Looking for help from crafters....

[BlessedMomOfTwo]

I am hoping one of you might be able to help me out with a craft suggestion. My son saw these Power Rangers Dino Gems on an eBay auction...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Power-Ranger-Di...goryZ749QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

He really wants them for Christmas. I have tried and tried to discourage him, telling him that they cost more than we can afford. He has Special Needs so he tends to get focused on one thing and can't be redirected. He now has printed out a copy of the auction listing to take to show Santa when we go see him. He said Santa will make sure he gets them. Sigh...

I have done tons of searches but haven't found a similar product for sale.

I am hoping one of you can suggest a way I could make something similar for him. It appears these are made from resin which I am assuming is a process a little too advanced for me, but maybe not. If so, do you have any ideas about what else I could use? I am not an overly crafty person, but I am motivated to find a way to have him get his Dino Gems, so I am open to all suggestions.

Thank you for any advise you can offer.
Carol

 

[MomOf2DisneyKids]

He really wants them for Christmas. I have tried and tried to discourage him, telling him that they cost more than we can afford. He has Special Needs so he tends to get focused on one thing and can't be redirected. He now has printed out a copy of the auction listing to take to show Santa when we go see him. He said Santa will make sure he gets them. Sigh...

l

I can't help you with the item, but that sounds just like something that my ds would do too! Good luck!

 

[ddavis860]

I would try polymer clay. You can add translucent to the color and mix well to get the clear look. The detail pics give good up close of each one.

Good luck with it!

 

[BlessedMomOfTwo]

Momof2DisneyKids,

Thanks for the hug!!

ddavis860,

Thank you for the suggestion of the polymer clay. I am off to do some research on it.

Thanks again,
Carol

 

[DisneyDork712]

Are they just lumps of molded resin? I can't really tell from the auction exactly what they are supposed to be. And the auction doesn't say how big they are. I CAN tell you that there is no reason for them to be $50 - unless they are fairly large.

 

[BlessedMomOfTwo]

Amanda,

Thanks for your reply. Yes, as I understand they are made from resin. The seller has some links to pics of the molds he/she used to make them, but it would seem they are just the shapes (4 circles & 1 diamond) with somewhat of a design imprinted or perhaps raised from being imprinted into the mold.

I noticed the listing does not include a size for them. I am guessing they are not very big. My ds explained that the Power Rangers have these on their wristbands, so I wouldn't think they are very big - maybe about the size of a watch face.

Ds noticed today that the seller lowered the price to $45.00 but it is still out of our price range this year.

So, is resin hard to work with? Does it take a lot of tools, products, etc? Would you think that I (having never used resin before) might be able to make something that would pass for these? Can you get the supplies at a Michaels or JoAnns?

Thanks for any advice you can offer.
Carol

 

[DisneyDork712]

Oohh! I see... After looking at the auction again I can see what they are supposed to be. I was wondering what the pics of the white molds were. And they are down to $40 now! Maybe they'll keep going lower!

Anyway, here is some of my expert information...

There are several types of resin. A couple of the more popular types are polyester and epoxy. I use an epoxy resin which is easier to work with than the polyester resins. But it's a bit more expensive than the polyester resins. And I've never been able to find the good brand of epoxy resin in stores.. I order mine online. The polyester resin is not mixed in a 1:1 ratio like the epoxy, and is a PAIN to get it right. I would suggest the epoxy resin to anyone who wants to get started working with resin.

The epoxy resin is pretty easy to work with, in terms of getting it to do what you want it to do. The start-up costs of working with resin are pretty high though.

Here are the basic things you would need to start working with resin [I've only put the price for the things you may not be familiar with]:

epoxy resin - $15.00 8oz.

parchment paper or wax paper or some other type of work surface

respirator - the type that is used for fumes - $15-$20

safety goggles - 97 cents!!

plastic cups - without wax coating

stir sticks - they have to be flat, like a popsicle stick

disposable gloves made of nitrile or butyl - about $3/box of 20 nitrile, and about $15/pair for the butyl. You have to get one of these types because you don't want the resin to penetrate a regular rubber glove.

Heat gun for getting out air bubbles - $15

Plus, to make the Dino Gems you would have to have:

Some type of silicon mold making material - $15-$20

Transparent Colored dyes made especially for resin - $5/oz./color

Almost forgot... You'll also need a mold release and conditioner also - $7-$8

I know I said earlier that there was no reason for the ones in the auction to be $50, and what I have listed here is waay more that $50. But if someone is already working with resin, and they have all the materials and such, they should not be charging $50 for those Dino Gems. If you think resin is something you would be interested in, I say go for it! It's really fun and there's a lot you can do with it. Just make sure to get epoxy resin, not polyester or polyurethane!!!

I wouldn't recommend using polymer clay for them. I don't think you could get the polymer clay transparent enough to look like gems.

Please let me know if you have any more questions!! I'll do my best to answer them!!

 

[BlessedMomOfTwo]

Amanda,

Thank you so much for taking the time to give such a thorough response. I really appreciate it.

Given all that I would have to purchase, I can see that making them for him out of resin would not be possible at this time. I really appreciate your listing it all out so clearly so that I didn't need to take the time to go search the products out, etc.. It was very kind of you.

Well, I think I may need to start thinking about a creative letter from Santa explaining why the Dino Gems were not possible.

Thanks to all who offered their help!
Carol