I made three big mistakes.
I tricked myself into believing making epoxy resin eggs from real and plastic eggshells would be easy. Boy, was I wrong! I thought I'd share three big mistakes I made during my failed attempt.
In case it's helpful, below are the topics covered in this post:
My Mistakes
I've seen thumbnails and blog articles for filling eggshells with epoxy resin. However, I didn't watch or read anything. Instead, I stupidly believed it wasn't hard. I figured as a worst-case-scenario I'd ruin the first egg, but figure things out on my own by the second or third egg.
Boy, was I wrong!
These were the three major mistakes I made:
I didn't do my research beforehand.
I didn't do the math.
I didn't use a proper mold release agent.
I went into this blindly and wasted money. Epoxy resin isn't cheap. Of the three eggs I attempted to make, only one was salvageable. Let's do the math.
I used approximately 140ml of epoxy resin per eggshell. I wasted about 280ml of epoxy resin on two eggs I can't salvage. A small epoxy resin kit typically consists of 16oz (appx. 473ml) and costs as low as $16 USD. I used over half of a small epoxy resin kit on just two eggs. I wasted over $8 USD on eggs I can't salvage.
Even if I got the math wrong, which is highly probable because math is a foreign language I couldn't master, I doubt that my guesstimate was far off. I could've bought 2pt of Ben & Jerry's Cookie Dough Ice Cream for that amount of money!!!
Now I want ice cream. I'm double bummed out.
It also hurts to admit that "I used approximately 140ml of epoxy resin per eggshell." I didn't stop and take time to determine how much epoxy resin I needed to mix for each egg. Instead, I just guessed how much I needed per egg.
I overestimated how much epoxy resin I needed for two of the eggs. In my case, this was a best-case-scenario. I poured the excess resin into smaller molds I put aside for this scenario.
I underestimated how much epoxy resin I needed for one of the eggs. Fortunately, this gave the egg a flat base for displaying on a tabletop... had this not been one of the eggs I couldn't salvage.
Looking back, I should've filled the eggshells with another liquid that I poured into a measuring cup. I could've taken the amount, added ten or twenty millimeters to it to account for any spillage, and then used the total for epoxy resin I mixed.
The reason I couldn't salvage two of the eggs is because I didn't use a mold release agent for one of them.
For my first egg, I used an actual hollow eggshell. I didn't use a mold release agent because I didn't know how to get my Vicks VapoRub, the only substitute I have and know of, into the eggshell. Instead, I figured I could break the shell off the resin piece in the end.
When it came time to demold the eggshell, I couldn't easily break it as I hoped. I stupidly and regretfully tapped a hammer over it. This allowed me to peel most of the eggshell off, but it also damaged the resin piece. Once I noticed the chips and cracks, I quit peeling and moved onto another egg.
I tried again with plastic eggs. This time, I coated the insides with Vicks VapoRub. This partially failed. When it came time to demold the eggshells, the bottom halves of each egg popped off smoothly.
The larger top halves required force to remove from the resin pieces. There were ridges in just the larger top halves that [I believe] prevented the resin pieces from sliding out easily.
I was eventually able to rip the resin piece out of one plastic halve easily. However, I needed a box cutter and pliers to remove the other plastic halve. This was more work than I anticipated and didn't seem worthwhile once I saw the deformities of both eggs.
I'm not sure if a proper mold release agent would've worked better in this situation, but it's something I'll keep in the back of my mind for next time.
What Worked
There were a couple things that surprisingly worked well.
Using a pipette or large syringe is a great way to fill an eggshell that's still intact. It was easy to do with a large enough hole at one end of the eggshell, but it took a ridiculously long time to fill.
If I squeezed a pipette or syringe filled with epoxy resin into the hole too fast, an air pocket would form causing the resin to "spit" out of the hole. This created a mess and stream of resin dripping down the side of the eggshell.
Vicks VapoRub partially worked as a mold release substitute. I've used this product as a mold release agent previously, so I was already aware of its usefulness. It worked on the smaller halves of the plastic eggs, just not on the larger halves that had ridges in them.
My Thoughts
I hoped making epoxy resin eggs from real and plastic eggshells would've been easy, but I was wrong. This attempt left me disappointed more in myself than the incomplete eggs I produced.
Maybe I shouldn't be too hard on myself. After all, I learned these mistakes through trial-and-error. In a way, I'm conducting my own hands-on research. Failing a few times is better than not trying at all.
Still, I want to try this again one day after I research the proper way to go about it. Perhaps I'll revisit this before next Easter holiday.
What's Next?
I'll be celebrating Easter weekend with family back in my old hometown. If you're also traveling, be safe and happy holidays!
Comment below to share and tips for making epoxy resin eggs. I'd like to know!
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Thanks, and have a great day!
Simply Jelly Jam
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