Video: Bamboo Skewer Polymer Clay Pen
This video goes along with my bamboo skewer polymer clay pen tutorial. The video is 6.5 minutes long, and it shows how to cover a bamboo skewer to make a polymer clay pen.
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June 13, 2007
June 12, 2007
Polymer Clay Pens: BBQ Style!
Okay, you've covered Bic and Papermate pens, and you've covered pen kits. What's next?
What if you could ignore that whole "oven-safe" thing & convert every pen in your house to polymer clay?
I came across this bamboo skewer pen idea on Glass Attic while I was getting ready to teach my guild's pen lesson. And while a (no-longer-there) pencil tutorial from the British Polymer Clay Guild was helpful in figuring out how to do it, I still had to do a little trial and error -- so I wanted to share my experiences here.
Materials
- Get a pen refill. No need to buy a refill -- any pen's innards will work.Ya know that dentist you stopped going to 8 months ago, but you still have his (non-oven-safe) pen sitting on your desk? Yeah, that's a good one to use.
- You also need a bamboo skewer -- the kind like you'd use for skewering veggies for the BBQ grill. I got mine at a local grocery store, 100 skewers for a buck.
- A metal eyelet (like the eyelets scrapbookers use)
- 1/4 package of polymer clay
- Corn starch, baby powder, vaseline OR another type of release agent
- Roll the clay into a ball.
Cut your bamboo skewer to the same length as the pen refill. I usually use my scissors to score the skewer, then break it at that point.
Cover the skewer with a release agent -- corn starch/baby powder or vaseline work well for me
Pierce the clay ball with the skewer, and move the ball til it's about in the middle (lengthwise) of the skewer.
Start rolling out the clay ball. If it separates from the skewer, firmly press it back in place. Continue rolling til it's the same length as the skewer.
Close off one end of the skewer.
Press the top/wide edge of the eyelet up against the other end of the clay to make an impression. This impression will help it hold when we glue it later.- Bake the pen on the skewer. (Metal eyelets can be baked in place.)
Let the pen cool for 5-10 minutes. You want the clay to still be warm and flexible, but not so hot that it burns your fingers. (An oven mitt may help.) Pop the eyelet off and set it aside. Now grasp the skewer with nylon-tipped pliers. While holding the skewer, pull and twist the polymer clay end til it comes off of the skewer. If it's giving you trouble, reheating the clay for a few minutes might help. If you absolutely can't get the skewer out, you can slit the side of the pen and use TLS or super glue to fix the slit.
Once the clay is cool, slide the pen refill into the clay sheath. Make sure a sufficient amount of the pen is sticking out so you can write with it -- but not so much that it looks funny or makes it difficult to write.
- If the refill is sticking out too far, most pen refills can be trimmed slightly with scissors. Just don't cut into the ink!
- If the barrel's too long for the refill, you may be able to use a craft knife to trim some clay off the tip edge of your pen.
Add super glue to the wide/top edge of the eyelet, then slide it over the pen tip so it adheres to the clay edge. If you use a light enough touch with the glue, you may be able to replace the refill later... but as easy as these are to make, it's not a big deal if you have to make another!
I think these pens are fun to make -- & adding the eyelet gives it a little touch of class. Granted, these pens are a little more flexible than your average pen, so that may take a bit of getting used to. But isn't that an acceptable trade-off for having a way to cover every last pen in your house with polymer clay? <g>
Enjoy!
June 11, 2007
June Polymer Clay Challenge: Inro / Rock Purses
Polymer Clay Central has announced their June 2007 Challenge theme: Inro / Rock Purses. Of course, the obvious question is... just what is an inro? Wikipedia has the answer.
Want to join in the challenge, but aren't sure where to start? Here's a few tutorials:
- Polymer Clay Polyzine has a tutorial on making rock boxes. The inner rim of this box is very nice.
- Polymeri Online links to various inro tutorials. I especially like the diagram that gives options for closing the inro.
- Glass Attic has a whole page on rock vessels.
And here's a few inspiration pieces to get you started:
- Joan Croyder shares the results of her rock purse swap
- Beady Eyed Brat has a rock purse gallery that goes along with her interactive rock purse tutorial
- Donnelly Arts has made some beautiful inro (starts about 2/3 of the way down)
Mail your entries in by June 15, 2007, for a chance to win one of three prizes. Good luck!
Thanks to our friends at Polka Dot Creations for sponsoring this month's challenge!
June 10, 2007
Video: Amazing Twist Pen Kit with Polymer Clay and Alcohol Inks
This video goes along with my pen kit tutorial. The video is 6.5 minutes long, and it shows how to cover the Amazing Twist Pen sold by Boston Clay Works. It also shows some alcohol ink basics.
June 7, 2007
Video: Mini Keychain Pen Kit with Polymer Clay and Gold Leaf
This video goes along with my pen kit tutorial. The video is 8 minutes long, and it shows how to cover the Mini Key Chain Kit sold by Penn State Industries. It also shows some basic gold leaf techniques.
