I lost a hive the other day and found the queen. I was thinking of doing a paperweight with the queen in it. Make it out of a plastic resin mold. Has anyone done this?
I haven't, but the idea appeals to me. I would use the cheap candle molds of a bee in the Hobby Lobby. Pour it half full of the resin and then with two tweezers, manipulate the queen into the proper shape if not already done. Then finish filling and put some green felt on the bottom. I would love if someone could tell me it wouldn't work that way????
When I was a kid I had a weekend job casting little sea creatures in resin molds for a company that was owned by a friend of my parents. I used a product that was called "thix". It was an epoxy resin that needed to be warmed on a hot plate so that it became very thin and pourable and would seep into all of the cracks and crevasses easily. I had to dab it onto very intricate shapes (like small crabs etc) with a small brush so that bubbles would float out more easily and vibrate the mold when poured to dislodge the bubbles;
I also poured "clackers" anyone remember those?
Scott
It is a cool idea. I wish there was some way to get her to look like a queen instead of a shriveled up insect... I'm afraid as soon as they hit the resin, if they were alive, they would curl up, and when you find them dead, of course, they already have curled up...
If she is somewhat fresh, pin her to a foam board with the legs properly set and let her dry out. Then try the resin.
Jim
I remember those clackers ..... and so does my wrist ! :shock:
Rookie,
Did you try making the paper weight and if so how did it work out?
Jim