Cast Dyed Silk Quartet (brightens a rainy day)

[Bob in SF]

Cast silk pen quartet for a family of 4: snips of Habotai 8mm silk dyed with Jacquard silk colors, dyed silk rolled and bundled in parchment paper, dye then bonded to silk by steam fixing on top of a tamale steamer rack x 2 hours, stabilized with Cactus Juice, re-rolled in parchment paper, cured x 1 hour at 190 degrees, then pressure cast with Douglas and Sturgess polymer resin in clear PVC tubes; brightening up a rainy day:

Best regards to all - Bob
(could have gone with pre-dyed silk - but now prefer hand-dyeing for better color control and variety)

 

[mecompco]

Bob, you make beautiful blanks! I just must ask, with all due respect, if you have considered doing pens without the "wasp waist"? If they sell well, that's awesome, and keep it up. My eye, and it's probably wrong, just can't get into that shape. I think (to me, at least) these pens would look so much better with a proportionally sized center band. No offense intended--this is "art" after all!

Regards,
Michael

 

[Bob in SF]

Hi Michael - Thanks for kind comments - and your thoughts on shape are well taken.

I've been all over the map with shapes, and these pens are in fact moving well.

Since I have lists of previous and prospective buyers who have heard about my pens, I send them pix of color/shape options and the responses have been interesting. Most of my slimline customers are women - and they often request the "hourglass figure" (aka wasp waist) - some even wanting broader "hips".

As I learned when I was just starting to gig with dance bands decades ago - play to the room.

People are funny.

Best regards, Bob

 

[KenV]

Very nice effect!!!

One question -- parchment can be the writing kind (vellum) or the siliconized sheets used in the kitchen primarily for baking. My guess is that you are using writing parchment, but seemed worth asking

 

[Bob in SF]

Hi Ken - I use Kirkland/Costco brand non-stick kitchen parchment for silk steaming on the stove top, heat curing after Cactus Juice stabilization of wood and other materials, etc. - works great - link:
Amazon.com: Kirkland Signature Non Stick Parchment Paper 205 sq ft (Twin Pack): Health & Personal Care

And a link to my initial posting about casting stabilized silk - fun technique with a lot of potential (still exploring):
http://www.penturners.org/forum/f178/stabilized-silk-metamorphosis-140392/

Today's knotted silk dyeing - ready for steam fixing in parchment, Cactus Juice stabilization, etc.

Best regards, Bob

 

[mecompco]

Hi Michael - Thanks for kind comments - and your thoughts on shape are well taken.

I've been all over the map with shapes, and these pens are in fact moving well.

Since I have lists of previous and prospective buyers who have heard about my pens, I send them pix of color/shape options and the responses have been interesting. Most of my slimline customers are women - and they often request the "hourglass figure" (aka wasp waist) - some even wanting broader "hips".

As I learned when I was just starting to gig with dance bands decades ago - play to the room.

People are funny.

Best regards, Bob

Bob, that is great--perhaps I'll have to try some. If that's what people want, I'm certainly willing to provide. I am envious of your blanks.

 

[Bob in SF]

Michael - It really is great fun. I've had a few requests for matching or complementary bangles, so the concept has some appeal and traction.

I use thick CA as needed to tame any bubbles or threads prior to sanding.

You can see a little fuzz on the ends of these blanks - no problem with a little CA:

- Bob

 

[KenV]

Thanks for the clarification of product. Baking parchment is handy stuff. Use it to avoid messes in lots of places, not just in baking.

Understand you are casting a helix of stabilized fabric.

Hard to beat the shimmer of silk.

 

[Bob in SF]

Thanks, Ken - I'm currently using silk as helices or random stuffing into block or clear PVC pipe molds.

Michael - If you try silk painting (which is really one of life's great pleasures) - you can fully or partially contain dyes on stretched silk by using water-soluble colored or clear resist (which steams out when you fix the dye in a steamer) - expands the creative possibilities. Here are 2 quick abstracts for the above mentioned forthcoming cast-silk bangles:

Always go for it - Bob