The Epoxy Resin SCAM, how beginners get ripped off. I HAD ENOUGH! RANT!

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Make your own alcohol inks with 99% isopropyl alcohol and permanent markers. Remove the cores and tips from the markers and drop them in a bottles of alcohol. I like to close the bottles up and leave them for a day or two and then put my colours into needle tip bottles for use. If you have some left , keep it for your next batch. It works wonderfully.

Also if you’re into making your own molds, when your old silicone molds aren’t any good anymore, cut them up and use them as filler in your new molds so you don’t need to use as much new silicone.

Truth is really hard to find and it is priceless. Thank you!

Agree!!! Yes on the baking molds, I use them for soap, resin and candles! Cheaper and great selection! Hobby Lobby, every other week, has 40% of Baking supplies!

One great source I've found for making my own molds is buying HDPE cutting boards from thrift shops. Also, just buying sheets of HDPE works out pretty reasonable as well if you shop around. I'm with you that some of this stuff places are selling is just at ridiculously inflated prices. I get that some people won't want to, or won't be able to make all their own molds, but it's worth looking at, and most basic molds are incredibly easy to make. I like the message here, there are generally affordable options to a lot of stuff people are marketing. Experiment and go small trying new things, worst case scenario something doesn't work, best case scenario you find a good alternative to some overpriced item.

Thanks for the rant man. Just started my epoxy journey and have bought those expensive things and now I feel silly. Keep up the good work

I have Dollar Store eye makeup that also works as color/shimmer in resin.

As a crafter from Ireland it is so great to see ideas I have used AND new ideas. Food die.. of course, plastic garden trays.. of course and the cock pit shine... TOTALLY INSPIRED!! Also as a tip, silicone stirers are just baby spoons... I too hate the elitism, everything is so ridiculously expensive, but once you hack the silicone molds and the others you have said, it becomes more doable. New subscriber coming at you..

I don't do epoxy, but I do work with air dry clay. For micah powder, you can buy extra fine glitter or glittery eye shadow. I get mine in a dollar store here in the states for $1.25 a bottle, which lasts me a long time, because you only have to use a little to give the clay a little sparkle. Also, for food coloring, check out the baking section of a craft store and see if you can find the small bottles of dye there. They aren't cheap, but you only have to dip the end of a toothpick in to get your color. They last forever. The gel food colors give you a more vibrant color than the regular ones. Not sure if you can mix it with epoxy, or if you even have it where you live, but I've used the glittery auto body touch-up paint.

Thank you so much for this video! I am a pricing Diva! Everything I purchase, I get at the best possible price! However, when it came to the resin hobby, I'm 2 years in, I fell for every product out there! I only recently started realizing that I could use plastic bins etc. I also realized that I could use acrylic paint and even food coloring but I haven't actually tried it yet. 🤷‍♀️ There is no excuse for this! I inherited money from my father 2 years ago and I spent a large portion of it on all the things that have to do with resin! 😔 It's shameful! I'm grateful for this video! I am going to share it on the Resin and Craft Facebook pages. This is IMPORTANT!!! You are right!! It shouldn't be an elitist hobby! I'm embarrassed that I fell for the hype! 🤦‍♀️ In every other area of my life I am a bargain hunter. Please, don't do what I did! Learn from this video and subscribe to learn more about saving your hard-earned money! 💰 I pray that God blesses your important YouTube work. Thanks, again! ❤ Keep up the good work! 👍

Excellent rant! The “experts shills” are in every YouTube category (especially woodworking) they rebrand the previously free advice and add a payment option- basically separating new artists and crafters from their money

Loved your video. I started a YouTube channel in January because I get my sister's castoff once she harvests the good jewelry from lot sales. I show people how to give new life to what other's would trash. I use a lot of resin in the fixes. I made my own alcohol ink for free using dead permanent markers (sharpies) the kids' leader at church was going to throw away, and alcohol that I had in the cupboard. It was much better than the stuff I purchased. I got my stir sticks from pancake sausage dogs that my husband eats for breakfast. They clean up easily with water. Again free. Since I do jewelry, my resin mixes are very small. I mix colors into it the resin on butter wrappers that have been wiped with a paper towel or a cap to a Powerade drink. My sister commented on the fact that she looks at her trash before she tosses it and asks, 'What would Bethany do with this?' lol. Thanks for the video. The spray release thing was very informative. I was thinking of purchasing some. Now I am going to the auto motive sections.

I salute you sir. Keep it up 👍 If you like glitter in your resin, i can recommend a few drops of extra fine glitter acrylic paint. Perhaps it depends on the brand, but for me it seems to stay evenly dispersed in the resin. The one I use dries clear so the resin is very glittery. Other fun things with acrylic paint is that you can use the ones that glow in the dark, or the ones that glow under UV light. If you'd like a white marble/stone kind of a look in your resin you can use small amounts dry plaster of Paris powder. I bought a giant tub of black graphite powder that I've been using for over a year now to add a Micah powder like affect to my resin that's black. Keep editing cuz I keep remembering things. if you need to protect the surfaces you work on, instead of buying silicone mats that are expensive. You can buy rolls, rolls of silicone sheets designed for baking on that are dirt cheap when compared to a silicone sheet you buy for a resin art, and you can cut it to the size you want..

You have a new subscriber in Texas from this video! I have stopped watching most of my favorite resin artists because their videos have started being not much more than advertisements for expensive products. Some of the resins I’ve bought were very expensive, and within a year, projects I made had turned yellow while simply sitting in a dark storage tub not exposed to sunlight at all! Thank you for speaking out about this. It is much needed content! ❤

Also baby wipes work great to clean your silicon molds. I always have baby wipes around, so is not an extra expense. Hand sanitizer is another quick way to clean your hands, if you accidentally came in contact with resin after you remove your gloves. You can also clean your silicon sticks with it. I have a surplus of hand sanitizer bottles someone gave me (left overs from the pandemic rush) Thank you so much for Bahia video. Thank you to everyone else sharing their tips on alcohol ink and more Keep on pouring!!

That pink mold you could make doughnut magnets :)

I also use metal baking trays for resin sometimes, but you have to put it in the freezer for a few hours after curing to be able to de-mould.

THANK YOU! I love your honesty. You have rekindled my desire to use all the stuff I’ve collected and not used because I can’t find a mould I like.

I am a beginner, so new that I haven’t started yet, but I want to. Thank you for your help because I don’t want to get ripped off, I have limited money. Your shirt and anything else didn’t take away from the message, I just was happy to hear your opinion and your alternatives to what the shopkeepers say.