Before I start, I want to thank
and
When I googled how to do this, these lovely people gave very good and full instructions. If you discovered this post with a Google search similar to my original effort, please check out what they wrote. Every experience will be different!
Having followed their methods, I found a few tweaks that worked for me. Add a little there, don't worry about a little there. I have now deluxified several hundred toekns. My next two posts will cover my experience.
Equipment
Epoxy resin: I bought the 1-to-1 mix version, which worked very well for my needs. I usually worked with approximately 10cl of each, so 20cl altogether. Mixed for around 2 minutes and then kept carefully in the supplied silicone tub in a water bath that started hot enough to just leave your finger in.
Mixing isn't that difficult. Do not worry too much about bubbles. They will pop and disappear as the epoxy dries.
I read a lot about using matches or needles to pop bubbles. Just don't. The more you mess with things, the more it will go wrong. You will accidentally touch a piece - it will stick to your match – you will then accidentally touch more pieces as you try to extricate yourself. So try to avoid this.
Work surface and how much in one sitting: To carry the work around, I used an old tea tray that I didn't mind ruining. This would fit around 40-60 tokens in a sitting, which is plenty. You do 1 side of the tokens, and once you have the epoxy mixed, you get around 45 minutes before it gets too viscous/jammy to continue. This was also as long as I could go without a) getting shakes from the tension in my hands, b) getting a little crazy from the tension of concentration. In the end, I used two trays so that I could alternate days – I preferred to let things dry for 2 days.
Lining: I lined the tray with greaseproof paper (from our kitchen). This was glue-proof enough that I could remove tokens that went wrong without completely ruining them. I cut a sheet slightly smaller than the tray and got it as flat as possible. I tried taping the corners down, but that doesn't help much (it doesn't stick very well!). The sheet can be used multiple times: just peel off the spilled resin drops.
Syringes: I bought a bunch of 10cl plastic syringes. Label very clearly one for part A of the epoxy mix, and one for part B. DO NOT get these mixed up; it will likely ruin the rest of the mix. Also, they can be used many times before they get clogged up.
20cl total is about right for the 40-60 tokens.
I used a third syringe for applying once mixed. (We'll get to that). This syringe I clean with hot water and washing-up liquid between sessions, but generally after 3 sessions, it gets too crusty to plunge properly, so I throw it away for another.
A Tool for holding the tokens: I used a very fine screwdriver – actually an awl – to pin the pieces with my left hand while applying the epoxy with my right. The pieces can slip around, and you may want to rotate them. I wanted something big enough to hold comfortably but also sharp to minimize what gets coated in epoxy.
Brush no brush: I did not buy a brush – I used the syringe as the brush. Applying is then just gently squeezing while holding the token and pushing out towards the edges – especially if the shape is complex. Make sure you get into those corners. I would suggest underapplying. You can always do a second coat later - it won't show. The epoxy spreads naturally very satisfyingly. But if you put on too much, it may escape (sometimes a few minutes later just when you thought you were done, sometimes you'll discover leaks the next day). Those pieces can be rescued (see my next post), but it's annoying.
Artist's rest: Finally, I built myself an artist's rest. A small plank of wood around 5cm wide, 60cm long with two feet made from offcuts of that plank. Strong enough to lean on. This gave me a stable base for my arm/wrist as I moved around the tokens.
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