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I love the look or epoxy and resin for so many crafts - tumblers, badge reels, and especially pens. The shine is so pretty and professional looking, and customization options are literally endless. Want glitter, sayings or names, and fun designs? Yes, please to all of it,
What I don't love is the scary reality of the chemicals in epoxy and resin. You really need some serious personal protective equipment and a setup outside your home with a ton of ventilation. Don't even get me started about allergic reactions, respiratory problems, and rashes which are just a few of the reactions I've read about for other crafters, and I just can't justify all the possible downsides to using them.
What I CAN use (safely and happily) are Crystalac products that give you the same great finish but are water-based, non-toxic, and have very minimal fumes. They are easy to use and give the same high gloss, shiny look and durability as epoxy or resin.
I've made a ton of different things with Crystalac products and love them all. But my favorite project is pens. Once I got started, I couldn't stop. I just keep thinking of different pens I want to make. I have made glittery pens with my logo, characters, words for my personal theme for the year, some that look like Crayola crayons, and some holidays.
One of the best parts of these (besides the glitter and fun), is that they are REFILLABLE. So, you can keep using your new favorite pen indefinitely. What's not to love?!
I’ll show you how to get the pens ready for glitter, how to add glitter and decals and vinyl, and how to finish them so they look storebought. Plus, I have a free printable care card to include if you give any away.
Let’s jump right in!
Watch the video tutorial:
Supplies to Make Crystalac Glitter Pens:
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I store my Grande' Finale in a condiment squeeze bottle so it is easy to squeeze out.
Dixie cups
200 grit sandpaper
Cup turner - the one I use was purchased from Etsy and is no longer available. But this one looks similar and includes a pen adapter.
Pencils or ¼ inch diameter dowels
OR
Make your own pen drying station (see below)
OR
Adhesive vinyl in the colors you need for your design
Optional:
Disposable tablecloth to protect your workspace
Pen refills - blue and black or fun colors
Here are the purchased SVGs I used:
·I purchased all of the of the full-size UV DTF transfers from Marcourt Transfers
The smaller transfers came from Vinyl Fusion Beads
Start Making Crystalac Glitter Pens:
Let's start by prepping the pens.
Unscrew the rubber tip of the pen where the ink comes out and dump out the four components inside - the spring, ink cartridge, the pen clicker and the base it sits in. I put all my pen parts into a box and put it somewhere safe until the final steps.
Use a wire cutter at the base of the pen clip to snip it off. If you hold one end with your left hand and snip with your right the clip won't go flying off somewhere in your room to be MIA for months.
Now use a Cricut TrueControl Blade or XACTO knife to trim off any remaining plastic from the clip as well as the tiny bump that lives under the end of the clip. You want to trim off the PaperMate logo on the other side too. These don't have to be perfectly flat, just remove as much as you can.
Sand the uncovered pen barrel with 220 grit sandpaper. You need to scuff up the entire surface. You are NOT trying to sand down the small divots on the pen barrel or any plastic from the areas you trimmed down.
Insert a pencil or dowel into the bottom of the pen - the more open end that you detached the tip from. From here on forward hold the pencil instead of the pen barrel so as not to disturb any wet paint, glitter, or topcoat.
Next, use rubbing alcohol to wipe the pen to remove any dirt, dust, sanded rubber, and oils that may have transferred from your fingers. I like to use a coffee filter for this step because it doesn't leave little fuzzy fibers behind.
Paint the Pen Barrel to Make Crystalac Glitter Pens:
If your pen barrel is a different color than the glitter you will be using, it's best to paint it to match your glitter. This way if there are any gaps in the glitter, they will essentially be invisible. I love to use the Crystalac Flip'n Awesome paint and add some of the company's color concentrates to create the perfect glitter-matching color.
Add some paint to a Dixie cup and use a wooden craft stick to mix it with any color concentrates you have added until you get pretty close to the color you want.
Use a paint brush to apply your paint and wait four hours for it to dry. If it looks like you might need a second coat of paint put some plastic wrap or Press 'N Seal over the top of the Dixie cup so you can use the already mixed paint without mixing a new batch.
I write down each time I add a layer of paint, glue, or topcoat in a notebook or on a dry erase board so I don't forget and can keep track of when it's time to add another layer. Setting an alarm on your phone is very helpful to keep you on track with adding layers.
If need be, it's time to add that second coat of paint and wait for the four hours for it to dry.
Once you have a base of paint it's time to glitter-fy.
Use a wet paintbrush to apply Crystalac Glitter Glue to the pen in a thin layer.
Sprinkle fine or extra fine glitter over the whole thing. Shake off any excess and put it back in the bottle for later. You can use chunkier types of glitter, but it will require more layers of topcoat to get it smooth.
If you want to make a pen with two colors of glitter and a graduated blend of the two between, apply the glue, sprinkle on one color of glitter angling the pen down so the glitter will not fall onto the opposite side.
Leaving a gap between the two colors, sprinkle on the second color at the opposite end. In a small cup mix together some of each of the two colors of glitter and apply it to the gap.
