Casting a flower or rose in clear resin - updated w/pics!

hydin

Master Member
RPF PREMIUM MEMBER
EDIT - 4/27

Ok, time to share some pics of the good and the bad that happened with this project.

We will go in order, so you can really appreciate the weirdness this project included.

First up, we have CastinCraft 2 part clear epoxy, and a yellow rose with red trim. It actually started boiling the flower when the stuff started to cure. As you can see, it didn't turn out very well...
boiledflower.jpg

boiledflower1.jpg

boiledflower2.jpg


I actually carted that off to the back room and covered it with a cardboard box because I was SURE it was going to explode and throw glass everywhere. Nasty stuff.

Next up is the "flower water" stuff you buy at the florist shop. We got this stuff at hobby lobby (same place as the castincraft). This actually turned out REALLY well, except that it is a gel, not a solid plastic. It's currently got a seal of plastic wrap on the top and I am having a small piece of plexiglass laser cut to glue to the top. I want to keep it dust free. The flower is holding up astoundingly well though.
watergelflower.jpg


Last up was one I did the other night, and finally got polished up. I have some alumilite clear resin, and cut down one of my donner crystal display tubes and glued a sealed base onto the end. This stuff sets pretty quick, so it captured some air, and it did start to get pretty hot, but it didn't boil anything. I think if it would have been a bigger jar it would have been a repeat of the original. Still, it turned out pretty nice.
alumiliteflower.jpg

alumiliteflower1.jpg


The water gel turned out the best of them all, but with the "gel" effect, it's hard to not put it in a sealed container. The alumilite was a good second to this, as it sealed perfectly, but it did catch a few bubbles. That stuff cures FAST. The castincraft did cure well, but man it did a number on that poor rosebud.

Everyones pretty happy with it though. My mom opted for the water gel one, and I will be mailing her a disk to cover the top of the candle holder she used. I am going to have one made for me to cover my candle holder, but I am also going to hang onto the alumilite one as well. It came out pretty nice :)

Dunno how long they will last, but I hope it's a long time.

Chris


Quick check with the prop gods and gurus on the board.

I have a few flowers that my mom wants to keep from my dads funeral today, and I was thinking of setting them up in a single block per flower.

I know they won't be bubble free as I don't have a pressure pot, but I am hoping I can swing by a hobby lobby here (I think there is one local), and pick up some castin craft clear and some kind of mold making material.

This is what I am assuming:
1: need to seal the flower somehow, gloss clearcoat or something.
2: Need to do at least a 2 part casting. One to get the stem in place to hold it, and then follow it up with the rest to have it all centered and not lopsided in the block.
3: need to buy some test flowers to use before I use the only ones she wants to save.

Now... before everyone starts telling me what website to order from and what silicone or alumilite clear and vacuum chamber to get, I am in MS so getting silicone or alumilite is going to not be happening unless I get REALLY lucky and the hobby store has it. I am pretty sure I can buy some mixing sticks and we have some plastic cups to mix stuff in. I haven't thought of the mold material yet but I am kinda hoping and praying they have some kind of silicone kit at the store. If not, I need an idea of a good mold material that I can use that will probably be at the store.

These will just be put through the house, not in sunlight, just up on the bookshelf or something, so I know I can finish it off with a clearcoat spray to avoid that "tack" feeling.

So, anyone have some cool ideas on this? I want to tackle it in a day or so before they start to either bloom bigger, or start to wither and die.

Thanks guys and gals.
Chris
 
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Re: Casting a flower or rose in clear resin

I can't help with the casting but I think it is a great idea, I wish I had thought of it when my mum died.

Anyway, wanted to bump this, and say I really hope someone can help you can get this organised.

Lastly, I am really very sorry to hear about you losing your Dad, and want to wish you all the best, and to give my condolences to you and your family.
 
Re: Casting a flower or rose in clear resin

Cast-n-craft will work fine........I would pour a layer of resin, let it set up for a few mins so it is like jello.....this will support the flower, then lay the flower on top of this resin and cover with more resin................do test first so there is no issues!!!
Mix the resin in a clear plastic cup at room temp add the catalyst mix and let it sit, all of the bubbles will rise and you will have a bubble free casting.....any bubbles that rise as you pour the resin in the mold simply dab them from the surface with a mixing stick, you may have to dab a few times to get them all but it works......just dab up the bubbles and wipe them off the stick and repeat till gone.
hope this helps a bit.
Oh let it cure for 24 hours to be safe, If it is tacky after that bake in the oven at 150 deg. for about 5 mins. then let cool to room temp before touching, it will not be tacky at all.....then if needed you can wet sand and polish as needed.

Bruce
 
Re: Casting a flower or rose in clear resin

If you can get a clear acrylic box or dome the right size you can use that as the mould,just fill with the casting resin and you end up with the item permanently bonded to the acrylic box giving a smooth,tack free outer finish.
 
Re: Casting a flower or rose in clear resin

you can indeed seal the flower up with a clear coat but it must be molded quickly so you should ad some vicure to the silicone to kick it and make it set faster. Ive molded flowers before so you shouldnt have a problem. If your set in molding the stem, you may want to mold the flower separate and ditch the real stem and mold a plastic replica as a separate part, glue them together. It will save you lots of work and trouble.

You also dont need a pressure pot to evac clear resin. There are very slow setting materials out there and even the quicker cure materials will give you enough time to pour, work bubbles out, and pour. Just when you mix the material, try your best to not invite air and bubbles into the material. Pour it very thin.

The problem youll run into with clear resins is sagging on the stems due to the weight of the flower up top. You may want to look into some ridgid wire to wrap around the stem up to the flower head. Its the same thing a florist does to roses.
 
Re: Casting a flower or rose in clear resin

Back when I was a wage slave for a department store (in the 1970's) we had an interesting product... a water globe with a real rose inside. We all tried to figure out how a real rose could remain undamaged in a water globe... and then we got one back that had leaked. So we opened it, and discovered that the rose had been dipped in clear wax. This sealed the rose and made it keep its shape.

Now, I don't know if this is a valid option for you, but you could try it. Just don't let the wax get too hot before dipping it.
 
Re: Casting a flower or rose in clear resin

Got home today. Would have updated but we lost internet service a few days before I came home.

I ended up trying both CastinCraft 2 part resin, and this stuff that is basically water "gel" for flowers. We bought some votive candle holders to put the flowers in, and tried various ways to get this worked up.

1: we learned to glue the flower to the base, as they are pretty friggin buoyant.
2: when clear resin starts to set, it generates a LOT of heat, and will boil the flower in the glass candle holder. Both scary and cool. I will be uploading a few pics of the finished "HOLY CRAP" product.

Basically, I am just hoping that the gel stuff I used will keep the flower looking good. I still have one more rose to put in gel myself, but I might try alumilite clear for it.

Thanks for the help and ideas guys. Without em, I would have been pretty lost. I will update with some pics hopefully later on tonight.

Chris
 
Re: Casting a flower or rose in clear resin

Chris,

that gel stuff I believe may be the same or similar stuff used for crystal ball animal type stuff. I used to have a crystal ball tarantula spider as a kid and one day decided to drop it and let the spider out. The spider was inside of a jello type goo inside of the "crystal ball". Maybe try a test with another kit of that gel stuff, set a flower inside, give it ample time to set then try coating it a very slow setting cystal clear resin. You may need to flame polish the finish to get it clear but its very simple once you get it down.

It may be worth the time and effort but of course do it on a test piece first.
 
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