# Cauldron Born



## Russianwolf (Aug 29, 2009)

Was working with the Polymer Clays again and I have one that I can show from this batch ready. Couple more may be finished tomorrow.

This is "Cauldron Born", a mix of Copper, Silver and Gold (For some reason the Copper doesn't look metallic, but the gold and silver do) with a spray lacquer finish. Still not perfect, but I'm still playing.


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## Wheaties (Aug 29, 2009)

Pretty cool! I think I will stay away from that stuff. This hobby already gets enough of my $$$ as is.


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## bitshird (Aug 29, 2009)

Wheaties said:


> Pretty cool! I think I will stay away from that stuff. This hobby already gets enough of my $$$ as is.



Gosh Zach, are you planning on taking it with you?? C'mon it's just Money!!!


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## Wheaties (Aug 29, 2009)

bitshird said:


> Gosh Zach, are you planning on taking it with you?? C'mon it's just Money!!!



Ha. Yeah, you can always make more, right? Plus, it's not ME who has the problem with spending the money. :biggrin:


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## rjwolfe3 (Aug 30, 2009)

Very nice, haven't tried those yet.


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## mickr (Aug 30, 2009)

this is something nice & new for most of us..thank you for sharing your experience..they look good


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## leehljp (Aug 30, 2009)

I like what I see! I wish I had access to some of the different kinds of clay. But even if I did, I don't have time to work with it for now.

Keep making them. Thanks for posting it!


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## randyrls (Aug 30, 2009)

I am going to a polymer clay class on making pens next month.  Just signed up yesterday.


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## johnnycnc (Aug 30, 2009)

Very nice!


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## Daniel (Aug 30, 2009)

I have seen Polymer clay sort of come and go on the forums over the years. but this is a really nice application of them. The clay does not get a lot of press but from what I have seen it is a pretty easy and not all that expensive material. You did a nice job with this one Mike.


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## mbroberg (Aug 30, 2009)

I think it is good looking blank.  Nice work.


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## VisExp (Aug 30, 2009)

That looks great Mike.


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## Russianwolf (Aug 30, 2009)

Daniel said:


> I have seen Polymer clay sort of come and go on the forums over the years. but this is a really nice application of them. The clay does not get a lot of press but from what I have seen it is a pretty easy and not all that expensive material. You did a nice job with this one Mike.



Yeah, its definitely not a new idea, but technologies in the clays have changed over the years. So I'm not having some of the issues that others have in the past. The main think I'm working on right now is a good finish to put on them, which the lacquer seems to work great. I'll be dipping some later today I hope.

The material is very easy to work with, just have to make sure your work area is clean so you don't pick up hairs and other contaminates that might distract. Last night I worked with 2.5 ounces of clay, just over 1 package at $2.50 regular price. I made 4 pens and still have leftover clay.


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## markgum (Aug 30, 2009)

Awesome looking.  Great job.

Randy.. where are you taking this class at??  



randyrls said:


> I am going to a polymer clay class on making pens next month.  Just signed up yesterday.



thanks.


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## thewishman (Aug 30, 2009)

Lloyd Alexander would be pleased. Nice work with the clay.


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## maxman400 (Aug 30, 2009)

Great looking color combo.


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## sebo_theos (Aug 30, 2009)

How is this done, do you have to actually have to fire the clay, or do you just form it on there and lacquer it????


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## Russianwolf (Aug 30, 2009)

sebo_theos said:


> How is this done, do you have to actually have to fire the clay, or do you just form it on there and lacquer it????



Charles, its a low fire clay, 275 degrees, so you can do the firing in a toaster over. I paid a whopping $19 for a new one for this (they don't recommend using one that will be used for food also). Once fired, its pretty hard but not as hard as pottery clay. You can dent it with a fingernail, but it pops back out in a couple minutes.


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## Nick (Aug 30, 2009)

Very nice looking pen, I have never tried it but does anyone think it would be strong enough to make pendants out of it?


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## Russianwolf (Aug 31, 2009)

this stuff is used to make all kinds of jewelry.


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## Rmartin (Aug 31, 2009)

I've seen the clay work before, but this is the nicest I've seen!

