The Future is Clear!

Happy new years everyone!  I have something exciting I recently discovered that I realized I had not shared here yet so figured now is a good time.

I see so many asking the question "what sealer works best on polymer clay?"  But does polymer clay really require "sealing"?  My answer:  "No it does not".  A lot of my creations have no "sealing agent or glaze" and even years later they still look good as new.  If I want a high shine, I prefer to sand and then buff with my Dremel tool.  I especially love how it feels when I touch it with my hands.  You can read more info on this if you click on the tab at the top of this blog "Polymer Clay Tips".  Here is a video of my past hubby/claymate buffing a piece with the Dremel tool.  I have the buffing pads I make myself listed in my online store here.  (right now on sale until the end of the month).

I also create pieces that I cannot sand or buff and DO require a sealing agent or glaze.  This is when I add coloring agents to the outside of my piece such as mica powders, inks or pan pastels as in the textured tube beads shown in the photo below -- my tutorial for this is here.  If the coloring materials are not sealed, they can eventually wear off over time.

Textured Tube Beads

To Glaze or Not to Glaze . . .

I wrote a blog post quite a few years ago on glazing your work (in 2010) and realized it needed an update.  So many products are constantly changing and have even been discontinued over the years.  It seems I just find a product I like and then it suddenly isn't available any more!  I am constantly in search of a better product -- not just something better to work with but that gives excellent results and is also safer for the environment.

One of the products I have been using for many years to seal my work (that has coloring agents which require sealing) is, believe it or not, "Future Acrylic Floor Finish".  I know many who have been working with polymer clay over the years are aware of this trade "secret".  Some, like myself, still use it today.  Many "newbies" are not aware of it, or when they see a photo or a reference to it, they are confused.  This is a product that was introduced into the market as far back as in the 1960's.  The bottle pictured above is of the original vintage bottle.  Over the years, the label had changed many times and was later purchased by Johnson & Johnson, thus eventually becoming "Pledge with Future" and then lastly, "Pledge Revive".

So now, Johnson & Johnson discontinued their latest product and sadly, is no longer available.

Or is it?????

Well, introducing . . . . drum roll . . . .   Quick Shine!

It is by a different company but very much the same as the original "Future Floor Finish".  I have been testing it out to see how it compares and so far, it is pretty darn close --- other than the smell.  I really didn't mind the smell of the original Future (had somewhat of a fruity odor) but this one is not as strong and slightly different, yet not objectionable -- at least not to me.

I should mention I also like to use the other glazes made for polymer clay such as the Cernit brand -- which comes in a matte finish besides glossy.  I find they are far better to use than a typical varathane.  But when working with mica powders, I still prefer to use the acrylic floor finish (now Quick Shine) for the following reasons:  

# 1 - Safer for the environment and our health!  Just compare the labels.  Quick Shine has the "Safer Choice" seal and all you have to do is look at those danger warning signs on the Varathane.

# 2 - Quick Shine has just as hard a finish as the varathane, and maybe even tougher.  After all, it is made to be used on floors which can take quite a beating.

# 3 - Cleans up easy off your hands, etc. with soap and water.

# 4 - Cost!  Quick Shine is by far way cheaper than the varathane plus the bottle size is larger as well and keeps for a very long time.

So where can you get it?  I bought mine in a hardware store in the floor care section.  You can google it to find what stores sell it in your area.  I did see it on Amazon but at double the price but if you cannot find it elsewhere, then that can always be a back-up plan.

And here are a few quick tips for working with the Quick Shine (or Future if you still have some hanging around like I do):

• Pour some Quick Shine into a small clean jar (not too much as you can top it up as needed).  This way when you are done you can tightly seal the jar to use next time.  Over time, the Quick shine can start to thicken.  If it does (reason for not too much at a time in your jar), take some paper towel to sop it up and wipe the jar out.  Discard the paper towel in the garbage and add some fresh product into your jar.

• When applying it to your piece, use a dry, soft, clean, brush.  Apply a thin, light coat to your piece.  Allow to dry and then apply a second or third coat if necessary.  It is better to do several thin coats than one thick one to prevent streaking, etc.  It will also make the finish more durable. Wash your brush out with soap and water before it dries and hardens.

• After your pieces have dried, they can be "heat-set" by baking again but this time at a much lower temperature (200 F or 100 C) for 15-20 minutes.  Also be sure to place the pieces in a pan that has a cover or tightly cover with tin foil to prevent any fumes from escaping (just in case).

So lastly, if you prefer, you can always use other glazes that are created just for polymer clay such as Sculpey or Cernit.  I quite like the Cernit glaze and like how it also comes in a matte finish besides glossy.  These both also recommend "heat-setting" which makes them more durable.  I haven't used them for sealing mica powders as of yet but have another special use which I will share with you in another post later sometime.

New Beads - Double-sided Textured and Pearl Rondelles

I've created some new beads using my double-sided bead technique which are now listed in both our ArtFire Studio and Etsy Shop.  If you want to learn how to make these fun type of beads, we have a tutorial available that will teach you how.  They are a lot of fun to make and the designs are endless.

