DIY Epoxy Resin Keychain/Bag Tag
This project started out as a request for an ID tag for my son’s new violin. He asked for a “rainbow name tag,” and my very first thought was resin and alcohol ink. (Well, after ‘That’s my boy!’) My other two kids chimed in and said that they also would love tags of their own, so I ended up making three. Now I have three happy kids, and I kind of want to label everything with these.
If you’d like to see some of my other resin crafts, check out these…
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Supplies:
Other supplies:
- Mixing cups
- Stir sticks
- Scissors
- Printer
- Lighter
- Toothpick
I love using transparencies in resin projects because they just disappear. You can’t see the clear background of the transparency sheet in the resin. The last time I wanted transparencies printed, I sent some off to Office Depot online and picked them up at the store. It was quick and easy to do—and not very expensive, but I felt a lot of pressure to make the most of each sheet I was printing. This time I really only needed a few names and phone numbers, so it was a little different. I decided to print my own. I found these transparency sheets that are made specifically for laser printers, and they work perfectly in my printer! As a bonus, I’m well prepared for future crafts.
Let’s make some resin keychains/tags!
The first thing I did was type out the text I wanted. Based on the size of the mold I have, I made them about 1.5” long. I used Pages on my Mac for this, and there’s a handy ruler you can pull up to use. I printed out the words on a transparency sheet, and then I cut them out. I didn’t leave much space around the text.
Next I prepared the resin. I used two-part epoxy resin for this, so I mixed the two parts really well before I started pouring it into the mold. (Make sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for your own resin, and use it in a well-ventilated area.) I poured just enough for a thin layer first, and then I carefully put the transparency cutouts inside of that. I kept popping bubbles as I went with both a lighter and a toothpick.
I probably should have given a little more thought to the positioning of the cutouts at this point. I didn’t really think about the orientation of the text, except that I *did* remember to put it upside down in the mold. If you have a preference for which direction the text goes, you might want to pay more attention to that.
Once the text was centered in each mold the way I wanted it, I poured more resin on top. I added the ink one drop at a time, adding a white drop on top of each drop of color. I accidentally overfilled my molds, but I didn’t realize that until I got to this point. Oops! I’ve never had resin bleed this way. It all worked out fine though. I also mixed WAY more resin than I needed, so I filled some other molds I have.
As always, the hardest part of any epoxy resin project is the waiting. I waited 24 hours for these to cure, but then I was able to remove everything from the molds. Because of the overflowing resin, some of the pieces were stuck together. I was able to easily trim it off with scissors, though. Once it fully cures (72 hours or so), it might be a little more difficult to do that. Since it was still a little soft, I had no trouble with it.
I didn’t need these tags to dangle much, so I used one 10mm jump ring to connect each clip to a tag and called it good. Rather than dig out my pliers, I used scissors to open the jump rings. I used my fingers and the other end of the scissors to close them. The jump rings came in a multipack, so I could also have made a chain out of them if I wanted to make a keychain that dangles more.
Here it is in action.
That’s really all there is to it! I do have a few more thoughts, though.
For one, I have an alternate idea for you in case you don’t want to mess with transparencies. You could use vinyl instead. The black text is a little difficult to read on a couple of these, so something lighter might be a better choice. If you want white text, you could cut it out in vinyl, and then apply it after it has cured. You could even brush on another layer of resin on top to secure the resin. I might actually do this to some other keychains/tags I’ve already made.
Instead of alcohol ink, consider using glitter or other mix-ins! You can see a lot of different ideas in my resin barrette post. My own glitter collection is growing, and so are the possibilities!
Be sure to tag me on Instagram if you’d like to show me what you’ve made! @katieishstl
