Insect Encapsulation using Alumilite Clear Resin | Alumilite
Вставка
- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- Insect Encapsulation using Alumilite Clear Resin is a technique used to preserve insects over time. Jim discusses the technique he developed which includes pouring a base layer, applying the sheet plastic purchased from cosplaysupplies.com, then heating plastic to conform to insect, then pour the final layer of Alumilite Clear and then cure under pressure. Alumilite product used in this video include:
Plat 55 Silicone Mold Making Silicone
www.alumilite.c...
Alumilite Clear Resin
www.alumilite....
Plastic Sheet
www.cosplaysup...
Amazing Clear Cast by Alumilite Corporation is a 1 to 1 mix ratio epoxy suitable for casting blanks for pens, handles, calls, knife scales, and more. This video demonstrates the process of mixing the Amazing Clear Cast, adding color, pouring pen blanks, and proper curing of the resin. Once blank has fully hardened, we turn it on a lathe, polish it to a high gloss using Alumilite Polishing Pads, then assemble the pen.
Additional videos and product information can be found at www.alumilite.c...
You can also call us at (800)447-9344.
Social Media:
Facebook: / alumilite
Email:
alumiliteproducts@alumilite.com
My Orchid Mantis passed away about 14 days ago and I decided to put her In resin. I was really attacked to my Mantis and even tho everyone told me to just throw It away I made a beautiful clear resin cube with dried flowers and the mantis inside. Rip Esmeralda ❤️
We're sorry for your loss, Masza. This tribute to them sounds beautiful!
I am sorry for your loss. I basically did the same with my Mexican red knee tarantula named Scarlett. She was so special to me I just had to taxidermiz her and frame her. She now stays on the wall behind/above my head of my bed. I love all my insect/arachnid babies i couldn't imagine life without them!
I love this!
The name is so cute and sweet.
Well that turned out real beautiful, well done
Thanks Jason - we appreciate the kind words!
Wow that's a fantastic idea. I use resin all the time but I've never satisfactorily encapsulated a butterfly; even with the vacuum chamber I've had serious bubble issues. That layer of film looks like it totally obviates this problem. I'll give it a go. My framed specimens are starting to be affected by UV and could use an upgrade.
Can't wait to hear how it goes!
This looks incredible!! Have you ever tried the same process without the plastic layer? If not - do you think this could work as well?
Resin will deteriorate, decolorate and shrink delicate things such as insects or flowers, the plastic sheet is a simple solution to that problem.
What Nick said! You could do it without the plastic, it just may not have the longevity and clarity it would with the plastic.
It will not work without a protective barrier. My first attempt I poured resin directly onto my butterfly and the wings shrivel and turned dark:(
Hi. Your word is amazing. I just tried this and followed all the rules using the Cosplay plastic layer you recommended. I used a toaster oven at 250 degrees for 14 minutes. The plastic did not melt. When I left it in longer, it still didn't melt but the butterfly darkened. I want to use the plastic layer but it failed. What do I do to fix this. Thank you.
I am surprised & delighted to stumble upon this video. I was looking for a way to preserve bird feathers in a clear acrylic of some sort & didn't know where to start. You had me at butterflies :) I appreciated your detailed analytical process, beautiful work. I would love any suggestions for how I could do this with larger items & inorganic materials too? Thanks again for your great info too on butterflies 😁
Thank you thank you. I have been looking how to do butterflies like this for so long. My first attempt I poured resin over my butterfly and it turned black. I’ve been wondering g how to protect the butterfly before I pour the resin and there’s not much info on it. Thank you !
Happy to help! Best of luck on your project :)
Was the plastic sheet cut to the same diameter as the inner or outer diameter of the bowl? Thank you.
So as I understood you put these layers: resine-butterfly-plastic-resine. Am I right? Thanks a lot for sharing
Yes, that is correct!
@@AlumiliteCorporation what kind of "plastic" is it?
@@andreahopf8330 Transparent thermoplastic: www.cosplaysupplies.com/store.php?p=WOTA0.25
Your butterfly turned out absolutely beautiful. I’ve never heard of anyone using a pressure pot, could you explain please. 🌸
Hi Sandra - using a pressure pot helps to eliminate bubbles in the resin, making a crystal clear casting.
When under pressure, doesn't the resin flow under and around the sheet plastic and into contact with the insect? Or does the plastic seal against the first resin pour such that a small volume of air surrounds the insect under pressure?
The latter of what you said! Inside the mold is an already-cured layer of epoxy. Then, the plastic is laid over and melted. Then, a final coat of epoxy to seal everything.
These are beautiful! Is there a place you post these for sale?
Hi Mary! Thanks for watching. We do not sell these, we just demonstrated how you could! If you search for "butterfly in resin" you can find some good results :)
Your work is amazing.. I'm going to try to do this but I don't have a pressure pot...or any kind of heating tool... Other than a blow drier... And a candle lighter...please suggest how I can get the plastic sheet to melt on top of the. butterfly.
An oven/toaster oven would work best but you could attempt to use the hairdryer on the highest heat setting - it would just take a while longer.
Did you clean the insect at all first? I have some moths I want to try and everything I read said to soak them in alochol then let them dry first in order to sanitize them. Also the link to the plastic sheet no longer works
This is so amazing I’ve been trying to find a way to stop my butterflies losing their colour in resin! Do you think you could do the same thing with a sheet of laminate plastic? I guess laminating a butterfly would squish it and ruin it? But I wondered if I used one piece of laminate sheet over the butterfly on resin and a heat gun? Would it melt like yours do you think? Amazing video thank you!
