Old dog New trick !!

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plantman

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:bananen_smilies022: A few weeks ago my wife and I attended the Wisconsin chapter of pen turners meeting in Milwaukee WI. The demo for the day was a turner using Polymar Clay to make amazing pens and blanks. With a front row seat I was drawn in hook, line, and sinker !! Couldn't wait to get back home and try this one out. Did some reading and video watching, and the more I watched and read, the deeper the hook went in. After buying the supplies needed I gave it a try. This is the results, my first Polymar Clay pen. The kit is from woodcraft, that's where the meeting was held, and is a Premier Cigar Pen in Platinum and Black. I made the blanks and turned them on my micro metal lathe with no problems, and finished it with 6 coats of Thick CA. C&C always welcome. ED; I don't remember the gentleman's name that gave the demo !! Do you remember?? Jim S

P.S. If you are wondering why the backround colors are different in the photos, I changed the tint to bring out the colors on that side of the pen.
 

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Great job Jim. Make sure you bring them to the meeting in March. The guy that gave the demo is Rob Nelson.

Dave,
Any news on the status of creating the video of his demo? I talked with a few gentlemen, no this does not include you, at WC that were hoping to create a video we could post here.
 
Great job Jim. Make sure you bring them to the meeting in March. The guy that gave the demo is Rob Nelson.

Dave,
Any news on the status of creating the video of his demo? I talked with a few gentlemen, no this does not include you, at WC that were hoping to create a video we could post here.

What are you trying to say Wayne? :biggrin:
I have a copy of the raw footage and can make you a copy. I'll also try to get hold of the guy that said he can edit it and get him a copy.
When are you working next I'll drop a copy off at Woodcraft.
 
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Nice! Did you make the canes, too?

:wink::wink: NO. I purchased them on Ebay. I didn't want the pen to look like it was made in first grade. Wanted to see how the process worked first. I have since purchased clays to design my own canes. I want to try something other than flowers, something for the men. It's like casting your own blanks, there is no limit as to what you can do in color or design. Jim S
 
Looks great and welcome to the PC club. If you have never tried the PC canework I would keep buying them until you get lots of practice. Etsy has a really nice selection as well. I don't have the patience for millefiori so I tend to stick with faux textures, stamping, or mica shifts.
 
Very beatiful work, I agree the colors are fantastic. The craftmanship is great especially for your first time.
You said you watched videos to learn what videos did you watch? I would be interested in learning more about this process
 
Very beatiful work, I agree the colors are fantastic. The craftmanship is great especially for your first time.
You said you watched videos to learn what videos did you watch? I would be interested in learning more about this process

:bananen_smilies104: Go on your search engine and look up polymar clay pens or go on you-tube. Look for sites that have videos or tutorials. There are a lot of vidios on how to use Polymar Clay. Make sure you add pens to your inquiry or you will get 10,000 hits. Some are in different languages, just turn down the sound and watch what is being shown. As I recall, there weren't any that I saw that put the clay on the brass tubes like I did. Most used Bic pens and just covered the plastic. I didn't look at every last one, so I am sure there are some out there that show you that method. You can also go to Hobby Lobby or Michaels for supplies and books. I went to Walmart and bought a $19 toaster oven with timer a temp. controls, Michaels has a pasta machine made to roll clay for $25, use the 50% off coupon. I bought the raw canes on E-bay. Other than that all you need is something to roll the clay (Your Hand) , and a very thin sharp blade to cut the cane. While I was at Walmart I also bought an oven thermometer for $5. Use this to check the heat setting on your toaster oven. There is also an article by Ed Davidson in the Summer 2004 issue of Woodturners Design pages 74-77. Ed goes by YoYoSpin, and is a member of this site. He may also have something in the library here.Jim S
 
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Very nice first effort! I love the flowers and colors. Will you be selling any of these?

:confused::confused: This was my first try. Do you mean canes or pens? Each blank would have to be custom made to the pen kit itself. In the making of this pen, I bought a ready made roll of clay with a design in it. Next I reduced it to the size I needed, cut off thin sheets and molded and applyed them o the brass tubes. Next you roll it to combine the clay and reduce to cloce to size. Then it goes into a toaster oven to cure and harden the clay. Emerse in cold water to temper the clay. Now you turn and finish like any other blank. I'm sure that's more information then you wanted. " Toni ", on this site, she makes beautiful blanks, and sells them through " Exoticblanks.com ". Thank you all for comments !!! Jim S
 
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