How To Make Kintsugi Coasters With Jesin (Acrylic Polymer)

You will squeal with delight when you see how easy it is to make these stunning Kintsugi coasters using Jesin – a lightweight, acrylic polymer material.

I know you are probably thinking these look so much like concrete! They really do,  but there are some advantages. First, they cure faster than standard concrete, and even still a little faster than a quick setting concrete.

You can make these in your home without worrying about breathing in dangerous particles (though I still recommend wearing a dust mask). And it comes in the color white right from the start, so you can make these coasters any color you’d like.

Of course, I think the grey really sets off the gold lines beautifully. You can see exactly how they turned out when I made these with concrete; they really look so similar. If you want to make these using concrete, you can follow that link for the tutorial.

Another big reason these coasters are so simple to make is that the pre-made silicone molds already have the grooves for the kintsugi lines built in. All you need to do is follow the lines when you paint.

DIY DIFFICULTY LEVEL | Easy

DIY Jesin Coasters Materials List 

• JESIN powder and liquid (use code: Ellen10 for 10% off)
• Liquiments colorant– Jet (use code: Ellen10 for 10% off)
• Disposable plastic container (not shown)
• Plastic or paper cups
• Nitrile gloves
• Safety mask
• Plastic table cloth
• Kintsugi coasters silicone molds (use code: Ellen10 for 10% off)
• Kitchen scale (important)
• Craft sticks
• Vibrating machine or orbital sander (optional)
• Sandpaper, 200 and 4-800 grit
• Gold leaf foil (optional)
• Gold paint pen
• Acrylic sealer
• Microfiber cloth
• Deep plastic dish
• Adhesive cork bumpers

How To Make Kintsugi Coasters With Jesin

Step 1. Place The Gold Flakes Onto The Mold

Plan where you want the gold flakes on your coasters to be. You can have them look like lines, like marbling, or blotches, or dots, whatever floats your boat.

I planned mine to look like marbled striations. Peel the gold foil from the paper and place the pieces strategically onto the coaster mold. 

If you accidentally place some of the foil in an area you don’t want, you can use blue tape to remove it. Just push the sticky part against the foil, which will pull it off.

Step 2. Weigh The Powder And Liquid Jesin And Mix Together

Next, weigh the amount of dry and liquid Jesin you need for the two coasters.

Using these pre-made molds, you will need a 2:1 dry-to-liquid ratio, so you’ll need 140 grams of dry powder to 70 grams of liquid, giving you a little wiggle room.

If you want to make the mixture for each coaster separately, like I did, it will be 70:35 ratio.

By the way, you may find this article helpful for in-depth info on what Jesin is and how to work with it.

Mix the Jesin in a bowl or container. Mix well by scraping the sides of the container to break up any lumps. Don’t spend too long mixing, though.

Step 3. Add The Pigment

Now add a couple of drops of the Jet pigment. Take care not to add too much, or your Jesin won’t cure. Start with two drops and add one more if it doesn’t look dark enough.

Mix the color well, and scrape the sides to get all the bits of color mixed in with the mixture.

Step 4. Fill The Kintsugi Molds And Vibrate

Pour the Jesin into each mold and vibrate each mold. If you have a vibrating machine, vibrate it until the bubbles disappear or slow.

If you don’t have a machine, tap the mold to vibrate enough so the Jesin doesn’t spill out. Try to get the bubbles to rise to the surface.

Let these cure. The time it takes will depend on your room’s temperature and humidity.

I can’t remember exactly how long it took my coasters, but to the best of my memory, it was about 20 minutes.

Step 5. Demold And Sand The Jesin Coasters

Once the coasters are no longer warm to the touch and are hard, you can remove them from the molds.

Flip the molds over carefully and press the coasters out from the back.

Now, you will want to sand the sharp edges. Use the 200-grit sandpaper first, and if you want them smoother, follow up with the higher-grit paper.

You may have some bubbles on the back, too. You can remove those with high-grit paper. Use it dry first, then follow up with wetting it.

This will take a bit of time and patience because you’ll need to remove the scratches from the dry sanding as well.

Step 6. Paint In The Gold Kintsugi Lines

Now, you get to paint the Kintsugi lines. Take the gold paint pen and shake it well, then draw in the engraved lines created by the embossed molds.

Step 7. Seal The Coasters

Once the Jesin has fully dried (it retains moisture well past the cure stage)– about 24 hours, you can seal these. 

To seal them, use a shallow container and dip them into it, making sure they are fully covered by the dealer. I let them be immersed for about 15 seconds.

Then, remove them from the sealer and wipe them off with a microfiber cloth. Buff away any streaks for a smooth, streak-free finish.

It’s best to repeat this process a couple more times and wait a few minutes between each dip.

Add cork adhesive bumpers to the bottom. Since these coasters are oversized, I added 6 per piece, about ⅛” in from the edges.

Do you want to make more with Jesin? Check out how this tutorial for making amazing marbled candle jars!

Don’t forget to Pin it for later!