A Time for Giving

I don't know about you, but our e-mail box has been jam packed full of all kinds of sales and advertising lately.  It is a busy time of year and we have been too busy to have a sale and felt it would be swallowed up in all the mainstream advertising wave.  We do, however, still want to pass on some savings to you and will be having some cool sales over the next month.  If don't want to miss any of them, I would suggest signing up on our blog to receive our posts straight to your e-mail box.

This time of year we think more about giving.  We are a proud supporter of the Samunnat Project in Nepal (click on the link to read more about them if you are not familiar).  We help raise money for their project by donating a portion of our Dremel Buffing Pad sales.  So to kick off our holiday sales,  we will be donating an even larger portion from each pack that is sold in our online store from now until the end of December!

And to mix it up a bit, we have added a new color!  Yes we have something for all you purple lovers!  Dremel buffing pads in a fun purple color!  These work exactly the same as our regular pads -- but just in a fun shade of purple!  But hurry as we only have a limited supply and when they are gone they might be gone forever!

So stay tuned for some upcoming sales -- the first one starts tomorrow and each one is for a limited time!

Merry Christmas

We just want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas.  This Nativity Scene was created by the ladies at the Samunnat Project in Nepal which we purchased from them a few years ago.  It is one of the favorite Christmas decorations we like to put out each year.  I love all the little details they put into each piece.

Nativity Scene created by the Samunnat Project in Nepal

We will continue our support for the project for another year.  One of the ways is providing any buffing pads needed for their Dremel tools as well as donating a portion of our buffing pad sales.  So with every purchase you make, you are helping out as well and until the end of the year we are making a larger donation from each pack that is sold.

Merry Christmas

and a prosperous 2017!

A Time to Give . . . From Buffing Pads to the Samunnat in Nepal

One of the most popular items we make are our buffing pads for the Dremel tool.  These can make a huge difference in your finished clay and bring them to a beautiful high shine that is like glass!  We have been making them for quite a few years now and they work incredibly well!  You can see some of the buffing tips we shared in an earlier post here.

For several years now we have been donating a portion of our sales to the Samunnat Project in Nepal.  Thanks to the polymer clay community, they have been able to add a second floor to their house and even have some luxuries that we take for granted like running water and a flush toilet!  We know there are still so many more needs and still continue to help when we can.  Click here to read more about the project.

The ladies at this project make beautiful polymer clay beads and jewelry as you can see in the above photo.  You can follow more about them now on Instagram.

So we decided to do something a little different this year.

To help raise a little more money for this year, we will be making a larger donation from now until the end of December.  For every single pack of buffing pads sold we will be donating $2 US and for every double pack $5 US (instead of the usual $1 and $2).

And to top all that off -- we are having a sale!  We have reduced our price as well, but only in our online store, just as a little added incentive!  (Don't let the higher prices shown scare you as they are in Canadian dollars and not US).  And if you sign up for our newsletter, you will receive a coupon code for another 10% off your entire order.

And you can purchase as many items you like with only one flat shipping fee plus free shipping with a minimum purchase! (see the details on our website.)

You can still purchase the buffing pads from our Etsy Shop or Artfire Store at regular price and we will still donate the same to Samunnat.

So what about our buffing pads and why are they so special?

#1 - They are made from a special type of cloth that will bring your clay to a super high shine with very little effort!

# 2 - They are a little larger than the average buffing pad so they will last a little longer.

# 3 - You can stack several together for an extra wide buffing surface.  This allows buffing on larger items.

# 4 - Instructions are included in every package.

Here is what others have said about them:

Wow I'm impressed with this buffing pad. It is like magic. I have a buffing wheel but this shines the clay pieces faster and shines better. I'm glad I bought 6.  (Christine)

Quick delivery, buffing pads do a great job with my little dremel... woohoo! :)  (Jenny)

Great product! Polishes my pieces perfectly with the wax they reccomended in their tutorials. Thanks! I will be back for more when I run out ☺️  (Julie L)

Never seen Fimo shine so much!  (Joanna)

These are the BEST for polishing without damaging polymer clay!!! Brilliant!!!!!  (Shelly)

Our Okanagan Guild Meeting

We had another great time at our new Okanagan Polymer Clay Guild meeting last weekend.  We have been meeting in the little town of Westwold which happens to be somewhat central between our members.  It is always nice to meet with other types of polymer clay artists.

