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  1. 02-12-2008, 12:26 PM #1
    Sancho
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    Default Polymer Clay Canes & Scales

    He guys, I've been wondering what to do with my Wapi and then an idea hit me. I am thinking of making a 'fimo' handle, but when researching how they make the detailed polymer clay canes that are used to make a finished project such as scales it seemed there is a bit more of a learning curve than I personally have time for. I kept researching and found that they make premade canes and sell them on Ebay. Polymer Clay is a soft putty, but when oven dried it becomes a very hard plastic and I'm sure there are some designs that would make a beautiful scale and can't wait to share finished work once I am done. Has anyone else tried this? http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?query=Polymer+Clay+Canes&MfcISAPIComman d=GetResult&ht=1&ebaytag1=ebayreg&srchdesc=n&maxRe cordsReturned=300&maxRecordsPerPage=50&SortPropert y=MetaEndSort [img]http://polymerclaynotes.com/wp-conte...12/kosode1.jpg [/img] Dave
    Last edited by Sancho; 02-12-2008 at 12:31 PM.
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  2. 02-12-2008, 12:37 PM #2
    Garry
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    I've not tried it but I'd be really interested to see your results .. I've got several wapi's and this might be a neat idea for some of them , providing I find a nice design .
    thanks for posting the link .. looks real interesting
    Garry
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  3. 02-12-2008, 07:38 PM #3
    Doc
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    I would love to see the finished product!
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  4. 02-12-2008, 11:52 PM #4
    kaptain_zero
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    I have an artist/sculptor/wood turner friend who dabbles in a lot of stuff. He made some very interesting pens using polymer clay, making his own canes. The stuff looks nice but it's brittle. Turning those pen barrels very carefully with freshly sharpened tools still resulted in chipping/crumbling of the surface. Might be worth a shot but I'd be wanting to use some sort of backing to stabilize it.

    Christian
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  5. 02-13-2008, 03:08 AM #5
    Sancho
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    Quote Originally Posted by kaptain_zero View Post
    Might be worth a shot but I'd be wanting to use some sort of backing to stabilize it.

    Christian
    That sounds like a great idea, I'll try experimenting with and without an insert. I did a trial run and it came out more pliable than I would like. I found a cool tutorial for faux ivory/bone and it looks interesting. I was also thinking that making a cane with the Solingen tree and use that as a logo in the scales. http://www.desiredcreations.com/howTo_CAivoryHorn.htm
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  6. 02-17-2008, 07:37 AM #6
    Windcalmer
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    After reading your idea here I just did a quick experiment today to see if it would be strong enough just rolling out the clay and then baking it in a scale shape. It worked great!

    Here is what I got, and I know it looks bad, but it was just a test to see if it was strong enough by itself to make a scale from:
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  7. 02-17-2008, 05:08 PM #7
    kaptain_zero
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    Ah.... but will it handle the flexing from opening and closing? I don't know, I'm just just asking.

    Christian
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  8. 02-17-2008, 07:05 PM #8
    Windcalmer
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    That I dont know. I am gonna make the other side today, and then put it through some stress tests! LOL ((Yeah, the 10 year old in me still likes to try to break things!)) So we will see how it does. I will post the results.
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  9. 02-18-2008, 01:04 AM #9
    Windcalmer
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    O.K. as far as the scale flexing, it does great! FLEXING VIDEO
    , I did that just to show how flexible the stuff is.

    Then after a few rounds of flexing it. I decided that I should try a drop test. So I started dropping it, and then after about 20 times, I got bored and started throwing it like a throwing knife at a chunk of wood. Still in one piece.

    So then I knew I had to break it, and so I hit it with a pack axe. It broke!!!

    So I think that by itself, it will stand up to normal use for scales.
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    Last edited by Windcalmer; 02-18-2008 at 01:08 AM. Reason: Added a pic
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  • 02-18-2008, 04:24 AM #10
    kaptain_zero
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    Hey, that looks pretty good on the flexing side of things! Did you use Fimo or one of the other polymer clays for that test?

    Making up canes is indeed quite involved sometimes.... At least I've got an artist down the street who likes challenges, I may just have him come up with something.

    The wildest pattern making I ever saw was actually in a book about the history of the Browning firearms company. One of the fellows working there made himself a set of damascus barrels for a shotgun... when one viewed the seam under high magnification it was the fellows full name in script, over and over.... really wild! Too bad it's so hard to do or that would have been neat to have on a damascus blade.

    Looking forward to seeing what you can do in the way of scales, even it if isn't quite as elaborate!

    Regards

    Christian
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