Polymer Clay - Covered Box

Well as we are snowed in, I thought I would spend my time productively over the weekend - and decided to follow a video and instructions I found on the official Polymer Clay website here

I rely to a great extent on written instructions as I can't hear the videos - but they are good to watch.

List of supplies needed: (From their site)
Clays:Premo! Accents: Antique Gold - 2 oz-- 2 blocks

Premo! Sculpey®: Black - 2 oz - I didn't need this much as I wasn't going to do the extras'

Additional Supplies:

Large Texture stamp - I improvised

White Craft glue

old foam brush

(Note that there was no mention of the box)

It took me ages, but I spent a happy Saturday afternoon and evening working on the box.  It was a bit fiddly - but I was really proud when I had finally covered the box.

Firstly I painted the box and lid inside and around the outside which was under the lid - then followed the instructions to the letter.  

 For the design on the lid I used an old crocheted napkin, which I thought worked really well.

For the side of the lid and box I used a whirl style stamp and stamped all along the strips of polymer clay before attaching

As you will see from the instructions on the link above.  I used the glue specified to stick the Premo Sculpey to the sides, and top, and underneath the bottom and trimmed it all to fit.

Following the instructions, I left the box overnight - to allow the glue to dry to avoid any air pockets.
Then yesterday, I put it in my halogen table top oven with other pieces of clay to bake.  I was feeling really proud of myself for making a good job of it and so looking forward to the next stage that would finish it off and make it look really professional, with silver rub and buff to accentuate the raised patterns.

So it was with great excitment when I went to unload the oven. 

 

DISASTER 

I used a box which looked identical to theirs - but mine was made out of wood - and the baking has melted the glue!  I spent almost four hours trying to glue all the pieces back together.  I tried E6000 which sticks absolutely everything - but not the base.   I tried and tried and tried and used small bulldog clips to keep it together, pegs - and just pressing it for ages with my fingers  - and it just sprung back open.  I tried super glue - as you can see from the photo below where it is shiny, the super glue just kinda poured out and wouldn't stick - but it did stick everything else my fingers came in touch with.

If you look carefully you can see where the lid is peeling away and it just won't stay stuck!   The pictures above are taken after I took the box and lid out of the oven - didn't I do a good job with the deeply embossed patterns.

When you are a beginner, and products are not listed correctly in a tutorial how are you supposed to know that you can't use a wooden box in a cooker - mine looked identical to the one in the video!  

I have spent quite a while today doing some research and found out that you need to use paper mache objects if they are to be covered with polymer clay that needs baking.  It's perfectly safe to put polymer clay onto typing paper, cardboard, mount board etc in the oven,  as the temperatures are so low that it doesn't affect them.  So it didn't occur to me that a wooden box would be affected - it wasn't it was the glue!

I sent a nice polite email to the Polyform Products Company to the address on their website, explaining my predicament and asking if they would please be sure to put the actual products used in the list and explain why.  

As a beginner we really don't know these things - its what they don't tell you that causes the angst!

All that wasted clay, and time and effort.  And it was my best bit of work to date! And no - I haven't heard back from the website or company.

A chunkier charm bracelet style - with chunky polymer clay beads

 These beads are from the same batch I made - but are bigger and chunkier.

So they make a big statement on a big chunky silver chain.

 

I think that I like this one.  It really is chunky and the beads 'fall' perfectly, and it's so light.

When the sun shines on it, it really twinkles and glows with the glitter I put in the blue rock beads and it will go with so many summery dresses.   I have to wear gloves whenever I go out - so this will be perfect over them.

I really ought to concentrate on some swaps I am entered for - using fabric.

Lentil and rock beads bracelet.

 When I saw on Crafty Cardmakers  that the challenge was  'beads' anything with beads on it or something make with beads  - I decided to make some out of polymer clay and enter them into the challenge.

This is one of the two bracelets that I am making from the polymer clay beads I made the other day.   I sanded and buffed them until my fingers were sore and still couldn't get them as shiny as those I see in books and on the internet.  Maybe they have a better way of photographing them than I do.

