Polymer Clay fill

[PenWorks]

I mentioned before on some of my early pens that had cracked, ussually ebony, I filled the cracks with different color polymer clay. I let the clay dry by itself, did not bake it. This pen is about 3 years old and was a torture test to see how it would hold up and if the clay would fall out. Well it hasn't, but the clay is really not completely hard. This pen has been buffed many a times over the years. Another knock, since it ws a test pen for me, I was not really happy about the plating coming off on the tip of the pen, this occured from posting. Just some food for thought on how to make your crack pen look good

 

[Rifleman1776]

Anthony, that poly clay idea sounds great. At what temperature is it supposed to be baked? I'm thinking that possibly you could bake the turned blank and really solidify the clay. What kit is that, from what source and what kind of plating is it supposed to be? That failure is really a dissapointment.

 

[PenWorks]

Frank, I haven't baked clay in years, but from what I recall, it was placed in the oven at like 400 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. The kit was a Havana, it is distrubuted by several companies under different names. This is one of the reasons for an end cap or cap fitting, I do not like the black plated material, It chips and peels over time if not handled delicately. I think black plastic is a better material for this, but then you have the cons about "cheap plastic parts" a catch 22.

 

[JimGo]

Frank, remember, this is Anthony we're talking about...his stuff is always "half baked"!

I wonder, if you were to fill it prior to sanding, if the heat from sanding might help the clay harden. I have a few other ideas for clay, and I hope to try them out soon.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Originally posted by JimGo
<br />Frank, remember, this is Anthony we're talking about...his stuff is always "half baked"!

I wonder, if you were to fill it prior to sanding, if the heat from sanding might help the clay harden. I have a few other ideas for clay, and I hope to try them out soon.

This is a cruel bunch here. []