I made some steampunk resin door knobs a few years back, by adding steampunk charms to epoxy resin in a cake mould.  They are still very popular, but I have been asked on many occasions what can be added to the resin.  

I have finally found the time to make some. For this project, I added a few different items to the doorknobs, these are only a few to give you some ideas. I am sure the list would be endless.  They did not all turn out great, but you will get the idea of what can be done with them.

How to make resin doorknobs

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Theses steampunk doorknobs were made using cake moulds to get the shape.  For the new doorknobs, I wanted to try something different and used ping pong balls. I ordered 300 in error because I did not read the description on the post. For this project, I wanted to make smaller doorknobs because I did not waste too much resin.  I made these just for fun, but the finished products will be used around my house and shed.  The great thing about these is you can use them for almost anything with a little imagination.  They make great hooks for coats, hats, tea towels, jewellery just to name a few.

Gather your supplies.

I am using ping pong balls, but any silicone mould will work.  The resin I used is 2:1 ratio which I buy in bulk because it works out so much cheaper.  I looked around my house and workshop looking for suitable items to add to the resin, here is what I came up with.

• Pebbles
• shells
• plastic beads
• nuts and bolts
• Charms
• Thumbtacks

You will also need to make some supports to hold the bolts in place while the resin is setting. I used chopsticks that I taped together at each end. Pencils taped together will work just fine or something similar. If you are using ping pong balls you will also need a cake tray or something similar to hold the balls in place.

Make supports to hold the bolts

Once the resin has been poured into the balls you need a way to suspend the bolts halfway into the resin. To do this I used chopsticks that I taped together at the ends this will stop the bolts from moving. The bolts were measured and placed between the chopsticks and securely taped. It is a good idea to have this set up before you pour the resin.

Prepare the balls

At the time I just cut a hole in the balls not given any thought to the outcome.  It is a good idea to cut open the top, keeping the seam line in the middle of the ball. This will show up in the finished product if you don’t. 

Add embellishment into your moulds

Using the larger moulds allows you to place the items around the edges and the stay there.  With these smaller balls, you need to fill the balls with charms because they fall into the middle. I have learnt after the fact. 

Mix the epoxy resin

Mix the resin as per manufactures instructions because they are not all the same.  I buy the resin in bulk because it works out so much cheaper.  And resin is super popular in the craft and DIY world at the moment, so it will not go to waste.  Mixing the resin is the most important part of this project, if it is not mixed correctly it will not set. All the resins I have used all recommend that you mix them for at least 5 minutes.  Your hands will ache but hang in there.

On one of the doorknobs, I wanted to try and create a beach theme.  It would have worked out better if I put the sand in last.  I added some colour pigment to the resin to try and mimic the ocean. Pour the resin slowly down the sides of the balls so the charms don’t move too much. Common sense at this time I should have told me to add more charms, but it must have been one of those days. 

Secure the bolts

This was my little setup.  I used items lying around my shed to support the chopsticks.  Make sure the bolts are centred and halfway into the resin.  Tape the supports in place.  After a few minutes, you will notice some white bubbles will start to form over the surface of the resin. Using a creme Brule torch or something similar, swipe the flame across the surface and the bubbles will disappear. If you don’t have a torch, use a straw and blow over the resin, this works too for small projects like this.

Wait for 24 hours for the resin to set before you remove them from the balls. You can use a craft knife to cut away the ball.  I did find the surface was not as shiny as when I used the silicone moulds.  To get the shine back on the surface of the doorknob, I added a coat of acrylic spray.

To hold the doorknobs in place while I sprayed them, I used a kitchen utensil tin and rested them in the holes.  You can also use a scrap piece of wood with holes drilled for the bolts to slot into.

Final doorknobs 

To this doorknob I added the peacock style beads.  I think this one is my favourite.

Shells were added to this doorknob, which would look great on beach style furniture.

Some smooth pebbles added to the resin.

Cheap bulk charms in the resin.  You can see on this one that I should have added more charms.

Nuts and bolt doorknobs would be great for a workshop. I photographed this one at the wrong angle and got the reflection of the paper towel on the surface.

Beach themed knobs, Not the best because I added the sand first. This would look great in a home with a beach theme. If you want a beach scene it would look better to add the shells first. Then the blue resin and finally the sand on the top. 

Plastic beads inside

Thumbtacks for a cool craft room.

I recently had a lady ask me if you could add photos inside.  She wanted to have her baby’s photo on all the knobs on the tallboy she had.  You can add photos buy you do need to laminate them first.  I thought this was a really cool idea.

More great projects

If you have some resin leftover and you are looking for more ideas.  This wooden suncatcher was made from scrap wood and coloured resin.

Would you like to learn how to get this stunning effect in glass using unicorn SPiT stain and glaze?  This technique is so simple a child can do it.

If you are looking for any of the items used in this project, please consider using our links. By clicking on the links we will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.  Which helps us come up with new and exciting ideas to share with you.