Just a warning: I tried to keep the on-screen hammering to a minimum -- but don't turn your speakers up too loud!
June 3, 2007
How To Make Polymer Clay Pens Using Pen Kits
We've "covered" the basics of pen-covering... now let's take it to the next level.
Pen making kits are more expensive and involve a little more work than your more basic pens, but the nicer results may make it worthwhile. Traditionally used in wood-turning, these kits basically consist of hollow tubes that you cover then assemble. There are several places online to buy these, with a wide variety of pen types available. While you can buy a pen assembly press for around $40 to assemble these, you can usually hammer them together with a rubber mallet and a little patience. (Upper-body strength doesn't hurt either!)
Of course, if you're interested in that slightly nicer, cross pen-style look -- but not interested in all the work -- you might like the Amazing Twist Pen. These are still harder to assemble than a Papermate -- but they're much easier than pounding with a rubber mallet. And while there's just the one style, they do look really classy.
So here's how to do it:
Buy the pen. As far as I know, there's no major craft stores that carry these pens, so it may require an internet order. The pens will come individually wrapped in little plastic baggies -- and if you're anything like me, you may be a tad intimidated the first time you see one. At this point, they really don't look much like pens at all. Don't worry, though. The other thing they should come with is assembly instructions -- and as long as you have those (and this tutorial!), you'll be fine! <g>
There should be two hollow barrels for you to cover. Depending on the brand, they may be exactly the same length, or one may be slightly longer than the other. If it's important for your design that the "top" barrel be on top, be sure to check the instructions & verify the lengths first.
Cover each barrel with clay. This part is similar to what we did in the Basic Instructions. One difference is that the thickness of the clay sheet is more important here -- I think the pen kits look better if the covered barrels are the same thickness as (or a little thinner than) the pen findings. I used the fourth thickest setting on my Atlas pasta machine for the Amazing Twist Pen, and the fifth thickest setting for the Mini Keychain Pen. You'll have to eyeball it & see what works for you.- Bake & cool.
- Be sure to do all your sanding, glazing, or other finishing before assembly.
So far, so good. But assembling these things is the tricky part. I'm going to go through the assembly steps for two pen types: the Mini Key Chain Kit from Penn State Industries, and the Amazing Twist Pen from Boston Clay Works. You can refer to the parts diagram for terms used in the assembly instructions (note that I've used the terms barrel & tube interchangeably).
Mini Key Chain Kit
Press the pen tip into one end of one of your hollow tubes. You may need your rubber mallet for this.
Use your rubber mallet to tap the pen mechanism, brass end first, into the other end of the same tube. While the instructions say to go to the indention in the silver section, I've found it's best to go just past that.
Slide the decorative pen ring over the pen mechanism til it touches the front tube.
Press the cap into the other tube. Thread the key ring through the hole in the end of the cap.
Screw the pen refill into the front tube.
Push the two halves of the pen together.
Amazing Twist Pen
The first step is to slide the pen clip onto the top cap piece.
Now twist the pen clip & cap piece into the threaded end of the top tube. You can tell which tube is the top tube one of two ways -- the top tube is longer than the other tube, and it's also the tube that only has one threaded end.
Screw the pen tip into one end of the the bottom tube. 
Screw the twist mechanism into the other end of the bottom tube.
Slide the decorative band onto the twist mechanism.
Screw the pen refill into the top of the twist mechanism.
Push the two halves of the pen together.
While specific instructions will vary by brand and style, these instructions should give you the general concept. Pen kits really aren't that complicated, and they can become beautiful pens -- so I hope this tutorial will help you feel a little more confident the next time you see a baggie full of pen parts!
A Couple of Charitable Opportunities
Just wanted to pass along information about a couple of charitable opportunities going on right now. I hope you'll participate if you're able!
Bottles of Hope On-Line Auction: Some of the top Bottles of Hope from last year's challenge are being made available through this online auction. All proceeds go to Hasbro Children's Hospital. This is a wonderful opportunity to purchase beautiful polymer clay work from well-known artists (such as Dotty McMillan & Lisa Pavelka) -- while also helping a great cause. Auction ends June 20.
Swap A Goat: With a name like Swap A Goat, you know I couldn't pass this one up. This Swap-bot swap encourages swappers to donate to a charity -- "buying" a goat or a chicken (or some portion there-of) to send to a part of the world that needs it. Here's info on how to participate from the swap listing:
- Choose a charity you want to support.
- Choose a gift you can afford. This is not a competition to show how much spare change you have though - the smallest gift is all that is required and will be a very generous thing to do for someone.
- Nominate your swap-bot partner to receive the gift.
If you don't already have a charity in mind, I would recommend Heifer International. (My husband & I met on a college trip to Heifer -- so it's a sentimental favorite!). Their gift catalog shows available options (or click Express Giving for a complete list) -- with giving levels including a share of a goat ($10), a flock of chicks ($20), honeybees ($30), goat ($120), and more. Sign up by June 8.
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About this Site
CraftyGoat's Notes is all about sharing polymer clay tips & tricks that have worked for me. (And even a few that haven't!)
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