Cassy-Rose is one of our newer members who drove all the way from Kelowna to join us.  Cassy loves to sculpt and she brought her latest project with her.  When she first showed us the photos, it was difficult to imagine how large this piece really is!

If you visit her facebook page you can see her step by step process as she creates her masterpiece as well as see some of her past work.

At our meeting I showed everyone how to make a Stroppel Cane.  We have several containers of scraps from our cane making so put them out for everyone to play with and this was the result:

And then we all made some beads from the canes.  The technique is named after Alice Stroppel who invented it and you can see the video here on her site.  

Afterwards, we took some time out to show how to sand their finished pieces and then Dave demonstrated how to use the Dremel to buff them to a high shine.  We feel this is an important part to working with polymer clay as anyone can create but the finishing can elevate you to a higher level. 

We are all looking forward to our next meeting in September.

Doubling Up the Buffing Pads for Dremel

I just wanted to give you an update on our buffing pads for the dremel.  A while ago we posted some buffing tips which you will find here.  We make our buffing pads for the dremel or similar type rotary tool ourselves and are sold in a pack of 3 or a double pack of 6.  You can use them one at a time on your dremel but they can also be doubled or even tripled for a wider buffing area.  Here we have 2 buffing pads on the dremel shown below.  If you use 2 or 3 at a time, all you will need is a longer screw for attaching.

Dremel shown with 2 buffing pads for a wider buffing surface.

Dremel with 2 buffing pads for a wider buffing surface.

If you have never used our buffing pads before, this is some of the feedback we have received on them:

"Never seen Fimo shine so much!"

"These are the best for polishing without damaging polymer clay!!!  Brilliant!!!

"Excellent product.  This is my second batch and I love using these!"

"Great pads.  They work really well on the dremel I have"

- - - - - 

Unfortunately Canada Post has raised their rates again this year, however, we have decided to keep our shipping rates the same and absorb the difference.  There is no charge for shipping within Canada.

We are also still donating the same amount as before to the Samunnat Project in Nepal.  For every single pack of buffing pads that are sold we donate $1(US) and every double pack $2(US).

Our buffing pads are available in both our Etsy shop as well as our Artfire Studio.

Sanding tips and working with Micro Mesh

When we first heard about "micro mesh" for sanding polymer clay, we were somewhat curious about it.  After researching it out we discovered it came in cloths as well as "pads".  We decided to finally give them a try and see if they really made that much difference.  We ordered the pads as they were  reasonably priced and available in Canada.

They are rather small (2" x 2") but are double-sided and surprisingly last much longer than you would think.  We like how the grit number is printed on them which makes it easier to keep track of using the same side until it is worn out and then using the opposite afterwards.  They come in a wide range of grits (above photo) but really isn't necessary to use them all with the polymer clay.  After testing them out we decided to use these three grits:  1500, 2400 and 3600.

I should mention that the micro mesh does not replace the normal wet/dry sandpaper.  We use the micro mesh as an extra sanding addition and only for those items that we want to have a super smooth finish and a high shine.

Our kitchen sink is our sanding work area.  We like to fill both sinks with warm soapy water.

We let the sanding paper soak in the water for a few minutes to soften a bit so they are easier to work with, especially if they are new and hadn't been used yet.

We generally like to start with a 400 grit sandpaper but if there are any rough spots or edges that need smoothing we will do that first with the 320.  Holding the polymer object in one hand and cradling the sandpaper in the other, rub the piece back and forth on the sandpaper.  Once the piece feels fairly smooth, we then sand again with the 800 grit sandpaper.  You always sand with a lower number first and then work up to a higher number which is a finer grit.

