I would like to buy a sterling silver Sedona kit to match up with a particular poly clay blank however I dont know much about the metal. Is it plated, real sterling, will it tarnish, what is the wear and tear factor on this, or is it just for looks?
Any help would be appreciated. It will be a sale item so I want it to have no finish issues if the owner uses it every day. I know it says a little sanding and CA as a finish but how much of each, will the ends need to be squared, etc. If a video exists that would be a plus. I have zero experience with this polyclay. Im a little nervous about the attempt but got thru other firsts so why not this?
To properly finish polymer clay tubes the first thing you need to do is asses the surface condition of the tube. You need to remove a VERY thin layer and get blemishes such as finger prints, dust and the like off. I highly suggest you start the lathe turned OFF, then lightly sand from bushing to bushing using 800 grit then 1500 grit (approx there about). Then you want to clean the tube entirely by hand, NO CHEMICALS. NONE. At this point you can quickly see the areas that must be build up and the areas that just need a light coating. You may have valleys and mountains and the valleys must be FILLED with CA.
Secondly you will do your standard CA finish, using whatever amounts that is needed to do the job. I can not tell you the number of people who will chime in and say how they do it but every one of them fails to know how much is needed in your case. The volume needed varies according to the job at hand.
I am unable to speak for some of the clay artist but I do have extensive experience with many of them. I can tell you the end trimming is a minor issue and I have a howto guide in my signature line on trimming the ends, i.e. lapping.
As for a video goes, this is something that I will have to take it upon myself to make one and it is on my bucket list
Please message me if for any detailed information needed but sorry no trade secrets can be given out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEESbgJCNcI
This is a short clip that I did on a properly finished 10x loupe tested CA finish. The tube is from Toni Ransfield.
This above pen is in a sterling silver sedona.