I have been really excited to add epoxy Art Resin to our lines and try some new things with it! While shopping I found a plain steel tray that screamed out epoxy to me! Perfect because of its size and the fact that I didn't have to worry about the controlling the resin around the edges so I thought it might be fun and a quick. I also liked the black color too as the objects will stand out on it. So I took it home and thought about what would look nice. 
Now that I don't use pennies anymore I thought I would grab out a bag I had collected from sometime ago. Lately I have been seeing a lot more copper decor items out there and I'm starting to really like them so pennies seemed like a nice color choice on the black tray. The copper on the coins was very dull,dark and brown so I had so first thing I needed to do was clean the pennies.
I found a super quick way on the internet to clean them with just vinegar and salt. I just mixed 1 cup vinegar with a few tablespoons of salt. Dropped the pennies in and mixed them around a bit and they were shiny and clean within 30 sec. I tried leaving a few in longer to see if they would look any better but I think they actually got darker so 30 seconds seemed to work the best.
After the pennies were cleaned and dried I pulled out my tray. I started lining them up maple leaf side up along the edges but after a little while it became clear that it was better to work from the center out to make them look centered on the tray. I put in one American penny just for conversation sake.
The tray surface was 11 inch by 17 inch so I used one small 8oz kit of Art Resin. Art Resin is safe for food contact (just in case you loose a fry). I personally would not place food directly on any type resin but it is safe if it comes in contact with food by accident. I love the crystal clear look of the Art Resin and that it comes in small kits for just this type of small project so you have no waste.
So I got out my mixing cup poured in the whole 4oz bottle of resin then the 4oz bottle of hardener into the cup and stirred. You need to stir it together for 3 minutes. I set a google timer to make sure. Once mixed I let it stand for a couple of minutes. Then poured directly on my tray. I made sure before pouring the tray was level using a level. This is important so your resin is even when it dries. Using a silicone scraper I made sure all the resin was spread evenly over the tray.
Then I just needed to watch for bubbles and remove them. While doing this you can blow on the bubbles as they come up and they will pop. I prefer to use a hand torch as I think it's a bit faster and more fun to use. Using the torch I quickly popped the bubbles by moving the flame just above the resin surface quickly in a back and forth motion. You will see all the bubbles pop instantly with this method.
I have learned the hard way you need to check it again in 30 minutes later just in case any new bubbles popped up. If you have more bubbles in the resin blow on them or re-torch them again to pop them. Check on it as often as you want for the first hour or so. I checked once on this tray 30 minutes later and re-torched just in case.
Then I covered the tray with a piece of cardboard on top to keep out dust and left it for a full 24 hours to cure.
I super love the way it turned out! I can't wait to try another one! But first I need to serve up some drinks! Hope you enjoyed.
Andrea Hinz