Normally one would carry on with higher grits of sandpaper such as 1000, 1500 and so on but this is where we instead switch over to the micro mesh.  The numbers run the same with the micro mesh as the sandpaper where the higher the number the finer the grit so we start with the 1500 and then sand with the 2400 following with the 3600.  Because the piece is already smooth from using the 800 grit sandpaper, it doesn't take much effort with the micro mesh.

After sanding, we then like to rub on some wax (Minwax or Renaissance) and buff with a soft cloth.  For items we want to give a super almost glass-like shine, we then buff with our dremel using our own handmade buffing pads.  You can read our buffing tips on buffing with a dremel in a previous blog post here.

We have found that since using the micro mesh, our pieces are much smoother and buff to an even higher shine with the dremel pads.  The photo below shows three buttons, each with a different finish.  The one on the far left was finished with just wet/dry sandpaper.  The button in the center was sanded with micro mesh and then buffed with a cloth and the one on the right was sanded with micro mesh and then buffed with the dremel.  It has a very high glassy shine but was hard to pick up in the photo.

I tried various ways of photographing it to show how glass like it was but was difficult to capture.  I tried capturing it in a video which shows it off a bit more.  The spots that you see are reflections off the light.

Buffing Tips Using a Dremel

To create a high shine on our polymer clay pieces, we use our Dremel rotary tool for buffing.  We have been making our own buffing pads to fit onto the Dremel for quite a few years now and also have them for sale in our Etsy shop as well as our online store.  The polyester type fibre we use creates a really high shine and is gentle on the clay.  This is important as some buffing pads or other fibres can actually chew up your clay by the heat created from the friction due to the high speed of the Dremel.

Instructions on how to attach the buffing pads are included in the package but we felt we would give a few tips on buffing your clay using the Dremel or similar type rotary tool.

* Before attempting to buff, your piece needs to be sanded very smooth.  If you do not sand your piece thoroughly it will not come to a high shine no matter how much you buff.  You will find tips on sanding your work on our "Polymer Tips" page at the top of this blog.

* Use a stand or vice to hold your Dremel in place so you have both hands free for buffing.  You will notice that the Dremel is tilted downward a bit and not level.  We find this gives greater control for buffing items such as round beads.

* While buffing, your pieces tend to fling at times so we drape a towel or cloth behind to absorb the flying object.

*  If you have long hair, be sure to tie it back and try not to wear any loose clothing that might get caught in the Dremel.

* The buffing also creates a lot of fine dust which you do not want to breathe so be sure to wear a protective dust mask.

* Use some sort of support for your small items so you have a better grasp while buffing.  For beads, for instance, we put them on a bead skewer or metal rod.

We can then hold onto the wire with both hands and then rotate the bead and move it back and forth on the buffing wheel.

Other items like these pen blanks, we put on a larger rod or knitting needle for support.

It is much easier this way to hold onto the knitting needle with both hands and then you can easily rotate the piece while buffing.

* To buff your piece, hold it firmly in both hands and lightly touch the moving buffing wheel.  You do not need to press it in far as this will not create a faster or better shine but will only wear the buffing pad out quicker.

* One more tip to add more shine to your work, is to use more metallic and pearl in your clay mixes.  Adding some transluscent clay also increases the shine, especially if working with black.

Our buffing pads are very popular and we now offer a bulk double pack of 6 pieces for a better price.  We also want to be more involved with the Samunnat Project so we are making a donation to them from every buffing pad pack that we sell.  We are   donating one dollar ($1) from every single and two dollars ($2) from every double pack that is sold.

This is a great program that aides women in Nepal who have survived domestic violence and develops ways to generate an income for them and their families.  This work involves creating beads and jewelry from polymer clay.  Their work is for sale through an Etsy shop as well as Kazuri West.  They are in the process of constructing their own building and could use more help. You can read more about it on their website here and by following Wendy's blog here.

