anyone kno how to make clear acrlyic plugs

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by eliswett » Fri Jan 07, 2011 5:45 am

so ive always wanted to maked my own plugs ive done a few oil treated/heat treated clay plugs with designs like eyes monster eyes and concaves and random colors but i rly wannastart makin some better plugs
where can i get supplies to make acrylic plugs
does anyone here kno how or kno a site thatll explain how
eventually i want to make bug inlay clear acrylics
so if you guys can help i wanna start as soon as possible
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by stashapistachio » Fri Jan 07, 2011 1:28 pm

You ought to inlay them in steel eyelets. Then you can use resin to set stuff in. Every resin has different instructions, and it'll take a bit of practice. Use a cocktail stick/pin to pop any bubbles while its still wet.

Resin is not at all ear-happy. And I'm rather allergic to it. It need to be inlaid.
Proper acrylic is a faff that needs a lot of equipment, don't use that. Plus it isn't really ear friendly either.
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by joniponi » Sat Jan 08, 2011 1:48 am

just put in pieces of icepicks so they'll look clear xDDD
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by eliswett » Sat Jan 08, 2011 3:11 am

aighty
well if i wanna do acrylic which i do cuz i feel they look better and have a better finishing look where and what equip would i need to get it done
and would it would it work if i took like a reg plug made a plaster cast of it and poured the resin in it or plastic or acrylic or whatever material works
any advice on either on of these

does anyone kno a site that could tell me how to do this
or a video or anything like that
even someone i can personally contact for instructions
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by stashapistachio » Sat Jan 08, 2011 10:29 am

It difficult to cut because it has a habit of exploding or melting if you cut too fast/slow. A router does best, you'll also want some sort of polishing wheel

THE FUMES FROM MELTING ACRYLIC ARE DANGEROUS

If you want to mould it... Look into plastic injection moulding. A good mould would be aluminium or steel. But they're super expensive to have made. You might be able to use wood (I used it for vacuum forming, but I;m not sure it would work for moulds, and could be prone to leaving flashing, but you can just cut & buff that off.
You also need somewhere and someway to heat it. You can buy thermoset & thermoplastic pellets. Thermoplastic is much more expensive, but can be remelted pretty well.
PMMA is probably the most skin safe acrylic, and probably the cheapest. But you need to be careful how you colour it, and what polising compounds you choose to use.


I like resin, seriously, good resin work looks much the same as good acrylic and much easier. And you can colour it better..

I wouldn't buy acrylic jewelllery (especially homemade) unless it was inlaid or I wore it in earskins anyway
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by eliswett » Sun Jan 09, 2011 2:19 am

if i try resin which seems like its the easier way where can i buy the supplies like what do i need specifically for heating molding etc.
cuz i wanna look into this resin method what does the finished porduct look like
and how do i go about working with it in a way where i can end with a good product
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by eliswett » Sun Jan 09, 2011 3:22 am

i found this stuff called clear casting resin made by tap plastics
heres a video and PLEEEEEASE watch it and if you can let me kno if this woulld work as supplies to make plugs with embedments and would be safe in ears when done
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/925452/how_to_cast_embedments_in_clear_resin/
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by stashapistachio » Sun Jan 09, 2011 2:40 pm

Most resin won't be safe directly in ears, so should be cast into steel eyelets or maybe acrylic (I've seen people do it in wood, but I don't imagine thats very good for the wood). Solves all the problems of moulds and extracting too. And they're plenty cheap, especially if you can find some wholesale.

Resins come in two sorts. (I forget their names) One you mix parts together the hardener, the other comes straight out the bottle. There are TONS of different sorts/makes, easy to buy on ebay or craft shops. And you don't need to melt anything.
I'd go for the mixey sort, it gives a better finish if done right. But you need to work in a well-ventilated area, and be good at measuring. I think it works out cheaper, but I can't really remember.

That videos pretty much how you do it. Though I've never seen people use quite that many 'ingredients'...
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by eliswett » Mon Jan 10, 2011 4:14 am

so i bought some resin and ima buy some wholesale steel eyelets soon ipn a range of sizes and start casting soon
i even talked to the guy at my local mall at the body jewelry stand and got their business card if the casting goes well i may have a job selling my plugs at upwards of 10 jewelry stands in malls all over michigan
ima do some practice embedding in just some clay eyelets i make to get a feel for it and how to get the best clear resin then start casting in the steel
i can start by embedding crickets cuz theyre the easiest to get like at a petshop
so if all goes well i may be profiting this jewelry and pocketing the cash

and stashapistachio ur right i looked into it more in jewelry making boks and talking to the jewelry guy and some online shit directly its unsafe but a sealer coat of acrylic or inside the steel eyelet which will give it a nice finishing look will mmake it 100% safe
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by stashapistachio » Mon Jan 10, 2011 1:50 pm

Hoppers are pretty cool looking and easy to buy. Shove in the freezer, and they just go to sleep :)

You could practice in whatever. Bottletops is probably good for the first go, practice setting and getting the bubbles out. And then work out how to block off the bottom after you've sorted that. Anything round you can find!

Sealant on the wearable will just wear off over time. But it could make it shinier? I don't really know that part, never used it.
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