Epoxy has become my material of choice for a variety of reasons previously discussed, but every time I try epoxy on something new I end up with a drawn out process that feels more like babysitting than manufacturing. I recently coated some coffee mugs with a like covering of epoxy on the exterior to cover a decal that I had placed on the front of the mug. Everything looked good at first, but every hour I had to get up and make sure that the epoxy wasn't dripping. It's taken 12 hours of back and forth to get these coffee mugs almost dry, but I am exhausted at the end of this and even if it works I won't be encouraged to use this method without setting up a complete system to handle the drying of the epoxy. There are better ways to make coffee mugs, but I like the idea of a sloppily painted on epoxy coating that will yellow over time versus the clean professionally made high quality dishwasher safe mugs that you see in Starbucks and such. More crafty, more better.
Same thing goes with some other prints that I have done trying to merge epoxy with acrylic or vinyl, the uneven surface from using water based materials on paper make it difficult for the epoxy to spread smoothly and I keep having to build up the surfaces with more and more epoxy to get a smooth surface. I have gotten in the habit of just letting the stuff settle and coming back the next day to see if it has turned into a monster or a flower, sort of like locking the kid you are babysitting in the room and just peeking in later to see if the child has gone to sleep.
The successes that I have achieved keep bringing me back to the table with a wider range of products that I had last week, but I am still not confident I could sell them professionally. Like I said, more craft than quality for now. Coffee Mugs are back, window decals might work, regular stickers and water slide decals that would be fun for seven day candle designs, as well as, the punk rock magnetic and sticker lettering that can be used to spell out stuff on your refrigerator or car. It doesn't sound like much, but that's how I make my money and the more stuff I can make then the less stuff I have to buy from others for my retail store. It's a sign of the times when I can't stock my shelves with merchandise from other vendors, because most of it is carried by every other cool store on earth.
I used to do trade shows and sell to a larger market, like the Gift Shows and the clothing trade shows like Magic and Action Sports Retailers. The cost of exhibiting was huge and the time it took to haul shit back and forth to Vegas, New York, France and even Japan was a risk that seemed like it was worth it and it possibly was. Then I got tired of driving and the shows seemed like a repeat of each other, so I stopped that type of business and went more towards retail with my Los Angeles store called Y-Que Trading Post. Things have been up and down over the years and there is no guarantee that the retail gift store can survive, especially if I only sell the same things that other stores sell. This is where making goofy things comes in handy in order to have some merchandise that is unique. Unique may not pay the rent, but eventually one of these items that I am working on will kick in enough sales to make it worth the while of staying up all night and watching epoxy set.
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