This isn't intended as a vendor review, just my efforts using another members new products.
I recently acquired several of Creative Dimensions new 3D blanks and like several people so far, I was a little duanted. Like any really good blank, you just don't want to mess it up.
I decided that on the first few, I'd go down the dye route using food colouring. I've never used dye of any sort before and originally bought the wrong type. Don't buy the ones labelled as 'Natural'
I also don't have a particularly steady hand at painting.
After reading someones 'Dye Test' on wood using either vacuum or without, I saw that the dye penetration was actually very thin if just painted on. I thought I could use this to my advantage.
Please don't judge these CD blanks by my so-so finished efforts. The colouring is my work, not theirs.
First one I tried was a gift blank Charlie included. It has the IAP logo and my name on it. The logo is complete with the small text and even the fine globe rings.
This is the blank that I used the wrong dye on. It was a really horrible grey with a slight blue tint. I washed this mostly off and re-applied the new stuff, so even now the colour isn't great.
I simply painted the entire blank in the blue dye and then CA'd it flush.
My theory was that I could simply sand down to reveal the high spots, then CA again.
I think I would have preferred this particular blank to have been engraved in the negative rather than with the raised image. I don't think blanks without the ultra fine detail ( text and globe lines) would be a concern though.
Sanding back down wasn't too difficult with a little care not to over sand.
I sanded down at one area at a time once I got close. I stopped sanding around the globe lines perhaps a little too soon to reveal them all, but I was worried that the adjacent blue area's were getting thin.
This blank wasn't all that challenging at all. Perhaps paint may have been a better option for this one though. But I did want to see the wood grain below the blue.
Now that I was feeling much more confident, I had a go with one called The Argyll. for those not familiar, Argyll is an area in Scotland and has a blue and green tartan. Other colours are seen but I don't think they should be called Argyll.
First I dyed the recessed area with green and the red stripes. No matter how careful I applied the dye, the wood sucked it along the grain like a sponge
into the areas that I didn't want it, but I knew that it should sand out. I wonder if the wood was wet with water first, if this capillary action could be controlled more?
Then I CA'd it flush and then sanded down to reveal the raised sections and applied the blue. The sanding got rid of most of the red that bled, but there are a couple of 'thicker' lines.
Once the blue was on and CA'd, it was a simple case of sanding down again.
I don't think that using dyes will ever give razor sharp definition like segmented parts, but I think I'll stick with dye for the next few, now that I'm a bit more familiar with it.
These blanks are nothing to be scared of and make a very pleasant change from just slapping some CA on a nice bit of wood. I really enjoyed doing them and already have more adventurous plans for the others:biggrin:
I seriously applaude Creative Dimensions for having their really cool stuff publically 'proofed' and a honestly hope that no-one is deterred from trying them because of my learning curve or even that from others.:wink:
I recently acquired several of Creative Dimensions new 3D blanks and like several people so far, I was a little duanted. Like any really good blank, you just don't want to mess it up.
I decided that on the first few, I'd go down the dye route using food colouring. I've never used dye of any sort before and originally bought the wrong type. Don't buy the ones labelled as 'Natural'
I also don't have a particularly steady hand at painting.
After reading someones 'Dye Test' on wood using either vacuum or without, I saw that the dye penetration was actually very thin if just painted on. I thought I could use this to my advantage.
Please don't judge these CD blanks by my so-so finished efforts. The colouring is my work, not theirs.
First one I tried was a gift blank Charlie included. It has the IAP logo and my name on it. The logo is complete with the small text and even the fine globe rings.
This is the blank that I used the wrong dye on. It was a really horrible grey with a slight blue tint. I washed this mostly off and re-applied the new stuff, so even now the colour isn't great.
I simply painted the entire blank in the blue dye and then CA'd it flush.
My theory was that I could simply sand down to reveal the high spots, then CA again.
I think I would have preferred this particular blank to have been engraved in the negative rather than with the raised image. I don't think blanks without the ultra fine detail ( text and globe lines) would be a concern though.
Sanding back down wasn't too difficult with a little care not to over sand.
I sanded down at one area at a time once I got close. I stopped sanding around the globe lines perhaps a little too soon to reveal them all, but I was worried that the adjacent blue area's were getting thin.
This blank wasn't all that challenging at all. Perhaps paint may have been a better option for this one though. But I did want to see the wood grain below the blue.
Now that I was feeling much more confident, I had a go with one called The Argyll. for those not familiar, Argyll is an area in Scotland and has a blue and green tartan. Other colours are seen but I don't think they should be called Argyll.
First I dyed the recessed area with green and the red stripes. No matter how careful I applied the dye, the wood sucked it along the grain like a sponge
into the areas that I didn't want it, but I knew that it should sand out. I wonder if the wood was wet with water first, if this capillary action could be controlled more?Then I CA'd it flush and then sanded down to reveal the raised sections and applied the blue. The sanding got rid of most of the red that bled, but there are a couple of 'thicker' lines.
Once the blue was on and CA'd, it was a simple case of sanding down again.
I don't think that using dyes will ever give razor sharp definition like segmented parts, but I think I'll stick with dye for the next few, now that I'm a bit more familiar with it.
These blanks are nothing to be scared of and make a very pleasant change from just slapping some CA on a nice bit of wood. I really enjoyed doing them and already have more adventurous plans for the others:biggrin:
I seriously applaude Creative Dimensions for having their really cool stuff publically 'proofed' and a honestly hope that no-one is deterred from trying them because of my learning curve or even that from others.:wink:
