Friday, June 15, 2018

How to Disguise Bubbles in a Resin Bangle

What do you do when you've made a resin bangle and it hasn't turned out very well? Maybe it's filled with bubbles, or the colour isn't what you want, or there's some other blemish that you wish you could hide. Today I'm going to show you a trick I sometimes use to disguise imperfections. And it looks absolutely stunning!
Jewel toned resin bangle in shades of magenta, purple, red and gold viewed from three angles

I'm starting out with a bangle that is full of bubbles. Other than the bubbles, there's nothing wrong with the bangle.
Translucent yellow resin bangle filled with bubbles.

But you don't have to use a bangle you've made yourself. If you've got an old plastic bangle in your jewellery box that you've fallen out of love with, then this technique will breathe new life into it, and you'll love wearing it all over again!

Don't have any bangles in your jewellery colllection? 

No worries. Just check out your local op-shop... you can almost always find a plastic or resin bangle there for just a couple of dollars.

Here's a shopping list of the supplies you'll need to make over your bangle:

Piñata Alcohol inks (I prefer Piñatas because they are highly saturated, vibrant colours)
Piñata Claro Extender
Piñata Metallic Rich Gold
Krylon Triple Thick Crystal Clear Glaze
Plastic drinking straw
Disposable gloves (use nitrile gloves if you're allergic to latex)
Rubbing alcohol for clean up

How to Paint a Resin Bangle with Alcohol Ink

This is a messy process and I like to work on a non-stick craft sheet because it's so easy to wipe clean afterwards. Before you begin, put on your gloves. 

Apply a drop of one of your chosen colours onto the surface of the bangle. Whilst it's still liquid, blow through the straw to make the ink splatter and spread.
Bright pink alcohol ink being splattered onto a resin bangle by blowing through a drinking straw

Take a second colour and do the same thing. You can overlap colours if you like because dried alcohol ink is reactivated by wet alcohol ink, so the colours will blend. Cover the whole bangle in this way. If the alcohol ink gets on the inside of the bangle, blow the ink until it splatters and can't be spread any further.
Blowing through a straw to disperse a drop of blue alcohol ink in a splatter pattern on a resin bangle.


Now comes the magic!

Row of finished brightly coloured resin bangles coloured with alcohol inks and a bangle with alcohol inks being applied to the surface.

Apply a couple of drops of metallic alcohol ink. It will run but that doesn't matter.
Adding drops of gold alcohol ink onto the dried colours and allowing it to run.

Now, immediately add a drop of Claro Extender to the metallic ink. It will keep the ink from drying too fast. It will also reactivate the colours underneath.
Adding a drop of Claro Extender to the gold alcohol ink.

Position the straw over the metallic ink and blow it around so that it disperses across the surface of the bangle. It will create a rich ripple or marble effect. You can also try blowing it around without using the Claro Extender for a more solid look.
Blowing the gold alcohol ink around the bangle so that it mixes with the coloured alcohol inks and creates a marbled effect.

Apply the metallic ink over other areas of the bangle. Disperse any excess on the inside of the bangle too. You can see how it's lightened some of the really dark areas of alcohol ink.
Resin bangle with gold alcohol ink marbled through the bright pink, blue and yellow alcohol inks.

Now you need to set aside to dry. Alcohol ink dries pretty quickly, but if you have really piled on the alcohol ink, leave it to dry for a few days before the next step.
Red, blue and purple alcohol inks blended together with gold marbling on a resin bangle base.

Sealing the Bangle to Protect It

This next step is optional but if you choose not to do it, then see the note at the bottom of the post.

Put the bangle on some newspapers or a plastic drop sheet and spray it with a couple of light coats of Krylon Triple Thick Crystal Clear Glaze, allowing each one to dry before applying the next.
Spraying the alcohol ink painted bangle with clear acrylic spray.

Note: If you choose to skip the sealing step, then make sure that you keep all alcohol away from the bangle. There's alcohol in a lot of products that you might not even think of: cleaning products, perfume and hairspray, to name a few. If you don't want the alcohol ink to get reactivated and rub off onto your skin and clothes, then sealing the bangle is the way to go!

You might also like this idea for disguising imperfections:
Pumpkin Glitter Bangle

Love this project? Then Pin It!

Make over an old bangle with this DIY alcohol ink painting technique

Row of brightly coloured alcohol ink bangles in shades of pink, red, purple, orange and green.

Happy Resining!


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Would you like to comment?

  1. Thank you for sharing this; I hadn't considered using alcohol inks to disguise my first misshapen mistake-bangles and they have now avoided the bin!

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    1. I'm glad that you've found this idea helpful. Now your misshapen bangles are an opportunity to play some more! I like this look so much that I now cast plain bangles deliberately just so I can apply this technique!

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  2. When I use sealing spray on alcohol ink, I have had the ink dissolve or blend in more as there is alcohol in the spray as well. How do you avoid that?

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    Replies
    1. Divya, if you use an acrylic based spray that is alcohol free, rather than a solvent based spray, you won't have the problem with the alcohol inks running and bleeding. Myléne

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  3. Can you also use this process for other resin projects, ie; coasters etc. thanks Karen

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    Replies
    1. Yes, you can apply alcohol inks to any resin surface. Keep in mind that any spilled alcohol will reactivate the alcohol inks so you will need to apply a resin dome coat to the coaster to protect the alcohol ink from staining anything or wearing away.

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