Resin Jewelry Making - Safety Precautions and Equipment

Resin jewelry making is fun and easy as long as you follow the necessary safety guidelines. Even a resin labelled as 'low odour' will still emit fumes and therefore it is always essential that you wear the necessary safety equipment when handling resin.

As well as the general safety guidelines detailed below, you must always read and understand the manufacturer safety precautions that are provided with the product.

Working Environment

The most important consideration when working with resin is that the room is well ventilated. If no exhaust fan is available, window and doors should be opened to create air flow. This ventilation should remain for several hours after working with resin as the fumes do linger and continue to be generated during the curing process. The work area should also be away from any normal living area where other people or animals can be affected by the fumes.

All obstacles within the room should be removed to prevent accidents and spills, and a layer of waxed paper put onto the work surface will catch any spills and prevent the resin soaking through and damaging the work surface.

A Respirator

The respirators can be purchased from most hardware stores and must be worn whilst mixing, pouring and working with resin. The fumes produced by resin are harmful and therefore the respirator filter must be one designed for the prevention of fumes and not dust.

Disposable Gloves

Disposable latex gloves must be worn whilst mixing and pouring resin to protect your skin. The latex gloves must be of the type used for medical, food handling or light-duty cleaning type, as other types of rubber gloves may allow the resin to penetrate the material and get on your hands.

Barrier Cream

This may be used as an extra precaution to protect your skin, and may be worn in addition to wearing disposable gloves. The barrier cream may be purchased from most pharmacies and will prevent the resin from sticking to and therefore irritating the skin.

Eyeglasses or Goggles

Purchased from most hardware stores the eyeglasses or goggles must be worn at all times whilst working with resin. A tiny drop or resin can be damaging to the eyes as can be the small particles generated when sanding the resin pieces.

Dust Masks

A dust mask must be worn whilst sanding the resin pieces after they have cured, as the small airborne particles generated when sanding can be damaging to the lungs. Dust Masks can be purchased from most hardware stores.

After working with resin, your hands must be washed with soap and water and any materials used must be disposed of in the correct manner.

Do not let these safety precautions intimidate or put you off from making resin jewelry. They are there to make you safe and allow you to continue making resin jewelry whilst protecting your health.

Michael Cluley specialises in preserving items in Handmade Custom Jewellery
Resin jewellery making tutorials and advice can also be found in his Blog