These are our Funky Swirl Beads in a choice of five yummy colors.   The fun stretch bracelet shown is in the Purple Orchid (Pantone fall 2010 color) beads and include some of our new larger-size 10 mm rondelle spacers in the same matching color.

  

Another new series listed are the Vintage Rose in both dark and light tones.

And here are some fun jewelry pieces created with them:

  

  

The rondelles on the bracelet and necklace are part of our new pearl collection.  I have been working on perfecting our rondelle spacers and these ones have mica powders applied that match the textured beads. The luster on them is extremely deep and rich looking and they come out super smooth.

These three colors were the first ones I created and now I'm on to experimenting with more. 

Basket Weave Texture

Ever since I discovered how you could create your own moulds and textures from clay, I've been on the lookout for any interesting object to use in this way.  Some time ago I purchased this toothbrush holder at a dollar store to hold some of my clay tools on my work table.  What really caught my eye was the cool woven texture on the sides.  It had been sitting on my clay table and I finally put it to use yesterday and made a texture sheet from it.  When I make texture sheets I like to use the Sculpey Bake & Bend.  If you make it as thin as possible where you still can get a good impression, it can hopefully fit through your pasta machine afterwards since it is very flexible.

I was wondering if this texture would work for the textured tube beads and couldn't wait to try it out.

They came out not too bad.  I created some with mica powders and the others I antiqued with burnt umber paint.  I wanted to see which effect turned out the best.  I think I like them both since they have two totally different looks.

For more ideas like these you can check out my tutorial, Textured Tubes & More...

Textured Tubes & More Tutorial Now Available

I've had many requests on how to make our textured tube beads and pens and we now have a tutorial available for sale on ArtFire and in our Etsy shop.

In this tutorial you will learn to make tube beads with rich textures that are totally seamless!  I will also show you how to make larger focal beads (including the end caps) as well as covering pens and other tube shaped objects with this same technique.  The nice thing is that there is no sanding involved yet your pieces will have a silky smooth finish.

I've included a color guide and tips for using mica powders as well as texture ideas to use for your new creations.  As a bonus, I have added a color recipe sheet where I share with you how I achieve some of my favorite designs.

This tutorial consists of 18 pages broken down into 49 steps and includes more than 50 photos for easy and clear instruction.

This tutorial is also be available at Clay Lessons.

New Textured Beads for Sale

I just listed some new beads in our Etsy shop and Art Fire Studio.  These are also available individually in our Art Fire Studio as well in case you don't want a set of 6.   These have a deep leaf texture on them and they are identical on both sides.  These beads were created using the same technique as in my Double-sided Textured Bead Tutorial I have available for sale.

They are available in the colors of golden olive, olive and copper patina, golden moss, emerald green and antique copper.  The bead shown below is in the olive and copper patina mix which is my favorite.

Some pens for autographing....

I finished covering some new pens the other day.  They are a twist style pen that I ordered from Boston Craftworks where they go together quite easily without the need for a pen press or other such tools.

I love covering pens and these were not only fun to clay with but feel really good when they are put together and have a nice weight to them.  The first set below I used the same "seamless" method I use to make my textured tube beads and my fan/light pulls.  I discovered it works great for covering pens as well!  I'm writing a tutorial for this and should be published in a few weeks.

There has been a lot of talk on the net lately about covering pens.  Surfingcat did some experiments with different pens that are good and not so good with claying and melt when heated.  Then Angela from Crafty Goat created an interesting blog post on the top four pens she discovered are oven safe.  I really like the Bic retractable one and think I might try some of those next for a more affordable and practical type pen to sell to replace the typical stick ones.

Something fishy

I've been extremely busy this last week getting ready for our two big shows for the summer.  With father's day around the corner we've been working on some new items for men.  With so many lakes in our area, fishing is a huge sport and so I've been creating pieces with a fish theme.  I found an interesting bead and created a mould from it to make my own pins and pendants.

We've also created a series of textured tube beads to make beaded necklaces and bracelets.  Of course a lot of these beads are great for women as well.  They are a lot of fun to make and I'm working on a tutorial for these that will be published shortly.

Summer Magic

This is another piece I entered into the Shuswap Lake Festival of the Arts which I titled Summer Magic.  I've made several kite bead necklaces before.  You can see them here.  This time however, I decided to have some real fun and play with this one by making them into an actual kite.

I had an original plan for the design but some of the ideas for the individual pieces changed as I worked on them.  I was planning on creating some skinner blend mica shift ones like in a necklace I made a year ago.  I liked how the texture came out on these however and so decided to leave them in this form and highlight the areas with some gold mica powders instead.  I textured and highlighted my tube beads in the same way and added them to the other half of the necklace for a different look rather than have the kite beads go all the way around.  The gold heishi beads and colored crystals add some sparkle and an overall finished look to the piece.

Making my pendant turned out to be the bigger challenge.  I wanted the piece to be wearable and not too heavy.  To get the shape I wanted, I hand-formed my kite shaped mold first.  I then pieced my colored clays to fit over the mold so after firing it would be hollow.  I then used some sculpey light as a filler which really made a difference in the overall weight of the pendant itself.  

I handformed the clasp myself out of gold filled wire and clay and again buried all of the double strands of flex wire and the connectors inside the beads so they don't show or detract from the whole design.