No-solder Wire Bezels

This was a first attempt at making custom wire bezels for resin jewellery making. I wanted to see if I could make the bezels without soldering, and use the resin itself to block the opening.

Overall I'm really happy with the results - I made a former (in a very roundabout way) to produce the same shape repeatedly, and I was successful in containing the resin to produce some finished cats!

• flat wire
• fine gauge round wire
• heat shrink plastic (optional)
• clear doming resin
• resin pigments and powders
• silicone mixing cups
• dam tape
• wire snips
• looping pliers
• metal file/coarse grit sandpaper
• de-tacking solution (optional)
• heat gun
• cord or necklace chain

If you're only making one bezel, feel free to skip this step and just shape the wire by hand. I wanted to make several (and don't have access to a laser cutter or 3D printer!) so this is what I did:

• draw out a cat head shape approximately 3x the desired size, and cut it out of card
• draw round it onto heat shrink plastic three times, and cut out
• shrink the plastic in the oven, according to instructions
• glue all three pieces together, and put masking tape all the way round the edges

This is obviously a very roundabout way of doing things, but it did result in a working former, with no need to buy in any supplies, so I'm calling it a win.

Next, take your flat wire, and mould it round your former (or if you didn't make one, shape your wire freehand). Cut off the excess, so you're left with a snugly fitting cat shape.

File down the two meeting ends, to achieve as flat a join as possible. Then gently squash your bezel back into shape, so the two ends meet.

Cut off a strip of dam tape (this is a tape specifically intended for use with resin and open bezels. Feel free to experiment with sellotape or parcel tape, as long as it's sufficiently sticky to get a good seal), one for each bezel, and firmly press the bezel down onto the tape. There needs to be a good seal all round.

Then, cut a small strip of tape, and put it on the outside of the bezel, where the wires join. It should sit in an L shape, firmly squished onto both the bottom piece of tape and the bezel.

Optional stage: paint the inside of your bezel with pigment powder. This will make the back of your pendant prettier.

Mix your doming resin according to manufacturer's instructions, and add black pigment. I mixed approximately 15g. If you don't have access to doming resin, use the highest viscosity resin you have (being thicker means it leaks less), and if it's not very thick try mixing it, leaving it to begin curing, and using it when it's thickened somewhat.

For the first cat I also added a couple of heaps of gold metallic powder before pouring. With this cat I poured on one side, then another, to achieve the partially metallic effect. The other two I filled almost to the top of the bezel.

I recommend babysitting your resin for the first fifteen minutes, to check it's not leaking hugely. Small leaks from where the wires meet are ok (we'll fix them later), but it's worth watching to make sure you sealed the bezels well in, and don't end up with resin all over your workbench! You can proceed to the next layer either once the first layer is mostly cured, or leave it for the resin to completely cure.

This is where we add the decorative layer on cats 2 and 3. Mix up a smaller batch of resin, then divide it among several mixing cups, one per colour. Add your pigments (liquid resin pigment or something like mica powder will both work fine), and stir to combine.

For cat 2 I poured each colour in separately, then swirled a little with a toothpick. The resin now reaches the top of the bezel.

For cat 3 I poured each colour into the centre of a single cup, to form layers without mixing too much, then poured my single cup of resin into the centre of the bezel.

Once your resin is almost or completely cured, it's time to add the whiskers and final domed layer. First remove your small extra piece of tape from each bezel, so it doesn't interfere with the dome effect. Then snip some lengths of the fine gauge wire - I did six per cat - and bend them a little, putting them in place on your cat bezels.

Mix up the final layer of resin, mixing slowly to avoid bubbles, and pour onto your bezels. Go slowly, so you don't cause the resin to overflow down the sides. You can pop any bubbles using a lighter flame.

Once your resin has completely cured, peel off the backing tape. You can then clean off any sticky residue using detacking liquid, or just use elbow grease.

Next, if your resin leaked a little onto the outer wire, warm it with your heat gun (protecting your hands from the heat). The resin should soften enough for you to pick it off without damaging the wire.

To make a matching bail for your bezel, take your flat wire, file one end blunt, then curl it into a loop using your looping pliers. Cut the wire about 1cm down from the loop, and file the new end blunt as well. You should now have a looped piece of wire with a flat end to stick to your bezel back. Repeat for however many bezels you made.

You can now glue your bail onto the back of each bezel. I waited until I was next using my doming resin, and used that as glue, but if you don't have any resin projects coming up then use a strong glue like E6000, or an epoxy glue.

All that's left to do is shine up your pendants, and add them onto a cord or chain to finish the necklace. And you're done!