So I painstakingly gave every bead two coats of varnish - and they really shine in 'real life' now.

I reshaped the blue beads into 'rock' beads,  and you can really see the glitter that I added inside them.

 Any marks or 'dimples' are not marks - it is just that the beads are really shiny and the light is reflecting off them

I knew it would happen - when I now look at the first set of beads I made, they don't look half as nice as these.  Maybe it's that these are a darker colour and varnished and look so much richer.  The others were summer colours

Altered Domino

Well at last I have made time to make an altered domino for a forum swap on Cardmaking Paradise.

 

I had made several previous attempts at stamping and colouring, using Stazon to stamp on an image, and Copics to colour it.  Unfortunately the Copics ended up with black nibs and so I messed up a few.

 

So I tried collage instead

Polymer clay play - Sliced pendants

Thank you for all your lovely and encouraging comments - and I have taken on board  your questions and will answer them in due course - during a post.  The beads are still a 'work in progress' so I have been experimenting - out of my depth as usual - but it's surprising how much you learn what 'not' to do during the process.

I guess the first 'rule' is not to jump too far ahead of yourself - but being an oldie I don't stick to rules any more - life's too short!  The things I am trying are projects that have been created by artists who have been working with polymer clay for over 20/25 years, and I am attempting them after a few weeks!

So, as requested - these are the before photos - before they are sanded and buffed etc The 'after photos' will probably be on Tuesday as I don't get much time on a Monday as I am out.

 

I layered up some different coloured polymer clays which were metallic.  

The next step was to poke holes in the layers, and then cut them out.

 

This is where the fun and the mystique starts!

Clay 'in the raw' above

 

And this is how they turned out after firing.

They go so much darker.

I am making pendants out of the clay, so cutting them out randomly.

This one reminds me of a pair of 'Flower Power' trousers. Mensm side ways on!
See how dull and 'flat' the colours are gone, and the rough edges along the sides - that's why you have to do all the sanding and buffing

Sanding and buffing, sanding and buffing, sanding and buffing, sanding and buffing.

I know it's tiresome reading that, but imagine how tiresome it is to be actually doing it 6 times!

 

This I made out of leftovers - and I think I like it best of all!

Once I have sanded off all the rough edges, and then do the sand/buff treatment, I think it will come up a treat.

More experimental beads.

I have been making some moulds 'behind the scenes' which I won't be using for a while, so thought I would post you my latest work in progress.

Last night I thought I would have a go at the  'Skinner Method' but went wrong somewhere - I think I wasn't using enough polymer - just using up leftovers.  Waste not want not is my motto!

 

I used two shades of pink and fuschia and a tad bit of metallic blue

 

Everyone is different - absolutely no two beads the same

 

It'll be interesting to see what they look like after baking

 

These beads a teeny weeny ones.

 

This is blue clay - and I mixed blue glitter into to it - lots of it.

When I went to make the holes last night, the beads were just too tiny to make a hole big enough to thread onto wire or beading 'tiger tail' so I had to redo them this morning into rounder beads.

Off to get them out of the oven!

Well they all baked up fine - so my next job is to sandpaper them all.

It's not my favourite job, and takes a long time !

Monsieur Moth - update

Thank you for all  your wonderful comments and suggestions on how to fix a 'hangy' thing to turn my moth into a pendant.

I didn't drill it - too scary.

But whilst searching for some charms to create moulds out of  (the shop only had teeny weeny ones)  I did spot a teen weeny charm that I thought would be ideal for a fixing - so here it is!

The light is not doing the back any favours - as it's showing a close up of every little thing.  When making something as complicated as this - and with several 'firings' you just can't get the back totally smooth - there are too many elements - and even if it looks smooth when you bake it - it never stays that way.  The solution is to sandpaper it - but as this was fragile and with so many curves, I have just left it.

I might give it another coat of paint at the back - but realistically no one will see the back!