Cedar with polymer clay

[jtate]

I rolled canes of polymer clay and inserted them through holes drilled in the blank. Some of the canes weren't exactly centeredf which accounts for the bow-tie sort of figures. Serendipity!

A harder wood would have been better as it wouldn't absorb the CA as much around the insertion points of the polyer clay. Oh well, next time.

Lacquer finish.

 

[johncrane]

now thats different l dont mind it' l think the clay is starting too take off[]

 

[DaveO]

That's too cool. My wife thinks it's happy. Did you have to do any special drying for the clay or just set it aside and let it dry?

Dave[]

 

[NavyDiver]

That looks great! Neat idea.

 

[tipusnr]

I assume there is some shrinkage during the drying process (on the clay I mean). Do you ait to find the resultant size of the clay rod and then choose the appropriate drill bit?

 

[Jim15]

Neat idea, nice pen.

 

[Tangboy5000]

That turned out pretty cool. Keep working on the concept.

 

[jtate]

You roll it and shape the canes and then bake it. The baking hardens the clay (and stinks up the house). After that the diameter doesn't really change much. The challenge is getting the cane to be the same diameter all the way down it. Think Play-Dough snakes. It's hard not to have some thin areas and some thicker areas. If a thin area is where your final cut ends up being you may have a gap. I'm thining abouthow to fill that gap so the brass tube doesn't show...

 

[Radman]

Way cool! You done a good job!

 

[Skye]

A green dyed wood and some of those peppermint swirls would remind me of christmas. Neat idea!

Speaking of brass tubes, could you grease one up with something, then pack the snake into it, then shove a mandrel into it to pack it? That would make it totaly round. Only problem is getting it back out and making sure it's clean enough that whatever lubrication you use doesnt react with the CA.

 

[pete00]

great idea and design....neat....nice.....way cool

although some of those swirls look familar after taking some of my special meds....[]

 

[UKpenmaker]

Very neat idea, i like the ones that are of centre.
How hard is the clay after baking? My brain-cells (some would say only one cell[]) are going off on one of my bizarre thought patterns about this stuff[]

 

[jtate]

They're pretty hard after baking. Not quite as hard as acryclic but also not6 as brittle as acrylic can sometimes be. They cut pretty easily and uniformly.

 

[bob393]

Great idea. I love it. bow-ties and all.

 

[TBone]

SLick idea, I like the "bowtie" ones