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Shark doorstop

Still got a little resin left over? This tongue-in-cheek doorstop is guranteed to amuse your friends and confuse your cat

You'll need to make this outside or in a well-ventilated garage. And ideally the temperature should be 20-25°C, so grab a fan heater to keep your work warm. Castings that are this thick can crack as they set if they heat up too quickly, so don't lose heart if this takes a couple of goes to get right.

You will need

1. Plastic mould (available from resin suppliers) or an icecream tub or similar
2. Plastic toy shark (or another object to place in the casting)
3. Plastic measuring jug
4. PVA release agent
5. Wooden spoon or mixing rod (available from resin suppliers)
6. Fishing line and lollipop stick (or similar)

Method

Fill a plastic mould (an ice cream tub or similar) with water and pour it into a plastic measuring jug to determine the quantity of resin and hardener you need. Don't fill the mould completely as the shark will displace some of the resin.

Thoroughly dry the mould and jug. Wipe the inside of the mould with PVA release agent (your resin supplier will sell this); it's like buttering a cake tin and enables you to get your cast out once it's set.

If the mould you are using has a curved bottom, secure it to a base - Plasticine is perfect for this - but prop it up on either side as well. If it slips, you'll have plastic splats all over the floor that won't scrape off.

Wearing gloves and a mask, mix a third of the resin and hardener that you need according to the manufacturer's instructions.

SLOWLY pour this mixture into the plastic mould (working slowly reduces the risk of air bubbles). Leave this until it has nearly set (this will take a day or so).

Now tie one end of a length of fishing line around a toy shark and the other to a lollipop stick, or similar, that you can rest over the top of the mould to suspend the shark. Slowly lower the shark until it rests on the surface of the nearly set resin in the bottom of your mould.

Mix the rest of your resin and hardener and pour over the shark, being careful not to jog the lollipop stick.

Leave the casting to set. This will take about 24 hours.

More crafts by Danielle Proud

Excerpted from House Proud by Danielle Proud, priced £16.99, published by Bloomsbury.

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