CD Mozaic Trilogy Boxes

Video HERE

Is it showing my age to admit that I used to use floppy disks for all my files...? As a slightly over-organized hoarder I feel the need to save all my videos. Although they are cheaper, the downside of using write-only CD's is a growing collection of used or failed disks. I always try to avoid throwing things away if they have the possibility of a second life, so this seemed an ideal opportunity to find a place for my shiny former coasters...

You will need:
Old CD's *
Sturdy scissors or craft knife and pliers**
Wooden boxes (Fittings removed)
Sandpaper
Acrylic paint (choose deep or dark colours to create a contrast to the CD material then silver for the detail)
Brush/Spreader
Tweezers
Masking Tape
Resin


*I used both CD-R and CD-RW's that had been filled or failed formatting which created a variation in colour for the final mosaic. Unless you want a mixture of tones I would suggest sticking to one type.
**Although I cut out most of the process it took some time to find a good technique. In the end I resorted to scoring with a blade then snapping off pieces - which led to a number of shards of plastic pinging across the shed. There is probably an easier and safer way, but I didn't find it before I had enough pieces to work with. Eye protection would be handy, just in case.

Method:

1. Cut your CD's into interesting shards. I didn't attempt to try for particular shapes or sizes, but having three sizes of box meant that I could pick through the pot for different pieces to fit the space. I did a couple of dry runs to see how well the boxes were covered, thinking about placement and spacing in a random style - if you have more of a design in mind you may need to be more particular.
2. Sand the boxes and apply a first coat of paint. Once dry give the sides a quick sanding, then a second coat, don't worry about the top.
3. Squidge a splodge of paint onto the top and spread into an even layer. Working quickly with tweezers place the CD shards into the paint then leave to dry completely.*
4. Using thin strips of masking tape create a random angular design around the sides of the boxes. Mask off the lid and paint a strip around the bottom edge if you like.**
5. Mask off the sides of the lid then pour on a layer of resin, spreading to cover the CD pieces and fill the gaps in between.
6. Remove the masking tape then add a few strokes of silver blended with a little of the background colour to create a highlight on the painted shards.
7. Apply a couple of coats of varnish to the sides, then line and finish with foam on the bottom.

*You could use glue, but I find that it is visible beneath the resin, and I prefer this paint-glue technique as it provides a solid colour base behind the CD.
**I did this, then masked over the top for the resin, which pulled off a lot of the paint that I then had to re-paint... choose your own order for this process.