Toni
Member
I hope this is posted in the right place:biggrin:
I would like to explain alittle about how my pens are made, since I dont have the tutorial yet to post. BEWARE I have an interesting way of writing tutorials
1. I dont turn.
2. I dont use blanks.
3. I dont use CA
Now that you know that I will explain briefly how I make my "TUBES".
Equipement: Polymer clay for a base layer, pasta machine or roller, pre-made canes or canes you made(this post is not going to teach you how to make a cane!!) a sharp blade, oven, sandpaper and muselin buffing wheel and your choice of gloss/finish
***Baking Polymer Clay does give off plasticizer residue/fumes they are not toxic(thats what all the literature says), but it is recommended that you either cover your piece that you are baking in the oven with a tinfoil tent or a large baking dish(you know for making loafs(ask your wives)) OR you can purchase a toaster or convection oven and use that just for polymer clay. sorry i forgot to mention that..i have to use a toaster oven as the ovens in New Zealand are sooo small, no thanksgiving turkeys in there, lucky if a chicken will fit. For those of you that have baked in your home oven it has not been enough for you to worry about..again my apologizes
I use a sheet of pc (polymer clay) to cover the tube, pc needs to be conditioned before you use it. To condition the clay you can roll it on a tile to get it soft and pliable or you can run it through the pasta machine till you dont see any cracks. (if this step is not done your clay will crack or worse all the work you have done will crumble off the tube)
Once conditioned run the clay through the pasta machine, a thin sheet. Wrap this sheet around the tube, cuting it where they join, smooth out the seam.
I take a cane, you can see photos of them in my etsy shop (http://www.toninz.etsy.com) and cut slices off using a sharpe blade, Thomas Scientific Blade(they can be purchased online,they are as sharp as(kiwi lingo)) I do this with all the canes I am going to use for my design. hint: slice them as thin as possible!!
Apply these slices onto the tube(which has a pc sheet wrapped around it, this acts like glue!!) if you place a slice on the tube and want to move it good luck it will rip!! so think first before you start putting on the slices.
After you have put a few on, roll on a large tile,ie..the ones you use to tile your kitchen floor, plain white is perfect you dont want one that has indentations!! APPLY LIGHT PRESSURE when rolling; be gentle guys. Then apply more slices, roll again, continue to add slices and roll till you have covered the tube.
While rolling the tube clay will begin to move to the ends, use your blade to slice off the clay that is not adhered to the tube.
When you are done rolling and its smooth. Place the tube on a flat tile standing upright. Bake it in the oven acccording to the manufacturers directions(all pc artist that write tutorials are supposed to say that) for 30-40minutes. The tube will look like the first picture.
The second picture shows you the inner view of the tube, hopefully this photo explains ALOT!! Clay on the outside, metal tube on the inside.
Once cooled,start sanding that baby with 600 or 800 grit, be careful you dont want to sand off the millefiori, so sand till you have it nice and smooth, move onto the next grit, same thing as above be careful, keep sanding till you are at 2,000 grit. You are now done sanding. do you still have your fingerprints??
Buff it on a muselin wheel or your jeans( I dont, but you can) and coat it with CA or whatever gloss you have, I use floor polish to seal in the shine. Should shine like glass before you even apply this coating.
Assemble your pen and viola you are done!! Now you have some insight on how to make a polymer clay tube ala Toni.
I promise I will get a better tutorial with step by step photos ASAP.
I would like to explain alittle about how my pens are made, since I dont have the tutorial yet to post. BEWARE I have an interesting way of writing tutorials
1. I dont turn.
2. I dont use blanks.
3. I dont use CA
Now that you know that I will explain briefly how I make my "TUBES".
Equipement: Polymer clay for a base layer, pasta machine or roller, pre-made canes or canes you made(this post is not going to teach you how to make a cane!!) a sharp blade, oven, sandpaper and muselin buffing wheel and your choice of gloss/finish
***Baking Polymer Clay does give off plasticizer residue/fumes they are not toxic(thats what all the literature says), but it is recommended that you either cover your piece that you are baking in the oven with a tinfoil tent or a large baking dish(you know for making loafs(ask your wives)) OR you can purchase a toaster or convection oven and use that just for polymer clay. sorry i forgot to mention that..i have to use a toaster oven as the ovens in New Zealand are sooo small, no thanksgiving turkeys in there, lucky if a chicken will fit. For those of you that have baked in your home oven it has not been enough for you to worry about..again my apologizes
I use a sheet of pc (polymer clay) to cover the tube, pc needs to be conditioned before you use it. To condition the clay you can roll it on a tile to get it soft and pliable or you can run it through the pasta machine till you dont see any cracks. (if this step is not done your clay will crack or worse all the work you have done will crumble off the tube)
Once conditioned run the clay through the pasta machine, a thin sheet. Wrap this sheet around the tube, cuting it where they join, smooth out the seam.
I take a cane, you can see photos of them in my etsy shop (http://www.toninz.etsy.com) and cut slices off using a sharpe blade, Thomas Scientific Blade(they can be purchased online,they are as sharp as(kiwi lingo)) I do this with all the canes I am going to use for my design. hint: slice them as thin as possible!!
Apply these slices onto the tube(which has a pc sheet wrapped around it, this acts like glue!!) if you place a slice on the tube and want to move it good luck it will rip!! so think first before you start putting on the slices.
After you have put a few on, roll on a large tile,ie..the ones you use to tile your kitchen floor, plain white is perfect you dont want one that has indentations!! APPLY LIGHT PRESSURE when rolling; be gentle guys. Then apply more slices, roll again, continue to add slices and roll till you have covered the tube.
While rolling the tube clay will begin to move to the ends, use your blade to slice off the clay that is not adhered to the tube.
When you are done rolling and its smooth. Place the tube on a flat tile standing upright. Bake it in the oven acccording to the manufacturers directions(all pc artist that write tutorials are supposed to say that) for 30-40minutes. The tube will look like the first picture.
The second picture shows you the inner view of the tube, hopefully this photo explains ALOT!! Clay on the outside, metal tube on the inside.
Once cooled,start sanding that baby with 600 or 800 grit, be careful you dont want to sand off the millefiori, so sand till you have it nice and smooth, move onto the next grit, same thing as above be careful, keep sanding till you are at 2,000 grit. You are now done sanding. do you still have your fingerprints??
Buff it on a muselin wheel or your jeans( I dont, but you can) and coat it with CA or whatever gloss you have, I use floor polish to seal in the shine. Should shine like glass before you even apply this coating.
Assemble your pen and viola you are done!! Now you have some insight on how to make a polymer clay tube ala Toni.
I promise I will get a better tutorial with step by step photos ASAP.
Attachments
Last edited: