Dear Readers,

Welcome to Just Ask. I am here to answer your questions…if I don’t know the answer, I will research it with our team of experts and give you THEIR answers. Email me at: Deb@pcPolyzine.com.

Hi Deb,

Thanks so much for your input to my bizarre problem. I have been closing the crimp beads both ways, using either both parts of the crimping pliers or flat-nosed pliers. I think using a drop of cyanoacrylate glue is the best idea yet and that is what I will do. This sounds to me like a surefire solution, I am forever grateful to you :-)

Best regards,

Aud

Hi, Aud,

 You are very welcome. I am not a very experienced beader, but as promised, I asked everyone I knew who *is*, and that was the consensus. Thanks so much for letting us know we have helped, in whatever small, insignificant, oh never mind!

Hi Deb,

I’ve been looking into buying some Mica/Pearl Powders and came across the term “interference color”. Can’t find out why this is different from the other mica/pearl powders. Exactly what does interference mean and how is it used?

Thanks,
Phyllis Freeman
 

Thanks for asking, Phyllis!

 Simply put, interference colors look different, depending on the viewing angle. Held one way, it might look green, but in another angle, it looks red, green, or whatever other color is in the name.

 You can use the interference colors just as you would the other micas and pearls, but playing around with the color combinations is more fun!

Enjoy,
Deb

Hi Deb!

 I am new to the world of polymer clay and am very enthusiastic about this medium. I was wondering if there was a way to make liquid polymer clay at home, whether by adding polymer clay to the Sculpey softener or by combining other things. Please let me know, thanks!

Sincerely,
Mona

Mona—Been there, done that, and it didn’t work. You *can* thin a thick liquid clay, to make it more useable, but adding too much softener weakened my project, and the resulting clay didn’t perform as I expected it to. It didn’t hold together worth at all, either.

If you had the proper chemicals, proper equipment, and knowledge of chemistry, I suppose you could make it at home, but as the wife of a chemist, I can tell you that buying the clay ready-to-use is an easier and much safer alternative.

Thanks for asking though. I, too, am a do-it-yourselfer, but this is one project I won’t do myself.

Deb

Hi Deb,

You do such a great job answering questions I decided  to come to you with this one. I have received some chalk as a gift. I think I could  use it with clay, but how?  Do you have any suggestions?  I hate having new stuff and not being able to use it.
Thanks,
Hermine
 

Thanks, Hermine, for the compliment.  I don’t know it all, for sure, but Man, oh Man, do I have contacts!  I have one word for you- Glassattic.  You can find it at www.glassattic.com, where Diane Black has compiled over a thousand pages of polymer clay information.  Following directions at the site, you can do a search for chalk, and go from there.

Here is another link to get you started:  http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/cr_clay_pottery/article/0,,HGTV_3240_1397231,00.html

If you enjoy doing miniatures, coloring small fruit with chalk is a good way to get a softer, more natural color, too. 

I hope these ideas have given you a bit of a jump-start.  Please remember, we would *love* to see what you’ve done!