Polymer Clay

[JustInside]

I am looking how to turn a pen using polymer clay. Can anyone help?


Cheers

Paul

 

[Blind_Squirrel]

I mixed two colors, wrapped the clay around a blank, baked it (per the directions), milled the ends, turned it, used CA as a finish.

This is what it turned out to be:

 

[bfrikken]

Interesting. I saw a craft show talking about polymer clay for different things, and it got me thinking of using for a pen. Login today and see the exact topic I was curious about...

 

[GoodTurns]

lots of Sculpey colors to make interesting stuff. we made them at a Bubbasville last year, easy, neat idea, especially for kids because of the color choices and actually making the blank.

 

[YoYoSpin]

I wrote a how-to article on turning PC about four years ago. It was published in Woodturning Design, issue 2, Summer 2004. Here's a link to the magazine's bask-issue page: http://www.woodturningdesign.com/issues/back.shtml

However, over the next year after writing this article, about half of everything I made developed cracks. I’ve heard from several other people who tried turning the stuff with similar results. I think maybe polymer clay doesn’t like thin walls.

 

[Blind_Squirrel]

Ed,

I have not had that problem with ones I made. The stuff I turned was pretty poreus and really drank in the thin CA.

 

[penhead]

I have never worked with Polymer Clay before, but I do know you are supposed to bake it.
But baking it makes it hard (I presume and also perhaps a little brittle..??)

But if the purpose is to make a pen blank by soaking it in CA, and the CA will make it hard and protect it, then why do you have to bake it..?

 

[BRobbins629]

You can also turn below the bushings and cast clear PR around the blank, then turn again. Have made several this way.

 

[ed4copies]

Originally posted by BRobbins629

You can also turn below the bushings and cast clear PR around the blank, then turn again. Have made several this way.

How thick is your PR, when you are finished???

We have talked about doing this and I have always felt the PR would break off as you neared final dimension. I am VERY interested in how this was done. (For a completely different application, not to copy YOUR idea!!)

 

[gwilki]

I've done several like Bruce does. I've turned the clay shy of the bushing, put a label on it, cast it in Alumilite, then turned it final. FYI, I don't wrap the clay around a tube. I make a sausage out of it, bake it, drill it, and glue in the tube with epoxy.

 

[BRobbins629]

Originally posted by ed4copies

Originally posted by BRobbins629

You can also turn below the bushings and cast clear PR around the blank, then turn again. Have made several this way.

How thick is your PR, when you are finished???

We have talked about doing this and I have always felt the PR would break off as you neared final dimension. I am VERY interested in how this was done. (For a completely different application, not to copy YOUR idea!!)

Copy my ideas? I thought that's how you got your screen name. Don't think I measured but the last one I did was on a Euro so it couldn't be too thick. I would guess the PR was about .020"