Acrylic Keychains with UV Resin – How To and Video Instruction

By FickleHobbyist

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Acrylic Keychains with UV Resin - Step by Step

Are you brand new to UV resin? Hop on over to this post to learn what you need to get started.

Acrylic Keychains with UV Resin are a fun way to use vinyl cut-outs. While there are several different ways to use these acrylic blanks, today’s post will specifically walk you through the process of sealing the vinyl transfer with UV resin on one side, and on the other side embedding the resin with glitter or powdered pigment.

Before you start, visit our Free Resource Library to download the Free Keychain Background Images. After your have done that, watch the following video to walk through the process of uploading and using the files in Cricut Design Space.

Using our Free SVG Cut File

Open a New Project in Design Space. Select Upload to locate your image. Then, click Upload Image and locate the file you have downloaded. It will populate, then, click to select your image and choose Insert Images.

Images will be grouped together when inserted. Click Ungroup. You may now use each background image individually. Hide or delete the images you will not be using.

Choose the image for your background, and while highlighted, select the Size you want for your keychain blank. For my 2″ acrylic blank, I sized to 1.5″ wide with the proportions locked.

Add your text next. Select the Text button, choose your font, and type the word or phrase you want. I am using a font I have downloaded and installed on my own system called Beach. With the new kerning option, you are able to produce already connected script fonts. Select all of the letters together and click Weld. Size, with the proportions locked, to your desired width. Mine was 1.5″.

At last, click Make It to cut your design. Because both images will be cut from the same type of vinyl, I moved them both to the same cutting mat by clicking the three dots on the image and selecting Move. Do not do this if you will be cutting them from different types of material.

Now that you have your decals, we can move on to the next step and put them on the acrylic blanks. The following video walks you through that process entirely.

Getting Started Making Your Acrylic Keychain

When working with resin, please take proper safety precautions to protect yourself. Here you will see that I am wearing gloves so that the resin does not get on my skin. It is advised to wear a respirator to protect your lungs from the fumes. I also always protect my surface with a silicone mat.

To start creating your acrylic keychain with UV resin, gather all of the materials. (In this example I am use plain glitter, but you can use so many other things to embed in your resin.)

You will need:

UV Resin
Glitter
Acrylic Blanks
UV Curing Light
the vinyl transfer you just cut in the steps above
scraper tool
weeding tool
mixing cup and something to stir with
transfer tape
lighter or a heat gun

Prepare your transfer by using the tape to move the name onto the background and set aside. Let’s start by working on the back.

Preparing Your Acrylic Blank with UV Resin

Remove the protective coating with a weeding tool.

Pour into the mixing cup just enough resin to cover the surface.

Gently stir in the glitter, being careful to not incorporate bubbles.

Next, pour out the glittered resin onto the surface of the keychain blank. Slowly push the resin just to the edge of the blank, being careful not to nudge it over the edge. This takes some time and patience.

Once the entire surface is coated, use a lighter or heat tool to heat the surface and release any bubbles.

Finally, cure it under the light. Follow the instructions on your resin, but this typically takes around 60 seconds. The lamp will heat the resin as it cures, so it is advised to let it cool for a few minutes afterward before touching it to avoid marking the surface.

Once cooled, flip it over. Remove the backing from your prepared vinyl decal. Position it where you like on the front of the blank and use a scraper tool to fully adhere it and remove any bubbles.

Finishing Touches

Finally, for a more finished look, coat the top with resin, spread it evenly over the surface, remove the bubbles, and cure. Later, once cooled, you are ready to add jump rings (not included in the kit) to the keychain and tassel and you are all done! You have created a unique Acrylic Keychain with UV Resin.

What will be your first design for your Acrylic Keychain with UV Resin? Tell us about it! If you use our design files or tutorial we would love to see what you’ve made! Tag us on Facebook, Instagram, or Tiktok.