Resin paper-press ball with dried flower inclusion

Make your epoxy resin mix by mixing 1 part hardener to 2 parts resin. In this order, put 30 ml of hardener in a beaker, then add 60 ml of resin. Mix these 2 components and leave to stand for around 30 minutes, so that the mixture thickens a little and the bubbles disappear.

Pour some of your resin mixture into the mold. Use the other part to soak the flowers in the resin before placing them in the mold.

Place your dried flowers inside the mold. In the photo, the flowers are placed with their heads facing upwards. In fact, you need to do the opposite to avoid ending up with flowers facing the wrong way. Use the wooden sticks to hold your flowers while the resin sets.

Wait 2 days before removing the sticks. Close the mold by inserting the top part. Pour a new resin mixture through the hole.

You need to wait about 10 days before you can unmold your resin sphere. If you don't wait this long, you risk opacifying the ball. The resin ball comes out clear, but marked in the center by a line of excess resin. There's also a small flat spot corresponding to the hole through which you filled the mold.

Protect the ball with adhesive tape, leaving only the center horizontal line and the top small dish untouched. Sand the exposed parts, starting with 800-grit abrasive, then 1000-grit in lukewarm water. Continue polishing with the entire micro-mesh series, still in water.

At the end of polishing, a slight opaque film remains, which you need to remove by polishing your ball with a polishing wheel and flannel discs. For this last step, use a yellow Dialux polishing paste.