, a resin, which is supposed to be added to melted UTEE to give it more durability. Some of the pendants in which I used this product showed cracking if they were not gently handled. I don't know if this was due to excessive reheating, not enough flex added, or just a brittler product over time.




Diamond Glaze, takes 24 hours to set properly, and continues hardening for days. Tiny bubbles can be a problem if you're a perfectionist like me! Pendants sealed with this product became quite scratch resistant over time. It's not quite as clear as UTEE. They did not have a crystal clear glass like finish.

I tried using UTEE to set the picture in place with a nice glassy coating, then applied a thin layer of Diamond Glaze for it's hardness. I wasn't completely satisfied because of the few tiny bubbles I always ended up with in the Diamond Glaze layer. (I did say I was a perfectionist!) For the present time, I'm just sticking with the UTEE. Any one have any suggestions?