Custom Resin Casting Your Way

CONC Material Letter

The final destination for material concerns, CONC Library. We think together about the thousands of material challenges designers face and share the answers and processes.

“I’m looking for a special material that has a handmade feel.”

“Is there a material that I can easily try making something with myself?”

The Magic of Handmade Craft

There are videos that you can watch over and over again, simply because they bring joy just by looking at them. Like one where butter is smoothly sliced, or a pastel-colored video showcasing the creation of adorable desserts, or even glass crafts with graceful curves made by hand that seem almost too beautiful to believe. The desire to express your own style with your hands feels completely natural, and it's just as enjoyable to watch others create something with their hands.

We live in a time when personal taste is considered highly trendy. As a result, more and more people are seeking materials that can be personally handled, where you can infuse your own preferences in texture and color. Recently, resin crafts have gained popularity on algorithms, offering easy yet beautiful results that can be used for interiors or furniture. This would be just the right material to introduce!

Metropolis Corner Stool, Laudris Gallée

A handmade stool *cast with transparent resin and pigment, then finished with sanding.
*Casting: The process of pouring liquid material into a mold with a desired shape and allowing it to solidify.

Fossilized features nine works, Jens Praet

Using shredded magazines mixed with white resin, this piece is cast into the shape of furniture. The surfaces that come into contact with the human body or are used for support are smooth, but the material settles at the bottom of the mold, creating a smooth surface there as well.

Kiri Chair, Son Sangwoo

A part of Son Sangwoo's Mist series. To create the floating image of mist, hanji paper is torn by hand and mixed with resin and hardener, then solidified. When adding color to the work, hanji paper is painted, or colored hanji is used.

Loess Series, Fict Studio X Lab.crete

The Loess (yellow earth) series, a collaboration between Fict Studio and Lab.crete. British water-based acrylic resin, 'Jesmonite', is mixed with yellow earth and cast into molds.

Newton's Bucket, Silo Studio

A resin work by Silo Studio inspired by Newton’s experiments(!). Resin of various colors is placed in a hemispherical container and spun to create concave bowls through centrifugal force. Water-based resin ‘Jesmonite’ was used as the optimal material for casting while spinning.

Shower Sculpture, Sabine Marcelis

A shower booth that looks like it would melt smoothly on a perfectly toasted slice of bread. It appears to have been made by pouring epoxy resin into a mold created with Styrofoam. The matte surface, reminiscent of soft butter, was likely sanded after being removed from the mold!

Let’s Imagine with Resin Materials: Colors, Patterns, and Shapes

Resin crafts, which I used to see on algorithms making small items like grip tops or keycaps, have now expanded to creating furniture and even bathtubs. The material is so familiar and easy to work with, and by mixing various ingredients, you can create a one-of-a-kind material. Doesn’t this sound like exactly what those seeking a ‘handcrafted feel’ and ‘DIY’ materials would be looking for?

When you actually start creating, terms like ‘resin,’ ‘acrylic,’ ‘epoxy,’ and ‘hardener’ may make you take a step back, but remember, the first step of any challenge is always the hardest. Once you understand the material’s characteristics, ideas will flow easily, so feel free to dive in. Based on the question, I rated the materials for suitability in making stools, assigning a ‘Stool Score.'

(1) Jesmonite

Stool Score ★★★☆☆ / Overall Refined product categories, diverse material options—start exploring now!

Jesmonite is a British acrylic resin brand that can be used for design, modeling, and architectural materials. It's VOC-free. It generally has a matte texture and can be used as is without any painting. You can create glossy or metallic finishes with coating products. By adding dyes, metals, or powders, like the reference images above, you can experiment with unique colors and textures.

(2) Mika Resin (+ Finishing Oil, Ceramic Varnish)

Stool Score ★★★☆☆ / Overall A friendly local material

Micare Resin is a domestic version of Jesmonite, and it’s a bit easier to purchase. Both Jesmonite and Micare Resin have similar uses and characteristics. You mix the powder and liquid resin in specific proportions, then gradually add colorants to achieve your desired color before pouring into molds to cast. It's similar to making chocolate. Both products have short curing times, around 40 minutes to 1 hour, making them efficient. They have low shrinkage and expansion, are fire-resistant, and are great for casting as well as spray, coating, exterior/interior, and putty shading use 👌.

(3) Crystal Resin

Stool Score ★★★★☆ / Overall It won’t break that easily

A transparent and smooth epoxy resin. It comes in curing times of 10 hours, 20 hours, and hyperspeed. Compared to the other two products, it has significantly longer curing times but stronger physical properties. The buttery-colored shower booth in the references above was likely made with epoxy resin.

The reason there are no 5-star ratings is that resin requires a curing time, which limits the amount you can pour at once. Resin requires research beforehand to find the right method for the size and design you want to create.

You can layer resin and materials bit by bit in a mold, or create and cut large panels to use. If the volume is small, pouring it all at once and allowing ample curing time is another option. It’s a good idea to plan the design from the start to avoid making the resin too thick. It's tough, but that’s the nature of making something by hand. And that’s the solution for today’s dilemma!