Monday, February 2, 2015

Resin and Bezels with Uneven Backs

If you've ever poured resin in bezels before, you're sure to have come across bezels that don't sit flat. Perhaps they have a pendant bail that protrudes past the bezel, or perhaps it has a snap on the back like the popular "Klik" bezels. Or maybe it's even slightly warped. No matter what the issue, you need to find a way of keeping the bezel level whilst you're working on it and also whilst it's curing.
Klik bezels have a built in snap on the back so they don't sit flat.

Here's a couple of my favourite tricks to make things just a little bit easier.

Place the bezel on a bed of rice or sand so that it sits level. The bezel will easily press into the grains surrounding it for support.
Klik bezel supported on a bed of rice grains

Place the bezel over a cavity. Here I'm using a plastic mould tray with deep cavities. Make sure the bezel is supported on the flat surface. This one will slide around a little bit but it's still a good solution if you have nothing else around.
Klik bezel supported in a mould cavity

But I've kept the best until last - my favourite tip for working with the Klik bezels is.....
Off cut of compressed foam
compressed foam!

I'm using an offcut from an interlocking foam mat which is thick enough to accommodate the snap base.

Here's how to turn it into a really stable support for your resin bezel.

Press the snap into the foam so that it leaves an impression.
Pressing a bezel back into compressed foam to leave an impressiom

Press the points of scissors into the foam (to the depth of the snap) at the edge of the impression and cut 2 slits diagonally across the impression.
Using scissor to cut an "X" from the impression left in the foam by the Klik bezel

It should look like this.
"X" cut into the foam

Trim away the area between the corners holding the blades at about a 45° angle.
Scissors trimming away the excess foam around the "X"

It will be a little bit messy but that's OK.
Foam with a hole to accommodate the snap on the back of the Klik bezel

Insert the snap into the hole......
Klik bezel sitting flat on the foam with the snap pressed into the hole

......and test it for fit.  I like it to be snug enough that you can hold it upside down without the Klik snap falling out.
Even when the foam is turned upside down, the bezel will not fall out.

And now you have a really stable platform for holding that bezel in place whilst you work on it.

You can use polystyrene foam or florists foam in place of the compressed foam and you may not even have to do any trimming. But for me, the re-useability of the compressed foam wins hands down.

See this related post:
How to keep the dome level in post back earrings

If you found these ideas useful, PIN IT!
3 ways to help bezels lie flat cheat sheet


Happy Resining!


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