? about finishing Polymer Clay pieces

To all you PC artists:
I received these questions today about my husband's beads/pendants:
"A question regarding the finishing of the polymer clay beads if you will:
just how are they finished?
Are they sanded with various grades of sandpaper?
By hand? On a wheel?
Are they sealed/finished with an acrylic sealer?
These are important questions for many of us who use and make polymer
beads...helps me decide in what manner I can use the bead."

My question to you is: what difference does it make? Isn't polymer clay
permanent after it is baked, no matter how it is finished? Why would a
certain type of finish be desired for a particular use, other than just a
preference for shiny, matte, textured, smooth, etc.?

Should I be specific about what was done to a particular bead or pendant -
assuming that the bead is properly baked - is that something a buyer needs
to know?

TIA
--
Karleen Page/Vibrant Jewels
http://www.vibrantjewels.com/jewelry/welcome.htm
JustBead Auctions
http://www.justbeads.com/search/ql.cfm?s=21770
PayPal Merchant Account
https://www.paypal.com/mrb/pal=7XJ98L86Z7S2C

Hi Karleen.

Obviously it's important to the person asking, and there could be many
reasons they ask.

Maybe they know a finish but sometimes pictures can be tricky on the
computer. A glossy finish from sanding through numerous grits and then
buffing doesn't stay shiny as long as one glossed with acrylic, if you ask
me.

Maybe they want to know how it's done for perceived value in their eyes.
(That is, how much work they feel went into the piece).

Maybe they want to know so they can do it that way too.

Maybe they've been unhappy before with a piece and are trying to make sure
this time.

I could think of a LOT of reasons why one would want to know. So I guess I
would say it matters, but maybe not as much to everyone. I've found with
auctions that you should be as specific as you can to avoid confusion later.

When I was selling polymer I did indicate the finish...if it was glossy from
sanding and buffing, I would say that or something like, a natural sheen
from sanding and buffing. If it was sealed with acrylic I would say that
too because they're two different kinds of glossy and some people don't like
the acrylic look.

Just my thoughts on it all.

--
Lori Greenberg
http://www.beadnerd.com

ebay auctions:
http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...origre enberg

"Karleen/Vibrant Jewels" wrote in message
hlink.net...
To all you PC artists:
I received these questions today about my husband's beads/pendants:
"A question regarding the finishing of the polymer clay beads if you will:
just how are they finished?
Are they sanded with various grades of sandpaper?
By hand? On a wheel?
Are they sealed/finished with an acrylic sealer?
These are important questions for many of us who use and make polymer
beads...helps me decide in what manner I can use the bead."

My question to you is: what difference does it make? Isn't polymer clay
permanent after it is baked, no matter how it is finished? Why would a
certain type of finish be desired for a particular use, other than just a
preference for shiny, matte, textured, smooth, etc.?

Should I be specific about what was done to a particular bead or pendant -
assuming that the bead is properly baked - is that something a buyer needs
to know?

TIA
--
Karleen Page/Vibrant Jewels
http://www.vibrantjewels.com/jewelry/welcome.htm
JustBead Auctions
http://www.justbeads.com/search/ql.cfm?s=21770
PayPal Merchant Account
https://www.paypal.com/mrb/pal=7XJ98L86Z7S2C

I haven't heard from any of you Polymer artists as yet... do you think it
makes any difference how a piece is finished? I was thinking that going into
obtuse detail about finishing is like telling how many times you hammered
and pickled a piece of silver - too much information!
--
Karleen Page/Vibrant Jewels
http://www.vibrantjewels.com/jewelry/welcome.htm
JustBead Auctions
http://www.justbeads.com/search/ql.cfm?s=21770
PayPal Merchant Account
https://www.paypal.com/mrb/pal=7XJ98L86Z7S2C
"Karleen/Vibrant Jewels" wrote in message
hlink.net...
To all you PC artists:
I received these questions today about my husband's beads/pendants:
"A question regarding the finishing of the polymer clay beads if you will:
just how are they finished?
Are they sanded with various grades of sandpaper?
By hand? On a wheel?
Are they sealed/finished with an acrylic sealer?
These are important questions for many of us who use and make polymer
beads...helps me decide in what manner I can use the bead."

My question to you is: what difference does it make? Isn't polymer clay
permanent after it is baked, no matter how it is finished? Why would a
certain type of finish be desired for a particular use, other than just a
preference for shiny, matte, textured, smooth, etc.?

