Resin Marble: Serving Tray

#resinmarbling #productstory #makeyourowntray #resintutorial #madeinpakistan

Resin is a versatile medium that allows for a lot of experimentation. We decided to begin our foray into the world of resin by trying marbling, getting a chance to play with color and texture to create dynamic patterns on everyday items, breathing new life into them. The first item we decided to start with is a staple of every household, one that has a lot of character and is used every day, a serving tray. This is a complete How-To manual of how make your own Resin Tray at home!

WHAT YOU NEED:

1. Two part clear epoxy resin.
   (a 500g Resin/Hardener set [1:1 or 1:2])
2. Serving Tray
   (either wood or metal in roughly the size 11″ X 18″, available online on Daraz or any Crockery Shop)
3. Disposable Mixing Cups
   (for measuring resin, individual shade colors)
4. Disposable Gloves, Mask
5. Newspaper or a plastic sheet
   (to cover the work space)
6. Mixing Tools
   (Plastic Spoons or Wooden Spatulas)
7. Cooking Blow Torch
   (if not available a hair dryer can be used aswell)
8. Acrylic Paints
   (3 shades of one color hue from darkest to white)

WHAT TO DO:

1. SETTING UP THE WORK SPACE
   Before embarking on this experiment, we took care to work in a well-ventilated space, wearing gloves, mask, an apron, and also covering up the table with a plastic sheet to keep it clean.
   [ Pro ­Tip: All enthusiastic experiments require safety to be a priority!]
2. MIXING THE RESIN
   Following the instructions on the product, we eyeballed the amount needed to cover the surface of the tray and mixed up our first batch of resin. After stirring it until the resin turned clear, we were ready to move onto the next step.
   [ Pro Tip: Once the resin was mixed, we only got around 20-25 minutes of work time with the resin before it started setting, so we had to hurry, no lazing about! ]
   
3. DIVIDING THE RESIN AND MIXING IN THE ACRYLIC PAINT
   With the shades of blue we wanted in our marbling planned out, we put very small sized amounts of acrylic paint in separate mixing cups and stirred in the resin depending on the amount needed.
   [ Pro Tip: We had to be wary of the dangers of putting in too much white in the design. Too much and we risked creating a milky mess instead of a marbling look. ]
   
4. POURING ON TRAY SURFACE
   Taking the colors we poured them on the tray, having fun with it, and flowing them together. Lightly streaming in small amounts of the white, we feathered it with a ice-cream stick (or toothpick) until we achieved the desired pattern of marbling.
   
5. POPPING THE BUBBLES
   Now for the fun part, letting the resin sit and popping the bubbles that rose from the surface by lightly running a blow torch over it.
   [ Pro Tip:  We didn’t realize how much fumes would be released from this step, so we made sure to keep our face as far away as we could. ]
   
6. LETTING THE RESIN CURE AND WE ARE DONE
   Covering up and letting the tray set overnight, we finally had a reveal of the glossy well set resin marbled tray with a dynamic, one of a kind, piece.

Thrilled to have a successful result, we are excited to keep experimenting with the medium and technique, and work on developing new products with it. Follow us for updates on our upcoming designs with resin!!