How to Make an Epoxy Resin Clock using the 2020 Silicone Mold?

Posted by CraftyMaineMom

2020 is the start of a brand new decade, what better way to kick off yours than with a brand new Clock that can either be used as a daily device or even just to remember a important time in your life such as a wedding, an anniversary, a birth of a child, or loss of a close relative or pet. This clock can be easily made with the provided clock gear assembly and hands that are easily put on with a simple twist and push of your finger, no tools required!

1.Preparation Work

Before starting your beautiful new clock, you should make sure your area is level, clean, ventilated, and free of dust or hair. To avoid Resin from coming into contact with your area and to avoid an unnecessary mess, you should consider using something to cover your area with like Wax lined paper or Newspaper. You will also want to be wearing proper safety equipment such as gloves and a mask or respirator to avoid any unwanted toxins in the Epoxy Resin from entering your body. Epoxy Resin is highly toxic while in liquid form or even partially cured so make sure to read all the proper safety information about the resin you choose to use.
After you have you and your working area prepped, pre-plan what design you are going for. This helps to keep your focus on what your doing instead of what you need to do. The thicker, wide spaces insides each number and clock face make it very easy to design basically anything you could imagine. If you would like to have color in your Resin there are many ways to add color such as Alcohol Ink, Peral Powders, and Liquid Pigments, all of which create beautiful designs based on how your using it.
What you will need to start:

1. 2020 Clock Mold and provided Gear Assembly and Clock Hands.
2. Approximately 8oz of Epoxy Resin
3. Proper Safety Equipment
4. Mixing Cups (in Ounces or Milliliter)
5. Stirring Sticks
6. Small Pick (such as toothpicks or a thick unsharpened pin)
7. Device used to remove Bubbles (such as a Degassing Chamber, Vacuum Chamber or Heat gun) **DO NOT USE A TORCH**
8. Colorant or Fillers (Optional)

2.Measure and Mixing Your Epoxy Resin:

Once you have decided how you will design your future 2020 clock you may now start to measure and mix your Epoxy Resin until Crystal clear. Mixing your resin is Extremely important, make sure to scrape all sides of your cup and mixing stick repeatedly while mixing. Warming your Resin and Curing Agent in a warm water bath for 5-10 minutes before mixing helps dramatically while mixing. When Epoxy resin is warmed it becomes thinner and much easier to work with but be careful not to overheat it or your resin may start to chemically react faster than normally should. When mixing in large volumes it is better to pour sooner than later, the sheer volume of the resin in your mixing cup can cause it to want to cure. Consider using an Epoxy Resin that is made specially for Casting to help to avoid this Chemical reaction and to save your mold. Some Resin’s are only meant to be poured in thin layers and when used for castings will heat up so much it will actually bond with the silicone your mold is made out of which can and will cause damage such as tears while removing your piece from the mold.

After you have fully mixed your Resin allow the bubbles to rise for about 5 minutes before pouring if you do not use a degassing or vacuum chamber to remove your bubbles. Once the 5 minutes have passed you can easily swipe over your cup with a heat gun or embossing tool to remove any that may have floated up and did not pop on their own. Now you are ready to pour!

3.Coloring Epoxy Resin Before Pouring:

You can color your resin with many different things. The most common colorants used to color resin are Resin Pigments, Alcohol Inks, or Peral Powder or otherwise known as Mica Powder. It never takes much to color your resin and using a little can go a long way. To color your mixed resin simply take your chosen colorant and add a small amount into your mixed resin and stir until it is fully mixed. Adding the colorant as you are mixing can help to determine the opacity of your Resin. To make pieces that have multiple colors separate your resin into multiple cups depending on how many colors you would like to use. You can use multiple colorants in your resin at one time but just be sure not to over do it or the resin may not cure correctly.

4.Pouring your Epoxy Resin 2020 Clock:

Now that you have mixed your resin and have your design layout planned you may start to pour into your Silicone 2020 Clock Mold. It takes about 8 fluid ounces of Epoxy Resin to fill this mold.

Start by pouring into one area of your mold until the resin has made its way to the other side. If pouring Multiple colors and don’t want to them to blend into one color, try to pour them at the same time in the areas you want the colors to be. For Example, in the 2020 clock pictured, I poured both the dark blue and light blue areas at the same time. When the colored resin met each-other they blended in that one area where they met instead of blending into one color all together. You can also help the resin blend in that area by using a heat gun where the resin met. If you find that one color is “pushing” the other colors too much add more of the opposing colored resin that you want in that area to guide it back. Keeping the colors even while pouring can help to avoid this.

Once you have poured the desired amount of resin into your mold use your Small pick and carefully guide the bubbles that are in your mold to the surface. These bubbles are caused by surface tension in your mold and can normally be easily seen and popped once risen. Make sure to check all corners of each number and surface of the Clock face. Once all bubbles have been removed by carefully and quickly swiping above the mold with a heat gun proceed to make your design. Do not by any means use a Torch. Using a Torch will cause your resin to overheat in some areas and bond with your mold. Once your resin has bonded with the silicone it can be incredibly difficult to remove.

When finished, allow the Epoxy Resin to cure for the recommended amount of time given in your Epoxy Resin information. Try and keep your entire clock and mold covered while curing to help to make sure you will not find a hair or speck of dust in it during the curing process.

*Warmly Note: If you are making the clock in layers repeat the Mixing and Pouring steps every 4-5 hours to allow each layer to become “tacky”. This can prevent the Resin from becoming too hot and can also be a great way to add flowers or other things that would normally float when placed in resin. Repeat these steps until your mold has been filled to the desired height.**

5.Removing Clock from your Silicone Mold:

Now comes the fun part…. The Big Reveal!!! After your resin has cured for the required amount of time recommended you may now proceed to start removing your clock from your mold. If made correctly and without a torch removal should be easy. Starting on one end of your mold gently pry the mold from your cured resin. Pulling the mold downward while holding your cured piece in place can really help to pop out those pesky areas without ripping it. Silicone molds are generally pretty durable and can stand quite a bit of force without ripping but just be careful to not catch up on those sharp edges of your resin while pulling. If you happen to find it difficult to remove try using soap water, baby oil, or placing the piece in the freezer for a couple of minutes or until the cured resin has stiffened helps. Once you have removed your clock from your mold you are ready to attach the Gear assembly and Hands to the Clock.

6.Assembling your Clock:

Assembling this clock is so much easier than it looks!

The 2020 Mold kit should come with a small package of parts to assemble your clock. This package contains (1) Clock Gear assembly, (1) Gold plated washer, (1) Gold Plated Nut, (3) Clock Hands (Hours, Minutes, and Seconds).

①

Begin by flipping your 2020 Clock so the back is facing you. Place the Gold washer onto the Gear assembly and slide it down so it sits directly on the back. Once placed slide the entire Gear assembly into the clock’s hole through the back.

②

Once you have placed the clock assembly onto the back, take the gold nut and carefully start to twist the nut onto the gear assembly until it is flush on the face on the clock.

③

After you have the gear assembly attached take your Minute hand and firmly place the clock hand onto the assembly until snug. If done correctly the clock hand will not move unless forced to.

④

After you have placed the minute hand, go ahead and place the hour hand onto your assembly and press firmly until the hand is snuggly in place.

⑤

Now you are ready to place the last piece of your clock by taking the last hand and placing it into the assembly and firmly press until it is tight and secure.

Now that you have attached your hands

Place a battery into the gear assembly, set the time and you now you have a beautiful, handmade, and 100% working Epoxy Resin 2020 clock that you made!