Once again, it's been awhile since I've updated anything here. It
seemed that every time I would go to make something, there was an item I needed
that I didn't have or it had to be sanded and that was getting tedious. Also, the results were not as consistent as I
would like. So, I have been collecting
supplies and looking for better and easier ways to sand... and learning more
cool techniques in the mean time!
I finally found what promises to be a great way to sand
using my Dremel. I think I have everything I need now. I just need to get it all put together. I couldn't seem to find quite the same things
that others had used, but I improvised and, and after a test run before running
out to buy a bunch of stuff, I think it's going to work! I plan to really put it to the test tomorrow. I still need a rock tumbler for sanding round or
odd-shaped beads, but I will be getting that soon. I've been looking at them
and pricing them.
Another thing on my list is a UV oven and the UV resin to go
with it. Some items just require that
kind of finish, like my parrot earrings.
These were just an experiment to try out a technique that I thought
might work for them and I liked the way they turned out… except for the
finishing! Oh, and the fact that they
are a bit long. I had adjusted the
pattern size, but it seems to have disappeared when I moved everything into my
studio which I am still trying to get organized in between flurries of
creativity, doctor appointments, and the everyday hustle and bustle of life. Hopefully, I will have located the pattern by
the time I get the UV oven!
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| Parrots, using mica shift technique, unfinished right out of the oven. |
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| One of the parrots, sanded, buffed, and a glaze added. If you look closely, you can see bubbles in the glaze. |
Who knew that there was so much involved in making quality
polymer clay jewelry!?! Well, obviously,
some people did, but, equally obviously, I wasn’t among them! I’ve learned an awful lot from following
Cindy Lietz, the Polymer Clay Tutor, and proper sanding and finishing is one of
the things I have learned. More than
once, she has shown the difference between an unsanded item and one that has
been properly sanded and finished. It is
amazing! I definitely want to turn out
quality work and I think I’m about to the point that I can consistently do
that.
Stay tuned…