I don't know much about this, so forgive me, but do you turn this after it's "fired" ?


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## nava1uni (Aug 31, 2009)

What kind of clay are you using?  Sculpey or fimo?  I have also use one called Permo that looks like porcelain when it is fired, but is still workable.  You mentioned that you can indent it with your finger nail.  I have only had that happen is the clay is undercooked or it is mixed with too much softener.  There are a couple of really good books on working with polymer clays.  I checked them out of the library.


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## Russianwolf (Aug 31, 2009)

this is Sculpy's Premo clay. Direction say 275 degrees for 30 minutes per 1/4 inch thickness. And everything I've read says increasing the temp is bad (causes discoloration), but increasing the length of firing is okay. So I've been cooking them a little longer.

I do make the material thicker than final dimensions then turn after firing.


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## Fishrule (Oct 27, 2009)

When I first saw "lacquer" I thought: spray-on.  But dipping?  This is a new concept to me, but then again, this is all new to me as I'm really just getting started.  I searched for "lacquer" in the forum overall but found no really helpful tips or threads.  If you're dipping, how do you keep the inside of the brass tube clean?  How do you prevent drips or runs?  Help!


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## el_d (Oct 27, 2009)

Nice work Mike, Looks very promising......

 Do you need to scuff the brass tube and apply the clay or Drill for the tube and Glue? How is it "attached" to the tube.


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## creativewriting (Oct 27, 2009)

> The main think I'm working on right now is a good finish to put on them, which the lacquer seems to work great. I'll be dipping some later today I hope.


 
Mike,  I have been using a CA and it works great.  Be careful with that lacquers because some will react with the clay over time.  It may be fine now, but it will slowly soften the clay.  There are some finishes made just for clay, but the one most of us use is Flecto Varathane Diamond Finish (I think it is now owned by future).  This has provided the best results other then the CA.  If you put thin coats on the clay and then fire it back in the toaster oven at 150 or so it works even better.  Thicker coats or ones that don't bond well will peel in a couple of months.

Nice work.  Keep it up.  It is nice to have someone else using this stuff.


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## Dalecamino (Oct 27, 2009)

Looking good from here Mike !


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## Smokey7385 (Oct 28, 2009)

Fishrule said:


> When I first saw "lacquer" I thought: spray-on.  But dipping?  This is a new concept to me, but then again, this is all new to me as I'm really just getting started.  I searched for "lacquer" in the forum overall but found no really helpful tips or threads.  If you're dipping, how do you keep the inside of the brass tube clean?  How do you prevent drips or runs?  Help!



Not sure if this it the method used on these pens, but here is what I know about the process.

When I was into bow hunting much more than now I made my own arrows and dipped them in lacquer. I used a product called Gasket Lacquer. The process is to put the lacquer into a container with a lid that has a large hole in it and a gasket under the lid that has a small hole. You insert the item to be dipped into the container until covered and pull out with one smooth motion. The gasket squeegees the excess lacquer of and the item is almost totally dry when removed due to the fast drying properties of the lacquer and due to the excess being squeegieed off. Repeat the process after just a couple minutes of dry time to


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## Russianwolf (Oct 28, 2009)

So far, I haven.'t noticed any degradation using Deft lacquer. I have a couple sample pieces in my shop that I'm observing to make sure that I like the aged effects.

For dipping a pen, in't not too hard and there are tutorials out there I know.

1) turn the pen slightly smaller than the desired dimensions (similar to CA since both finished build on top of the wood).
2) with the bushings still in place, dip the pen in lacquer and hang to dry. If you don't keep the bushings on you will get a bead around the bottom as the lacquer  flows. With the bushings in place, the bead forms on the bushing and the level on the blank remains even.
3) let dry to touch at least.
4) use a sharp razor to score the intersection of the bushing and the blank and separate the two. You don't have to do this, but the scoring will decrease the chances of the lacquer chipping along the joint and making you start over.
5)let sit for at least a for days to cure well before handling too much. Lacquer need time to fully cure, when first dry it will remain soft and you can transfer fingerprints to it permanently.


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## CSue (Nov 30, 2009)

That looks really beautiful!  Hard to believe its clay!


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