What kind of clear flexible resin can I use for this craft?
I am new to using resins and casting. But, Id like to give it a try. I want to make a sheet of clear flexible resin, and put my fabric underneath. I dont want laminated fabric (like a raincoat), as that is too thin. I want it to be perhaps .5 or .8 cm thick.
The sheet will be approximately 25cm x 25cm. Once two edges are brought together, it will bend into a teardrop shape. This shape will be the outside slexible shell of a clutch purse (to be lined in leather).
I have been searching the internet for a few days and I am finding a lot of different types of resin, most of them rigid (like Lucite). If you have any info on how I can do this myself I would really appreciate help! Websites or search terms. Thanks!
*flexible shell
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Most clear resins are rigid so will only bend (after curing) if they’re thin, and then only bend so far before they snap.
You could perhaps do some kind of “shell” casting with polyester resin with the fabric used behind it (like fiberglass cloth) but that could get tricky if you’re not familiar with resins and might not be quite as strong as you’d like.
You could use liquid polymer clay, for example, which is sometimes used for making purses, and though it will be quite flexible after curing, it won’t be clear–just translucent.
http://glassattic.com/polymer/mixing_media.htm (> Fabric >> Fabric Embedded with Liquid Clay
http://glassattic.com/polymer/MISC.htm (> Purses)
One possibility would be to purchase clear vinyl and maybe layer it till you have 1 cm, then put your fabric behind it (or perhaps between two layers), if you need to finished teardrop shell to be flexible.
There are other plastics you could use to create non-flexible teardrop shapes, or to be non-clear though.
Resins are actually significantly different from each other, and have various characteristics and techniques that need to be learned, so using one in a different way than normal may be difficult for a beginner to get even close to right though.