Corn Cob Pen???

[sandking]

i would like to make one tonight but am not sure what kind of corn to use. Can I use the indian corn (the dried out ones they sell during the fall in craft stores) that I have on display in my bay window?

Also when do you color it? Do you use a highlighter or food dye?

 

[Skye]

I used the kind you get in the pet section of Walmart as well as some I bought that were stabilized.

The indian corn looks like it should work fine.

You can color it once you turn it to shape. I'd also go ahead and sand it to keep from sanding off any color. I use Dye-na-flow from Michaels, Eagle has used color markers before. Either way will work.

Food dye probably will fade faster than the others, it's not meant to hold up to the light.

 

[alamocdc]

As long as it's dry, Indian corn should work.

I use highlighters on mine. The color seems to stay true under the CA and I've read that some markers will change color once the CA is applied.

 

[jthompson1995]

I've made a couple from indian corn and it seemed to work better than the other field corn I used. The core was smaller and the hard portion bigger on the indian corn. I could even make slimlines out of it with no problem. BTW, they were all unstabilized except for CA as I made it.

 

[Rochester]

I turn a lot of Indian corn. I also have found that the "pith" of the cob is smaller. Different colored corn will have different colored cobs. You shoud get some interesting looking pens withour coloring them.

 

[sandking]

Originally posted by Rochester
<br />I turn a lot of Indian corn. I also have found that the "pith" of the cob is smaller. Different colored corn will have different colored cobs. You shoud get some interesting looking pens withour coloring them.

How do you remove the corn from the cob on indian corn since it's dried out already?

 

[TomJ]

I used ritz dye to color. I do it after I turn it down.

 

[jthompson1995]

Originally posted by sandking
<br /> How do you remove the corn from the cob on indian corn since it's dried out already?

The squirrels took care of that part for me []. I called it decorations, they called it lunch. At least they left the cob.

You should be able to start from one end and pop the kernels out. If you rub it aginst the edge of something hard they should pop out prety easy. Getting it startd is the hardest part, but start at one end and push away from the other kernels supporting it.

 

[sandking]

Thanks

 

[jtate]

After you remove the kernals from the Indian Corn, you can pop them in hot oil. If it's the same stuff that I'm familiar with "Indian Corn" is the same thing as "Popcorn on the cob"