Crafts by Chris » Crafts by Chris

dragonflies

Chris — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 19:44:32 +0000

It has been a LONG winter and I’m so ready for Spring and Summer. What says Spring and Summer more than bright colors and dragonflies? This beautiful bracelet was created by Kim Houston from my dragonfly gems. Kim’s bracelet is currently for sale on ebay and you can check it out here. Be sure to check out Kim’s other beautiful designs in her ebay store, The Pink Martini Boutique.

kato vs fimo

Chris — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 18:23:42 +0000

I was going to title today’s post, wild wednesday (to stay with my naming theme this week). The day has started out kind of wild. My 13 year old came down at 5:45am to tell me he thinks he has strep throat. Yikes! So, after getting the little one off to school, calling the older one in sick, making a doctor appointment, answering emails, etc., I decided today’s post was going to be about FIMO gel versus Kato medium clear.

Let me start by saying that I don’t claim to be an expert on either product. I do get lots of questions on the subject and I’m always willing to share what I’ve learned.

Someone asked about FIMO gel yellowing over time. I checked around and there was a comment on www.glassattic.com (which is a great resource btw) that said the FIMO gel may yellow over time. I have some samples sitting around that I made at the beginning of this year that are still perfectly clear. I think that it’s still too new of a product to know what will happen years down the road. I guess I really should date the back of the pieces that I used it on for reference.

Most of the things I’ve read said not to use a heat gun on the FIMO gel. I do it all the time. You just have to be really careful to not get the heat gun too close and to keep it moving. It only takes a few seconds. The FIMO gel comes out of the oven fairly clear to begin with, so it really doesn’t take much heat to completely clear it up.

Another thing that comes up often is in regards to the clearness or transparency of FIMO gel versus Kato medium clear. I don’t think one is better than the other on this issue. They both come out crystal clear. The Kato medium clear does take a lot more heat than the FIMO gel to become crystal clear.

I’ve found that I like to use each of them for different types of projects based on their different properties.

For use in the bezel cups (shown above) and in this tutorial, I prefer FIMO gel. I prefer the FIMO for this type of project mainly due to the fact that it cures at a much lower temperature. You can use the Kato medium clear, but you would need to do several thin layers and clear up each layer with the heat gun. It’s harder to get very thick layers of the Kato to be crystal clear without burning it.

If I’m covering the entire surface of something (like the tiles shown above) I prefer to use Kato because of the hardness of it. The FIMO has a more rubbery feel to it, which I like for some things and not for others.

On the bead shown above I used FIMO gel over pinata inks to create the palm trees. I like the FIMO for this type of project because the FIMO is thicker and doesn’t run as much as the Kato. It’s perfect for building a little dimension and pretty much comes out of the oven perfect.

For making flat pendants like the one above, I prefer to use Kato medium clear because it can be easily trimmed around the edges if it runs over. The FIMO does not cut well.

I would love to hear your comments, observations, etc. regarding the use FIMO gel and/or Kato medium clear.

Spring!

Chris — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 00:37:36 +0000

Spring is my favorite season! I’m not even sure what kind of trees they are, but they have gorgeous pink blooms on them. When the blooms are almost spent and the wind blows, it looks like it’s snowing flower petals. Mother Nature really does put on quite a show.

On another note, I just received my big bottle of Kato medium clear. I can’t wait to experiment. I’ll let you know how it compares to the FIMO decorating gel.

Happy Spring everyone!

experiments

Chris — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 00:46:48 +0000

I have a confession to make. Not everything I make turns out how I planned. Ok not a big deal, happens to everyone right? Here’s a pic of some recent experiments. I do have to say, that I always learn something from my experiments. For example, I learned that it’s quite difficult to drill a hole through the FIMO gel.

What have you been experimenting with recently?

floating garden/dragonfly gems tutorial

Chris — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 00:15:14 +0000

(Adapted from Dona Kato’s layered “dichroic” effects tutorial.)
Supplies Needed:
~sterling silver bezel cups with loops*
~FIMO decorating gel
~foils (I used Jones Tones foils)
~liquid silver leaf (for the dragonfly gems)
~tiny polymer clay flowers (for floating garden) I used ones similar to those shown in my hibiscus cane tutorial.

Tools Needed:
~small ceramic tile
~small scissors
~heat gun

* I purchase my bezel cups from ZDP-Findings_Manufacturer. You can find them on eBay and on etsy. Since they are in Israel It can take up to a couple of weeks to get them. I’ve had excellent dealings with this seller and their products are great. They offer the bezel cups in a large variety of sizes and shapes.

Instructions

Step 1. Cut a piece of foil and lay it colored side down on a clean ceramic tile. Apply a coat of FIMO decorating gel to the back of the foil. I just use my fingernails to hold on to one edge, but you can tape the foil to the tile. Bake for 15 minutes at 265 degrees. (fig. 1)

Step 2. Peel the gel from the mylar backing. I find it easier to peel off when it’s still slightly warm. (fig. 2)

Step 3. Gently press the bezel cup onto the gel backed foil to make an impression (fig. 3)

Step 4. Using small scissors or an xacto knife, cut just inside the line of the impression. You may have to trim a little more to get the foil to fit in the bottom of the bezel cup. (fig. 4)

Step 5. Paint a thin coat of gel on the bottom of the bezel cup. (fig. 5)

Step 6. Using a pencil eraser or your finger, gently press the foil into the bottom of the bezel cup. Bake 10 minutes at 265 degrees. (fig. 6)

Step 7. Put a thin layer of gel over the foil. Spread the gel to the edges of the bezel cup. If you end up with bubbles, you can drag them to the edge with a toothpick or straight pin and pop them. Be careful not to make this layer too thick or you will not have enough room for your flowers. Bake 15 minutes at 265 degrees. (fig. 7) If the gel is slightly cloudy, heat with a heat gun until the gel is clear.

Steps 1-7 are the same for either the floating garden beads or the dragonfly gems.

Instructions for completing floating garden beads

Step 8. Now’s the time to make your flower, if you haven’t already. I like to press a stylus into the flower center to give it some depth. Bake the flower 15 minutes at 265 degrees. (fig.

Step 9. Once your flower has cooled, put a dot of the gel in the bezel cup and place your flower on the gel. Bake 15 minutes at 265 degrees. (fig. 9) Note: If you don’t bake at this point, your flower will float to the top of the gel. If that’s what you want, do not bake and go on to the next step.

Step 10. Completely fill with gel. I like to overfill the bezel cup so that the top is a dome (this increases the magnification of the flower). Bake 15 minutes at 265 degrees. (fig. 10)

If the gel is slightly cloudy (Refer to fig. 11), heat with a heat gun until the gel is clear. (Refer to fig. 12)

Steps for completing the dragonfly gems.

Step 11. Using liquid silver leaf, paint a dragonfly or whatever pattern you want. The layer of gel you are painting on is slightly concave, which makes it somewhat difficult to paint on. Let paint dry and/or heat set. (Refer to fig. 13)

Alternately, you can use craft punches on the gel backed foil to create designs. (Refer to fig. 14)

Step 12. Fill the bezel cup with gel and bake (same as step 10 for floating flowers).

FINISHED BEADS:

on the subject of fimo gel

Chris — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 21:56:51 +0000

My friend, Tina T. has been doing some fun things with Fimo decorating gel as well. I just love her mermaid focal.

upcoming tutorial

Chris — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 20:03:09 +0000

I’m working on a tutorial for the floating garden/dragonfly gems beads. If you would like to play along, I’ll give you the supply list now.

sterling silver bezel cups with loops*
FIMO decorating gel
foils (I used Jones Tones foils)
liquid silver leaf (for the dragonfly gems)
tiny polymer clay flowers (for floating garden) I used ones similar to those shown in my hibiscus cane tutorial.
small ceramic tile
small scissors
heat gun

* I purchase my bezel cups on eBay from a seller in Israel: http://stores.ebay.com/ZDP-Findings-Manufacturer. It can take up to a couple of weeks to get them. I’ve had excellent dealings with this seller and their products are great. They offer the bezel cups in a large variety of sizes and shapes.

Update: ZDP-findings also has an etsy shop.