We're not too sure! We would recommend doing a small test project before using your actual butterflies so you can see if this method would work for you!
@@AlumiliteCorporation unfortunately it did not work! The laminate plastic wouldn’t melt enough and ended up crinkled around the butterfly which isn’t very visually pleasing. Do you think the plastic you used could be heated enough to melt with a heat gun and have the same effect as yours? Also what type of plastic do you use please?
@@kaidisimmonds2594 I currently use laminate to make butterflies like this.
Use double-sided tape in between your laminate sheets to help seal around the butterfly. It's best to do it with only wings I'm still experimenting with how to do a whole body with laminate right now.
I've succeeded in doing it a couple times but it's very hard to keep the resin from seeping in.
Could you use this technique to preserve a butterfly in a resin sphere? I have a sheer mold
Yes, you should be able to apply the same thinking to a resin sphere!
Can the same be used for spiders? Thanks for sharing.
Yes!
I have dragonflies I would like to be preserved in resin. Can I send them to somebody to do it professionally? I can't afford a pressure pot.
You should be able to find a maker that you could commission to do it! We would recommend checking Instagram or Etsy!
Is there a way to heat the plastic without the oven? I’m fine with my cast looking janky I’m not going for perfection, just want to highlight how pretty the moth is I found in the resin.
A heat gun should do the trick!
HI! This is amazing thank you for sharing. I needed a quick clarification, do you let the first layer of resin harden before putting the butterfly? And is it resin plastic butterfly plastic resin? I saw below that you said resin butterfly plastic resin but wouldn't that color still fade if there was no protection for the other side of the butterfly?
Yes, let the first layer harden. It's cured resin, butterfly, plastic, resin on top. The other side of the butterfly is sealed between the plastic and the cured resin. You've got it!
I hope someday I find a pressure pot for the right price.... Beautiful
They can be expensive but they're definitely a great investment!
Is the pressure part crucial to the making of these?
It is not - but Alumilite Clear turns out best with a pressure pot. Amazing Clear Cast, our epoxy, works better without a pressure pot.
@@AlumiliteCorporation Awesome, thank you!
Are the Plat 55 silicone molds reusable and have you tried the silicone molds used to make coasters useable and what happens if I don’t have a pressure pot . I do need to ultimately mount the butterflies in epoxy resin.
All molds made from our silicone are re-useable! If you plan on using a urethane resin you will need a pressure pot. Otherwise, you can use epoxy instead!
I've got a moth i'd like to preserve. any idea if epoxy resin would damage it, throughout the curing process?
We have a lot of makers that encapsulate bugs like moths and butterflies and bees - as long as it's dried out it should work great! If you want more tips we would recommend reaching out to our customer service team at info@alumilite.com.
@@AlumiliteCorporation Thanks for the advice.
Got a lil baby African Hissing Cockroach in resin necklace from a friend. I've noticed a very "buggy" smell coming from the necklace. Is it possible the smell of the roach is coming through the resin? If so how do I fix that?
It could be, if the necklace is particularly old. Adding a new layer of epoxy around the outside should help!
Has anyone tried to use lamination sheeting for the plastic later? It has the same melting point as the plastic used in the video
This is an interesting idea! We haven't tried it ourselves though and would interested to see how it works!
Do you have to have a pressure machine or can you just let the resin cure normally?
You can let it cure normally but we typically recommend using a pressure pot with urethane resin.
Is it really safe to put resin and plastic in the oven like that? I collect butterflies, and I was very upset to find out my resin washed them out. So, I've been looking for ways to stop that.
We don't recommend doing it in your kitchen oven, but in a designated resin-only toaster oven.
@@AlumiliteCorporation Ah, I definitely don't have one of those. I wonder if a mod podge coating will suffice...
If alumilite is dropped with it cram or shatter? Looking to use this for encapsulating bugs for a toddler to look at and later study as he grows.
This is an awesome project idea! Most of our resins are fairly durable and won't shatter when dropped! When picking out a resin for this project, you'll want to pay attention to the shore-hardness!
Hay I tried it today, but the plastic leave white bubbles 😢 whats wrong
White bubbles in your urethane resin projects typically means there was a moisture issue.
@@AlumiliteCorporation I don’t know where the moisture would come from :/
those are real butterflies right?
Yes, they are real!!
Did you use the Worblas TranspArt sheets from the cosplay website to cove the butterflies after you placed it on the cured epoxy ?
You got it!
Hi, could you please write the website where you bought the plastic? I want to see the specifications to try to find it in my country.
I believe acetate will work well for this! Here is a link to something similar (not sure where the exact items in this film are from) www.amazon.com/Hygloss-75910-Products-Transparency-Projectors/dp/B077762QK5
Neat idea. Wish the butterfly had been spread better, though.
Thanks for the feedback!
Do you think this could be done with somthing larger like a reptile. Not that I plan to kill reptiles or anything, I own reptiles and recently I've had a death one of my pets. It was very hard for me to lay my friend to rest as I dont own my own home. And one day I won't be able to visit his grave 😔. Ive thought about this in the past and wounder if it would be a possibility. So back to my question do you think it would work
We're so sorry to hear about your loss! We've seen makers encapsulate thicker bugs like beetles and bees so you may be able to encapsulate a reptile. We would recommend using our Amazing Deep Pour epoxy for the project, instead of Alumilite Clear Slow, though, since the encapsulation will obviously be larger.
I use alumlite on all my insect domes in my videos . I think my friend typed lame when he had my phone as a joke Sorry
Sorry you feel that way! What would you like to see us make instead?
Do you have a link to the site for the plastic sheets.
Sorry I didn’t meant to type lame