Let this dry for two hours.
Time for a second layer of glitter if needed. I almost always need a second coat of glitter.
Using a wet paint brush again, apply glue over the top of the glitter gently so as not to rub off very much glitter. Some will inevitably come off and that’s ok. Sprinkle glitter back over the glue and shake off any excess.
Let this again dry for 2 hours.
The next step is to seal the glitter by applying another layer of glue with a wet paintbrush and letting it dry for two hours. This prevents the glitter from shifting around when you apply your topcoat.
This step is not required, but if you are using different colors of glitter or want to make sure there aren't any bare spots it's a really good idea.
Start Applying Layers of Topcoat to Cyrstalac Glitter Pens:
Once the glitter is sealed, it’s time to begin adding layers of topcoat (the Grande' Finale). I use my bare finger to do this because then I can tell exactly where I need more of the product, but you could use gloves for this step. Squeeze on a small amount of the Grande’ Finale (GF) and rub it all over the glitter until you have a nice even coat.
You don’t want this to be too thick, but the whole surface should feel “slippery”. The goal is slippery, not sloppy. These first few layers will require more of the Grande’ Finale, so don’t be afraid to add a bit more to the surface.
For drying, you either need some kind of drying station or a cup turner. A cup turner is a device that rotates to keep the topcoat from dripping or touching anything until it's dry.
You can make your own inexpensive drying station by using pencils to poke holes about 2 1/2 inches apart into a piece of hard foam. I have 14 holes in mine and it's easy to slide the pencil/handle into one of the holes once I have added another layer of paint, glitter, or topcoat onto it.
I will say there are advantages to using a cup turner. Your topcoat won't drip as much. For me this means I can actually add slightly thicker layers which in turn mean LESS layers. A cup turner will also help prevent topcoat from dripping onto the pencil and cementing the pen and pencil together. It's fixable if this happens, but it's obviously easier for you if it doesn't.
Wait for two hours for the coat of Grande' Finale (GF) to dry. Repeat the process of applying GF two more times. We want to build up layers of the GF so the glittered acrylic is smooth. If it isn’t smooth before you apply vinyl or UV DTF you will see little glitter bumps behind your design.
After you have waited two hours for your third GF application to dry, bust out your 400-grit sandpaper.
I recommend wearing a sanding/dust mask for the next step just as you would to sand anything. I also do the sanding outside or in my garage.
LIGHTLY sand the glitter/GF. You don’t want to be too vigorous at this stage because you can sand the top of your glitter clean off. But at the same time, you need to begin smoothing the surface.
Now, run water over the sanded area to remove the dust. If you don’t remove it, that dust will become trapped in the next layer of GF and make the end result cloudy. IMMEDIATELY after rinsing with water, completely dry the pen barrel.
Then it’s time for another round of GF layering. For here on forward you will sand after every three layers of GF. You want to keep adding layers and sanding until the glitter is pretty smooth. This usually takes me between nine and twelve layers. If it doesn’t feel smooth yet, continue adding layers and sanding every three.
Add Vinyl Designs to Crystalac Glitter Pens:
If it does feel smooth after your ninth layer, sand once more and then it’s time to apply the decal or vinyl to the pen.
Use Cricut Design Space to create a design and cut it out of vinyl. Weed out any areas you don’t want like the background or the centers of letters.
Since these designs tend to be rather small because they are going on a small area, you might want to use the reverse weeding technique. To watch a video of this technique, go here.
Transfer your design to the pen and it’s ready for the next steps.
Add Decals to Crystalac Glitter Pens:
If you are using a UV DTF transfers just peel the protective layer off the BACK of the transfer so the decal is affixed to the transfer tape on top, center it on your pen barrel, and press down. Peel off the transfer tape and it’s ready to go.
Whether you added vinyl or a decal, the next step is to add more layers of GF to smooth it out. I like my designs to feel completely smooth, so I apply another nine to twelve layers of GF, sanding every three.
Cleaning up Crystalac Glitter Pens and Putting Them Back Together:
The very last few steps are the most fun. Remove the pencil from the end of the pen barrel. If it sticks at all or won't come out, use a Cricut TrueControl Blade or X-ACTO knife to cut into the GF separating it from the pencil. Once I have cut all the way around, I use the metal tool from this sewing tube turning set to push the pencil out from the other end.
Now you need to clean out any GF that has found its way into the pen barrel. The barrel needs to be clean and smooth so the pen components can slide properly.
Just insert the tip of the blade into the opening and cut away any paint, glitter, or GF that have dried inside. You can be fairly aggressive about this because one, you need it to be completely clean, two, it won't hurt the pen, and three, you won't see this part anyway.
Put the pen components back into the pen barrel (silver clicker first, plastic piece that holds the clicker, ink, spring and the screwed-on pen tip) and test the pen to make sure it works. If the ink won't come out when you click it, or doesn't slide smoothly, remove the components and do some more cleaning with your blade.
I hope you love these as much as I do and find lots of people to gift them to.
Subscribe below and then print out care cards to include with your pens so they last a long time!
Happy crafting!