Fillers

Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
Turned Around

Turned Around

Member
Joined
Jul 28, 2011
Messages
838
Location
Houston, TX
Ok, I made my first gator jaw bone pen last night. I'm afraid I'm already addicted to it. So now, I just need other fillers. Do you guys have pointers on what material to use or is not worth using? Or maybe do's and don't's for large areas like the gator cavities. And, where is the best place to get some of the fillers (stone, metals, other)? Most of the fillers I've found can be quite pricey. And is it a 1 oz jar the volume or weight?

Thanks,
Nic
 
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
Stone is typically sold by weight. I find its best to buy pieces of the stone you are after and then grind them yourself. After much trial and error, I found that a cheap blender from a yard sale or Goodwill does the job better than anything else. It's noisy and ruins the blender for any other use but I get the most consistent grind from it.

As far as other fillers, the sky is the limit. You can get any shade of embossing powder from a craft store like Michael's. You can also get glitter, pearl powders etc.
 
pearl powder would be cool, but i fear it would loose it's effect when the rest of the jaw bone is a white.

i will check out Hobby Lobby and Michael's this weekend for random things.
 
Turned Around said:
pearl powder would be cool, but i fear it would loose it's effect when the rest of the jaw bone is a white.

i will check out Hobby Lobby and Michael's this weekend for random things.
Click to expand...

Mix the pearl powder with epoxy or resin. The pearl can be mixed in any color....doesn't have to be white.
 
Go to your local rock shop there are a ton of stones suitable for filler! Crush at home and save a ton! I got a little glass jar full of turquoise chips for about 50 cents! I like a mortar and pistol for crushing but a plastic bag and a hammer will work.

Dont forget to poke around a bit in your kitchen! Lots of stuff in there that makes very interesting filler!
 
I buy cheap Turquoise Jewelry on fleabay. I have been burned once but got 2 strands w/ big pieces for cheap. One thing is be sure if you go to Micheal's or hobby lobby is that it is Turq and not dyed howlite.
 
Turned around

Bead stores are a great source as well! Most of the stone used to make beads can be worked fairly easily and I have gotten some beautiful malachite and azurite that way. Even landed a pendant I was able to cut to match a fill! The thing I dont like about the pre crushed stuff is it's very uniform in size. Fills are really more successful when you use a big piece and fill around it with smaller and smaller pieces, I often end by rubbing stone dust into the cracks around the larger fill.
 
Justturnin said:
I buy cheap Turquoise Jewelry on fleabay. I have been burned once but got 2 strands w/ big pieces for cheap. One thing is be sure if you go to Micheal's or hobby lobby is that it is Turq and not dyed howlite.
Click to expand...
I used Michael's "turquise" (crushed howlite) in a pen and honestly I'd say you wouldn't know the difference

may not apply to real rockhounds - they'd probably know.

:biggrin:
 
I use brass from key cutting and turquoise that I buy loose and grind myself with a pipe mortar and pestal. Get cheap strainers from dollar store and that will help with uniformity in sizing. Also I use instant coffee and egg shells sometimes.
 
Turned Around said:
i wonder if i could get away with crushing some of these up.

18x20mm Peachblow Shell Titanium Abnormity Loose Bead 1 | eBay

it's natural shell, but it's dyed. i just don't know if it's dyed all the way through. if i break it in half, do you think i would see a color difference?
Click to expand...

I'll bet it will crush nicely and natural shell always has some wierd sheen or color shift too it. The dye and how deeply it goes? I have no idea but thats part of the fun! New materials are like Christmass you don't know if it's socks or a brand new wonder till ya try!

Stone beads will look the same inside as out so they are a bit safer but they lack the "surprise" factor ;>)
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom