Robyn Earrings Tutorial
Before you start
- You may want to wear an apron or clothes you don’t mind getting sticky glue on! Similarly, it's best to choose a workspace you don’t mind getting a bit messy; you can use newspaper or cardboard to protect any surfaces.
- Always peel the protective film off the bases of your acrylic and wood pieces before gluing (note some pieces may not have film). However, it's best to leave the top film on. This keeps your earrings protected from any sticky glue marks and makes the end reveal extra special!
About the glue
- The glue you will be using is a non-toxic, solvent free, water-based polymer glue. If you would like to see a material safety data sheet please email us at hello@wolfandmoon.com
- The glue is moveable for three minutes, after this it's difficult to re-position so remember to check your placement regularly.
- It will be fully set in 2 hours and achieves full strength after 24 hours.
- If the glue has seeped out of the sides of your piece while making, after 15 minutes it turns slightly rubbery so you can peel it off any edges in the final checking stage. Avoid trying to clean edges any earlier.
- To open the glue, take off the grey nozzle and lid and remove the black ring. Twist the nozzle back on to pierce the seal.
- If you’re not using the glue for more than a minute, it's best to put the cap back on to prevent it from drying up in the nozzle. See the FAQ's at the bottom of the page for more info!
- Having some kitchen towel or strong tissue to hand is helpful for wiping the end of your glue nozzle to remove any dried lumpy glue. If the nozzle isn't clean, lumpy glue can make the pieces harder to lay flat on your base.
What's included in your kit...
Larger envelope contents:
1 x tube of glue (may look different to the image)
2 x cocktail sticks (good for spreading glue)
1 x wax stick (good for picking up/placing the pearls)
3 x cotton buds (good for wiping up glue)
2 x bulldog clips
4 x wood heart shaped bases
4 x cream marbled acrylic pieces
4 x emerald acrylic pieces
4 x gold mirror hearts
Small envelope contents:
2 x wood hearts with pre glued findings
2 x gold fill fish hooks
6 x connector rings
8 x czech glass pearls ( 4 x large and 4 x small)
1x organic cotton jewellery pouch
Step One - Arranging the pieces & peeling the bases
1. Remove your acrylic from the squares
2. Peel the backing film off but it's best to leave the top film on. The bases on the cream and emerald marbled acrylic are flat without engravings and have less of a marbled pattern to them. The gold base has a grey coating with lines etched in the surface. You can use the flat edge of your cocktail stick to remove the peel if you are struggling but avoid scratching the acrylic.
3. Before you start to glue your pieces, it’s good to familiarise yourself with the layout by arranging them in order.
*TIP* it can also help to arrange the pieces on top of the base without glue first.
Step Two - Gluing the hearts
1. Squeeze a small blob of glue onto the small hearts with pre glued findings. Use a cocktail stick to spread it in an even layer.
2. Making sure you have peeled off the protective film from the bases, place the small gold mirror heart and push down so it sits flush to the wood base, doesn’t overhang and the holes match up. While the glue is still wet, place the smallest cream heart inside. Repeat for the other side and leave to dry.
3. Repeat the same method for the two medium sized hearts, this time with the emerald green heart in the middle.
4. Repeat for the two larger hearts, with the larger cream marble heart in the middle.
*TIP* If your acrylic pieces aren't sitting flush to the wood base, you may need to use the bulldog clips to hold the acrylic down while it glues. The glue is moveable for three minutes, it’s difficult to move after this, so make sure you check your positioning regularly - especially when using these clips!
See our FAQ section at the bottom of the tutorial page if you have any questions!
Step Three - Gluing the pearls
Wait at least 15 minutes for your acrylic to set before peeling the top protective film off of the hearts with the engravings. Its best to leave the film on the other pieces until the next step.
There are two sizes of Czech glass pearls – small and large.
The small cream heart has a small pearl, the medium emerald green heart has a large pearl, and the largest cream heart has one large and one small pearl.
*Tip* Make sure the nozzle of your glue is clean for this step!
1. Carefully squeeze a small dot of glue inside the engraved circles on the acrylic. The glue is really strong once fully set, so you only need a small amount to fix your pearls in place. You can also squeeze the glue onto the end of a cocktail stick and use to apply - this can help with precision.
2. Use your wax stick (cocktail stick with the small ball of yellow wax on the end) to pick up and place the pearl over the glue and press gently so it sits flat in the engraving - this step can be fiddly!
