I have been experimenting with encasing organic materials in resin. And I have a few qustions. I am using straight up epoxy resin that comes in the double syringe - mixer/hardener. I tried an acorn last night and it came out OK. This time of year acorns are big and green…I’d like to preserve the color, like the encased bugs people see in tourist traps. What I was wondering, is, will the color of the acorn stay green for everymore? Or will it actually brown inside the encasement. I’m thinking the reaction an acorn goes through to become brown is some sort of oxygen based reaction, similar to the browing of an apple after you bite it. Does anyone know about encasing things in resin? Will the color stay nice and green? Or will it fade? I know the encased bugs stay full color for ever…will the acorn as well?
The transition from green to brown is going to be caused by a number of different processes happening all at the same time - some of them will be independent of exposure to air, I’m sure. Also, hermetically encasing an unripe acorn is, I think, going to create the opportunity for it to anaerobically decompose - it will still be pretty moist at that stage.
What you want to do is to preserve the acorn first - perhaps by pickling (not necessarily in the sense of pickled onions) or freeze-drying, then encapsulate it once stable.
Green wood can be preserved by soaking in Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) - this might work for green acorns.
I know someone that does this to butterflies and other insects. She dehydrates the critters first then sprays on a thin layer of a clear sealant. Then she seals them in clear acrylic. Back in my days in the Boy Scouts, we use to preserve some of the strange things we found in Future floor wax. It would go on relatively thick and it didn’t yellow like other floor waxes.
This is just a guess/suggestion, but have you considered polyurethane?
p.s. – Another thought about the acorn – If it’s partly dried out will there be air inside the shell?
I’ve had excellent luck with polyurethane as well.
And Polyurethane dries clear and doesn’t yellow right?
BTW - I’m making a cane handle for a dear friend who loves oak trees, so the acorn is of special significance. The prototype acorn, the green one, I will watch over the next several days to see what happens. I’d love to be able to keep them green, but it is not a prerequisit.
A hobby store should have a “paperweight kit” which will be a two part resin that sets up extremely hard but can be shaped and polished once cured.
If you’re looking to encase your acorn in a block of clear plastic (like the bugs in your link), and not just coat it in a hard transparent shell, you really want to be using a product made for that purpose. Such an product is available in many craft and art supply stores. It’s an A + B type runny goop like epoxy, but comes in quantities larger than the double syringe glue tubes you are currently using.
And like **projammer **said, I can polish it as well when it is finished?