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Just
Ask June 2005 By Deb Hayes |
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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. |
Dear Readers, |
I accidentally ran across
Carol Duvall's wonderful
show while I was cleaning. On
February 10, 2005 she had two wonderful quests.
I ordered
the book on making the watercolor quilts but couldn't find the
information on
the tiles the second quest made. I would love to learn her
technique. Please let me know where to find the
information. I
enjoyed the show so much I hope to make it a regular part of my daily
routine. Sincerely, Beverly…I agree, Carol’s
show is great! I went to the HGTV website (http://www.hgtv.com), and this
link is
from that date: http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/dc_faux_other/article/0,1793,HGTV_3401_1389215,00.html It shows supplies and
directions for making the faux tiles,
although the paint used has apparently been discontinued.
I would suggest going to the manufacturer’s
website to find out what other paint might work as a substitute The HGTV website is great
for finding projects you might
have missed, or for information on other shows, too.
You can search by project name, date, or show name. Hope this helps, Deb I'm new to PC but I do
have one (I think critical) question
before I start. Is it ok to mix Fimo w/ Sculpey...? I can't
always
find all the colors I need in the same brand at the same time. I really enjoy the site. Thank you in advance for
your help with this. Warm regards, Well Cate, you are asking
a question that wears on the minds
of clayers all over. It appears that
blending two clays will cause the blended result to have properties of
each
clay. For example, Sculpey III is soft
and pretty brittle, but comes in some great new colors.
Premo! is stronger, so mixing the two would
result in a clay that is stronger than Sculpey, and a tad softer than
Premo! It is not recommended,
though, that you mix two types of unblended clays in canes. Reduction rates could differ drastically,
and you would pretty quickly end up with something you didn’t like, or
even
recognize. Otherwise, blend away! I want to begin
experimenting with
polymer clay, but am concerned about the fumes that the baking of the
clay
produces. I am not big on cleaning my oven on a more-than-regular basis! Is there anything I can
use to
cover the clay while it is baking so that the fumes don't attach
themselves to
my oven? Or is that just one of the
"joys" of working with polymer clay?? Stace Stace, the way I
see it, as long as you’re not burning the clay, or curing it while
baking
edibles, you should be fine. If you get
to the point where you are doing a ton of clay curing, it would be good
to
consider getting a separate oven to dedicate to polymer clay. A convection oven is good, but folks have
also had good results using countertop toaster ovens.
Maintaining the correct temperature for the curing
is the
important thing to consider. Another thing you can do
is “tent”
your project. Using two disposable (I
use mine over and over) aluminum pans, with one as a lid, will keep any
residue
from the oven walls. I use clothespins
to hold them together, and recommended curing temps are low enough not
to burn
them. So, fear not, and plunge
in! Welcome to our addiction! Hello, I have a serious problem
with my new Atlas pasta
machine. Every time I try to roll some polymer clay through it, I seem
to be
getting a lot machine oil and dirt out on my clay, which makes it
impossible to
use it on light colours. They all end up as this grey streaky,
dull pieces
of clay. I've tried to clean it by
putting clay through it
several times, but nothing seems to help. Is there any way of
getting rid of the dirt without
taking the machine apart. Please help, I'm becoming
desperate. Regards, Romina, I know your pain. When I first bought my atlas pasta machine, I
had
the same problem. Apparently though, in my
case it seems to
have been oil from the manufacturing process, and eventually it quit
leaking. A couple of things to
consider: don’t roll your clay on too thin
a setting at first. When the rollers are
forced to compress a
sheet that’s too thick, oil will leak out.
Then, if you find you have oil smears on a sheet of
clay you MUST
save, try wiping the grease off with a baby wipe or a paper towel
dampened with
alcohol. Some clay artists also
recommend alcohol baths for their
pasta machines Using a small basin (the
hospital sized plastic tubs are ideal) pour rubbing alcohol all through
the
machine, and then after it’s soaked for a while, turn it over and pour
the
alcohol over it again. Never use water,
since the machine parts will rust. Alcohol
will evaporate, and not require a ton of
drying. Here’s hoping your
problem was temporary! Deb
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