Next, use the spray sealer to seal the cement. It should be as smooth as possible in order to make good contact with the contact cement. Pay attention to the area that you will be applying the veneer. Peel it off your work surface and then sand any rough edges.

Demold The Cement, Sand And Seal The Key Holder This will leave ¼” between the magnet and your work surface. The magnet is ½” thick so you need to insert it so that it is completely flush. Just be mindful and keep control over it as you place it. It’s best to aim for about ¾” from the edge.Īlso beware, the cookie cutter is metal and the magnet will try to snap itself to it. However, you can’t insert the magnet into the cement too close to the metal cutter or the magnet will pull itself right to it, even in the cement. I wanted my keys to hang as high up on the magnetic cement key holder as possible, and where you place the magnet determines that. Now carefully pick up the magnet and hold on to it firmly as you place it into the circle you cut. Keeping the cutter still pressed into the cement, pull the excess away from the outside of the cutter. Take the cookie cutter and cut a circle in the cement. My ball flattened to lower than ¾”, so I ended up needing to mold the flattened ball and by pushing it in and together a little to get it to be ¾” thick. Double check your thickness with the ruler. Take the rolling pin and flatten it out so that it is ¾” thick or just under. Next, form the cement into a ball shape and place it on your smooth work surface. The consistency should be like a ball of dough. Now add water and mix the cement with the water so there are no lumps. If the color is to your liking, then proceed, otherwise adjust as needed. Note: You can test the shade of color by removing a small amount of your colored dry mix and adding water to that. Be sure to mix the pigment in well before you add water. In the disposable bowl, mix together about 1 cup of dry cement and about ¾ of a teaspoon of charcoal pigment.

The discoloring seems less obvious with a dark color. However, the cement has magnetic minerals in it and the magnet draws them in causing a slight discoloration in that location. If you want your magnetic key holder to be off-white, then you can skip adding the pigment. Note: Since I wanted these to be grey instead of off-white, I added charcoal pigment. Before starting the tutorial, it may be helpful to read my article comparing the different concrete mixes and sealers– Cement & Concrete Crafts Tests!Īnother important article is Making Cement Crafts Techniques & Tips with info on cement mĪterials, mixture consistencies, demolding, safety and clean up! DIY Magnetic Cement Key Holder Tutorial Steps Step 1.

Diy key holder bottle