How to Attach Our Dremel Buffing Pads

We have been asked on several occasions how to attach our hand made buffing pads to the dremel or rotary tool so I've put together a mini-tutorial for you here.

These are all the parts you really need.  The mandrel #402 piece has a screw in the end with small washer between.    Remove the screw (keeping the washer on the screw) and attach like so:

Note: The little washer is between the screw

head and the buffing pad (it is hard to see).

That's all there is to it....  Happy buffing....

My Polymer Clay Addiction

Even though I do not smoke or drink alcohol or coffee, I must confess I do have one addiction and that is to my polymer clay.  I do not eat it, of course, but I love to play with it sooo much I cannot help myself.  My friend, a fellow clay artist, Wendy, asked me if I ever sleep.  Well to answer that I do sleep -- actually I think I sleep a lot.  I get at least 9 hours each night and sometimes I even sleep in the day.  So other than sleeping and eating, let's just say a good amount of my time is taken up with my clay.

This past week we have been busy with other things such as catching up on bookwork (ugh!), making more Dremel buffing pads, and packaging buttons.

Speaking of Dremel buffing pads, I was having a hard time finding more of the material we like to use when we make them but I was looking for the same cloth in the dark yellow color.  I finally found some but it was in pink this time.  My claymate Dave must be a liberated man as he said he doesn't mind working with the pink ones as long as they still do the job.  (Grin)

Anyhow, all this extra stuff has taken me away from my clay habit and I was telling Dave I had these strong urges and was almost feeling symptoms of withdrawl.  He told me that there must be some sort of intervention for such a thing but then maybe my habit isn't so bad since it is at least productive!

Polishing Your Polymer Clay Pieces With a Dremel

For some time we had been searching for the perfect finish for our polymer clay.  We prefer a more natural sheen when a piece has been sanded smooth and then buffed with a soft cloth.  But after some time we found the pieces would go dull and look lifeless.  We started experimenting with various varathanes and glazes but were not totally satisfied.  We found if you didn't put it on just right it would leave streaks and if the glaze was too thick it looked too much like shiny plastic".

I then came across an article posted by Lindly Huanani titled "Stop the Glop".  As soon as I read it, I knew we were finally on to something.  The article was regarding how so many people try to add all sorts of glazes on their polymer clay pieces when you really do not need anything at all.  She went on to mention about using an archival type wax such as Renaissance.


We decided to give it a try and were amazed at the beautiful finish it gave!  This is what we discovered and how we prefer to use it.


1.  Sand your pieces first until you have a nice smooth finish.  You will find instructions on sanding your pieces in the "Polymer Clay Tips" section at the top of this blog. 


2.  Apply the wax to your clay pieces and allow to "dry or soak in" for a minimum of 10 minutes.  The longer you leave it, the better the finish.


3.  To remove the wax we use two different cloths.  One is a piece of a cotton rag for wiping off the excess wax .  The second cloth is used for buffing such as an old rag t-shirt or piece of denim.


4.  For a high shine, after (or instead of) the second buffing by hand with the cloth, you can buff your piece with a buffing wheel.


We use a simple dremel set-up in a drill press for easier handling (as shown).

We did not like the buffing pads that you buy for the dremel as they were too harsh so we followed Desiree McCrorey's instructions for making your own.  The most difficult part was finding the right material.  We tried various types of fabrics and discovered they are all not the same.  Some of them were so harsh they would actually damage the clay piece.  When we found the right material we could not believe the difference it made.  Our pieces buffed up to a high shine in a matter of seconds when using just the "lightest touch".


You can make your own buffing pads like we did, or if you would prefer to purchase them already made we now have more available in our ArtFire studio.  We sell them in a pack of three so they will last you a while.  (Just click on the  photo below to order.)