Should I be specific about what was done to a particular bead or pendant -
assuming that the bead is properly baked - is that something a buyer needs
to know?

TIA
--
Karleen Page/Vibrant Jewels
http://www.vibrantjewels.com/jewelry/welcome.htm
JustBead Auctions
http://www.justbeads.com/search/ql.cfm?s=21770
PayPal Merchant Account
https://www.paypal.com/mrb/pal=7XJ98L86Z7S2C

"Karleen/Vibrant Jewels" wrote in message thlink.net...

My question to you is: what difference does it make? Isn't polymer clay
permanent after it is baked, no matter how it is finished? Why would a
certain type of finish be desired for a particular use, other than just a
preference for shiny, matte, textured, smooth, etc.?

Some finishes will wear off after a period of time. Some finishes
would wear off if they weren't baked into the clay. Some will even
ruin the clay over time. Some people use dry pigments on the surface.
Even after baking a lot of that will rub off.

Sometimes people paint varnish or paint over their clay without
actually sanding off that "skin" that forms on the clay after baking.
That's fine for some things, but it makes it harder for the paint to
stick well unless it's baked again (again, I'm talking about high
durability, lots of handling).

And sanding isn't just for shine, it's also for reshaping and fixing
errors. If I knew that a polymer piece was shiny because someone had
put Future Floor Wax on it or whatever, I probably wouldn't want to
use it for jewelry. Now, the same stuff put inside a vase or bowl
where it was too difficult to sand, that would be fine and would
probably last a long time.

But mainly, the fine shine produced by sanding and buffing is
permanent -- it won't go away.

Should I be specific about what was done to a particular bead or pendant -
assuming that the bead is properly baked - is that something a buyer needs
to know?

I don't think we need to overwhelm the buyer who is looking for
pretties. However, if somebody has a question I'll usually answer it
because nothing I'm doing is at all revolutionary or a trade secret.
;-) It sounds like your questioner knew a lot about working with
polymer clay. Not everyone cares, I dont' think, lol.

Mary T. 8-)

Aunt Molly's Bead Street
http://www.flash.net/~mjtafoya/
eBay and JustBeads: seriousbeader

Thanks Mary! What you said makes sense. What specific finishes wear off? I
don't think my hubby would ever put floor wax on his beads! But I could see
how someone might worry about that!
"Mary Tafoya" wrote in message
m...
"Karleen/Vibrant Jewels" wrote in message
thlink.net...

My question to you is: what difference does it make? Isn't polymer clay
permanent after it is baked, no matter how it is finished? Why would a
certain type of finish be desired for a particular use, other than just
a
preference for shiny, matte, textured, smooth, etc.?

Some finishes will wear off after a period of time. Some finishes
would wear off if they weren't baked into the clay. Some will even
ruin the clay over time. Some people use dry pigments on the surface.
Even after baking a lot of that will rub off.

Sometimes people paint varnish or paint over their clay without
actually sanding off that "skin" that forms on the clay after baking.
That's fine for some things, but it makes it harder for the paint to
stick well unless it's baked again (again, I'm talking about high
durability, lots of handling).

And sanding isn't just for shine, it's also for reshaping and fixing
errors. If I knew that a polymer piece was shiny because someone had
put Future Floor Wax on it or whatever, I probably wouldn't want to
use it for jewelry. Now, the same stuff put inside a vase or bowl
where it was too difficult to sand, that would be fine and would
probably last a long time.

But mainly, the fine shine produced by sanding and buffing is
permanent -- it won't go away.

Should I be specific about what was done to a particular bead or
pendant -
assuming that the bead is properly baked - is that something a buyer
needs
to know?

I don't think we need to overwhelm the buyer who is looking for
pretties. However, if somebody has a question I'll usually answer it
because nothing I'm doing is at all revolutionary or a trade secret.
;-) It sounds like your questioner knew a lot about working with
polymer clay. Not everyone cares, I dont' think, lol.

Mary T. 8-)

Aunt Molly's Bead Street
http://www.flash.net/~mjtafoya/
eBay and JustBeads: seriousbeader

Hi there everybody! I'm back home and this question caught my eye, of course.

