Months ago I was at my momma’s house and we stumbled upon a huge jar of marbles that used to be my step dad’s. I knew he loved the marbles, but I didn’t know why he was keeping them in the closet and not out somewhere in the house so people could see how cool they are. I asked if I could take them to make them into something cool, which is what I did for his Christmas gift.
Enter the Christmas tray from the thrift store. This bad boy was uglyyyyyy. So ugly. But, it was the perfect size to make a cool tray for John.
I took the tray outside and spray painted it black.
When it was all dry I filled the bottom of the tray with marbles and started to prepare the epoxy resin to fill in the tray.
For this tray I used Parks Super Glaze.
To use the epoxy you mix equal parts of the hardener and the epoxy together. I like to mix mine in disposable cups so I can just toss them when I am finished. Mix everything together really well then pour it onto your project. It will level itself out, so just make sure you place it on a level surface.
Here’s the tricky part — you have to let it sit in a dust-free zone for three whole days. Rough, I know. You also need to keep your project in a warm area. The epoxy will not cure if it dries in the cold. I learned this the hard way.
And because I learned it the hard way, there was one tricky spot on my tray I couldn’t get to cure. So I solved the problem by painting a label onto the tray in chalkboard paint so I could write “John’s marbles” on it. I accented with gold paint and the tray was complete.
My parents have an antique room in their house, so that’s where John put it after I gave it to him on Christmas.
This project was long in the works, but I know my step dad really loved it.
I love using the epoxy and am definitely learning new stuff each time I use it. It is such a cool finish on projects and I will definitely be using it again in the future.
A Smith of All Trades 