3. Ideally, you want to avoid lots of glue spilling out around the edges of the pearl (try to use a little less glue for the next ones if this happens). However, to clean the glue, dampen a cotton bud with water to wipe any excess away. It's best to do this when the glue is still wet.
Repeat this method for all the pearls on both earrings.
Step Four - Attaching the pieces together
Leave the pearls to set in place for 15 minutes before continuing with this step!
With clean hands, peel off the remaining protective film from your pieces. You can also clean the edges at this stage: once the glue has turned rubbery, you can peel off the excess.
1. Use the pliers included to open the connector rings. To do this, hold your pliers on one side of the connector, at a right angle to the opening. Then use your thumb to push the other side forward (try not to open out sideways as it’s hard to get back to the original shape).
2. Once the connector ring is open, feed through the hole at the bottom of the small heart and the top hole of the medium heart. Make sure you have the both bits facing the same way.
3. Use the pliers again to hold your connector ring in the same place as before and pull back towards you (or in the opposite direction to before) to get the two ends to meet.
*Tip* If the ends are not quite meeting, hold in the same place with the pliers and push backwards and forwards a few times until the gap closes.
4. Using the same method in steps 1-3, attach the bottom of the smaller heart to the top of the largest heart.
5. Repeat for the other side.
Step Five - Attaching the fish hooks and final checks
1. Using the same method you used to open the connector rings, twist open the small loop at the end of the gold-filled fish hooks with your pliers. (This helps to keep the original shape of the loop)
2. Attach to the fixed connector ring at the top of your earrings with the hook pointing towards the back of the earrings. Close the loop by reversing the action in step 1.
3. Repeat for the other side to complete your earrings.
Clean any remaining fingerprints or dried glue with a soft cloth.
Congratulations! You have now made your very own limited-edition Robyn Earrings; we hope you loved making them! Make sure you tag us in your photos on Instagram! @wolfandmoonshop
Watch the whole process
Watch our timelapse video of the complete process. Pause, rewind and rewatch all you like!
FAQs
How can I tell which is the top and base of the acrylic/wood pieces?
The top usually has engravings and the base is plain. Some acrylic has a layer of white or mirror coating on the base. If the piece doesn't have engravings or a coating, the front usually has a more marbled pattern to the acrylic and the base has a flat tone. Before you start to glue your pieces, its good to familiarise yourself with the layout by arranging them on your base without glue. This will also help give you an idea of the correct side to use.
Always peel the protective film from the base before gluing and leave the top film on until the very end!
I’ve put too much glue on and its spilling out the edges
Glue spilling out of the edges of the ACRYLIC:
If the glue is still moveable, make sure the piece is in the correct position i.e. not hanging over the edges and flush to the base. We recommend waiting for at least 15 minutes (until the glue has become rubbery), peel off the edges with your fingernail or use a cocktail stick – be careful not to scratch the acrylic. You can do this after all the pieces have been glued at the end.
Glue spilling out of the edges of the PEARLS:
We recommend to clean when the glue is still wet! The best way to do this, is to dampen a cotton bud with water and wipe away any excess glue.
What should I do if my tube of glue has become blocked?
Use a piece of kitchen towel or tissue to wipe the end of the glue nozzle. If it's still blocked, unscrew the grey nozzle and use a cocktail stick to unblock any dried glue from the inside of the nozzle. It's best to keep the cap on when you're not using the glue to avoid it drying out. Always wipe the end before using and test on a piece of kitchen towel or tissue.
What should I do if my pieces won’t stick flat to the base?
You can use bulldog clips to hold your acrylic down to the base while to glue is drying. Remember to keep checking your positioning as the pieces can slip out of place.
If its still not flush to the base and the glue is still wet remove the piece and check there are no lumps of dried glue or anything obstructing – remove by wiping with kitchen towel or tissue. Be careful when removing dried glue, some acrylic has a layer of colour or mirror coating on the base which can come off. Once the piece is cleaned re apply some fresh glue and make sure you’ve spread evenly to the edges and press the piece back on firmly. To avoid dried or lumpy glue, always clean the end of the nozzle before using and only apply it to the section you’re about to glue. Replace the cap if not in use.
If the glue has dried, try to squeeze some more glue in the gap and press the pieces together and use bulldog clips to secure while drying.
I’ve lost / broken a piece!
We haven’t supplied extra pieces but if you’re missing anything or a piece gets broken or is unusable please email us at hello@wolfandmoon.com and will be able to help!
If you have any further questions please email us at hello@wolfandmoon.com
We hope you love your new limited-edition earrings. Make sure you tag us in your photos on Instagram! @wolfandmoonshop