Sanding and buffing give a great finish. There's tricks to it--you go through
the various grits of sandpaper fairly quickly and up to the 1000-2000 levels.
These are done under water--a drop of Dawn detergent makes it much easier and
faster. There are packages of the multiple grits sold at Polymer Clay Central
along with excellent sanding tips by Leigh Ross.
http://www.polymerclaycentral.com

Of the applied finishes, my favorite is Flecto Varathane. See my page for more
info on it-- http://www.polyclay.com/flecto.htm

I use it for a very glassy shine, but also as a carrier agent--it makes up into
a great stain for antiquing and also to seal on things like gold leaf or mica
powders, which will otherwise come off. Flecto Varathane actually goes INTO and
bonds with the PC, other gloss finishes like Future, Sculpey Glaze and
Fimolaquer do not. These other products wear off/rub off very quickly, Flecto'd
beads that I wear are still glossy after ten years of heavy wearing at outdoor
shows, etc.
Sarajane

Sarajane's Polymer Clay Gallery
http://www.polyclay.com

view my auctions at:
http://www.polyclay.com/Collage/auction.htm

Thank you SaraJane! I'll forward this info to my hubby.
--
Karleen Page/Vibrant Jewels
http://www.vibrantjewels.com/jewelry/welcome.htm
JustBead Auctions
http://www.justbeads.com/search/ql.cfm?s=21770
PayPal Merchant Account
https://www.paypal.com/mrb/pal=7XJ98L86Z7S2C
"Sjpolyclay" wrote in message
...
Hi there everybody! I'm back home and this question caught my eye, of
course.

Sanding and buffing give a great finish. There's tricks to it--you go
through
the various grits of sandpaper fairly quickly and up to the 1000-2000
levels.
These are done under water--a drop of Dawn detergent makes it much easier
and
faster. There are packages of the multiple grits sold at Polymer Clay
Central
along with excellent sanding tips by Leigh Ross.
http://www.polymerclaycentral.com

Of the applied finishes, my favorite is Flecto Varathane. See my page for
more
info on it-- http://www.polyclay.com/flecto.htm

I use it for a very glassy shine, but also as a carrier agent--it makes up
into
a great stain for antiquing and also to seal on things like gold leaf or
mica
powders, which will otherwise come off. Flecto Varathane actually goes
INTO and
bonds with the PC, other gloss finishes like Future, Sculpey Glaze and
Fimolaquer do not. These other products wear off/rub off very quickly,
Flecto'd
beads that I wear are still glossy after ten years of heavy wearing at
outdoor
shows, etc.
Sarajane

Sarajane's Polymer Clay Gallery
http://www.polyclay.com

view my auctions at:
http://www.polyclay.com/Collage/auction.htm

This is designed as a wood finish/sealer, no? I think I have seen it
in the home improvement store among products with that purpose.

Do you have any experience using it as a sealer for anything other
than polyclay? For example, I have an experimental batch of
printer-sheets designed to create waterslide decals. I thought I would
experiment using them in the microscope slide pendants folks have been
trying out. If you are using an inkjet printer, the instructions call
for a sealer to be applied to the finished decals before immersing
them and adhering them to their destination surfaces.

Does Flecto come as a spray as well as a brush-on liquid?

Deirdre

On 21 Sep 2003 16:45:08 GMT, atspam (Sjpolyclay)
wrote:

These other products wear off/rub off very quickly, Flecto'd
beads that I wear are still glossy after ten years of heavy wearing at outdoor
shows, etc.

Does Flecto come as a spray as well as a brush-on liquid?


Deirdre, it is indeed a wood floor finish, and comes in water based, oil based,
and an aerosol spray. For polymer clay purposes, the waterbased is the ONLY one
to use. The aerosol propellants and the mineral esters in the oil based make it
so that it is NOT chemically compatable with the clay.

I have used the waterbased Flecto Varathane on polymer clay, wood, paper and
fabric, and its great on all of them. There's more info about it on my web page
that I put together; hit the "Flecto" button on my site.
Sarajane

Sarajane's Polymer Clay Gallery
http://www.polyclay.com

view my auctions at:
http://www.polyclay.com/Collage/auction.htm

Thanks. I'll have to give it a try on my decals.

I have some Krylon sealer, too ... so maybe I'll do some side-by-side
comparisons. If I see differences, I'll report on them.

Deirdre

On Mon, 22 Sep 2003 17:01:59 GMT, "Christina Peterson"
wrote:


"Deirdre S." wrote
This is designed as a wood finish/sealer, no? I think I have seen it
in the home improvement store among products with that purpose.

Yes

Does Flecto come as a spray as well as a brush-on liquid?

Yes