QUOTE: Originally posted by Eugena777 Linelle, Triple Thick is a water-proof finish, so you do not need to seal it with Future or anything similar.

Yay!!!

AndyPan, I haven't seen Donna Kato's new book, but I have also been using silver foil under Pinata inks. I started with Lumiere paint and then read somewhere here (please forgive me, but I can't remember who at this moment) to try Pinatas, which I am totally in love with.

Jilla, thanks for the tip about Harbor Freight. I just ordered a two-drum (3 lb. each) tumbler on sale for $29.99. With S/H and tax, it's costing me $40, but still. I can't wait!

There are actually a number of ways to get a glassy look on polymer clay... each has its advantages and disadvantages.

One can simply apply an acrylic finish to baked clay.
The most common ones used by clayers are Varathane (a finish for bare wood), and Future (a finish for vinyl flooring) because they do a good job and are cheap by volume ...there are other brands of both types though.
There are also finishes put out by the clay manufacturers (Fimo, Sculpey, etc). There are also other materials that can be used to give a glassy shine --from acrylic mediums, to clear embossing powders, to dimensional "glues," to 2-part resins, etc.

The other main way to create a high gloss is to wet sand a bit (with at least 400 grit then 600 grit), then buff with an electric buffer (hand buffing won't get up to a glassy shine). If sanding lots of small roundish beads (without powders/leaf, etc. on the suface which would be abraided off), using a regular tumbler can save a lot of time and wear and tear on the hands. There are other electric devices that can be used instead of a tumbler too.

Translucent clay or liquid clay can also be used, then sanded/buffed to give a glassy shine... but if you want them to actually be transparent, a very thin layer needs to be used and also certain other techniques will help with clarity.

Some people use only one of those techniques... some people use more than one technique in the same piece (though in a certain order).


Here are a few odds and ends about using some of these:

...thickness varies between liquids... e.g., Future is thin (so often more than one coat is necessary for "depth"), whereas Varathane is thicker and with one coat can give a deep, thick shine (can also be dipped into for even thicker glassy shine)... Sculpey's Glaze is really thick (and gloppy).... Fimo has 4 finishes; the "spirit"-based gloss one is probably the best finish there is fo r polymer clay, but it's really expensive.
...strength varies... dimensional glazes/glues, clear embossing powders, acrylic mediums are much more scratchable than Varathane or Future or the Fimo mentioned , and sometimes more susceptible to clouding from later humidity
......Varathane also has something called an "interpenetrating network"--IPN which makes it bond down into the surface of the clay better than most other wood finishes
........not all brands of wood finish are the same in other ways too (compared to Minwax, Golden, and/or others)... e.g., Varathane has UV protection, is very strong/unscratable, doesn't "require ventilation," is less resistant to humidity while drying and afterward, etc
...time varies... most acrylics will dry fairly quickly (but may not fully "cure" for a week), whereas epoxy resins take 24 hrs. to cure (for each layer, if there is more than one)... some acrylics take longer than others because they're more responsive to humidity, temp, etc.
...safety varies... 2-pt epoxy resins (and epoxy glues) are less good for lungs than the acrylics we use and require at least some ventilation (...though they're still better than polyester resins --Castin'Craft, etc-- which require a lot of ventilation, and which won't work well as final finishes anyway)
......2-pt epoxies do give an extremely glassy shine though, whether they're brushed on, poured into clay cells, etc.
...heating varies... some of these can't or shouldn't be heated (may bubble or yellow)... whereas some can be reheated, and will become even "harder" (but can't be heated for a long time at a high temp)

...sanding and buffing in the usual way is generally a bit more work, but it really doesn't take much time per piece (lots of small beads, etc, will be a problem though)
...various different kinds of equipment and various supplies can be used to sand and buff to make things easier, including tumblers but also some other quite unusual ones
...sanding (and buffing) are sometimes followed by clear liquid finishes, and the finishes themselves can also be sanded and buffed

There is a lot of info on all these things and more on these pages:

Finishes (all the liquids mentioned --plus some "waxes" though those won't give a glassy shine)
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/finishes.htm

Sanding & Tumble-Sanding
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/sanding_tumbling.htm
Buffing & Tumbling-Buffing
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/buffing.htm
....also using a rotary tool (Dremel) for buffing and/or "sanding"
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/tools_Dremels_worksurfaces.htm
(...click on Sanding or Buffing, under "Dremels"...)

Translucent Clay
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/translucents-glow.htm
(...click especially on Clearest Results...)

Liquid Clay
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/LiquidSculpey.htm
(... click on Finish...)

QUOTE: I'm using the cheap latex painters gloves from Home Depot, but maybe someone has another suggestion for those with latex alleries?

There are several possibilities for dealing with latex allergies (or clay or liquid clay allergies), including certain types of (non-latex) gloves, barrier creams, etc. Look here for details
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/safety_health_cleaning.htm
(... click on Rashes & Allergic Reactions...)


HTH,

Diane B.

Speaking of Lumiere: Several months ago, I order the Lumiere paints from Polymer Clay Express (linked here http://polymerclayexpress.com/paints2.html need to scroll down a little bit). I have seen some great techniques using the paint by painting it directly onto the raw clay, and then getting it to crackle, almost like foil. However, everytime I brush out a layer, whether it's thin or thick, whenever I try to crackle the paint, it either stretches and looks awful, or it cracks, and peels off. Now, are these the correct Lumiere paints, and if so, what am I doing wrong? If they're NOT the correct paints (and God I hope that ain't the case, cuz I bought one of each color!!!), where can I find the correct paints?

hmmm...I dont know the "correct" procedure, but I paint it on and let it dry and then put it through my pasta machine, thickest setting. That gives it a crackle effect. Ive used all sorts of paints and this works.

pasta machine symbol formerly almost known as glamazon formerly known as little clay dude

AndyPan, I learned my technique from Carol Blackburn's book. I put silver leaf on black clay and then apply Lumiere, which has some gorgeous colors. After it dries completely, I put it through the pasta machine for a crackle. It is my understanding that Lumiere has a bit of stretch to it, so the leaf being fragile and nonstretchy gets it to crackle easily. I haven't tried putting the Lumiere straight on clay.

I got the Excitement Pack of Lumiere. I was in my local art supply store and also succumbed to the blue/gold halo paint. It's so awesome looking in the jar, but the effect isn't quite the same when you paint with it, unless I'm doing something wrong.

Here's something from my site about crackling Lumieres:

for crackling Lumieres, I'd recommend that you dilute them about 1/2 and 1/2 with water before you apply them to the raw clay sheet, and then apply thinly --this will eliminate a lot of the body of the paint so that it can crackle or thin itself across the surface of the clay as you manipulate it instead of stretching so much (there is so much mica in the Lumieres that diluting them does not seem to remove any of their sparkle)
... and when applied to a white base, I don't believe the colors will even appear to fade down with dilution....they will lose their opacity though ...applied to black base clay, they will not appear as intense as the full-bodied paint. Elizabeth


There's lots more info on Lumieres, and crackling all kinds of paints and inks on this page if you want to check it out:
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/paints.htm
(... click on Crackling...)

And info on crackling finishes and metallic leaf and foil on these pages:
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/finishes.htm
(... click on Crackle Finishes & Crackling...)
http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/leaf.htm
(... click on Crackling for leaf, and look under Foils for those...)


HTH,

Diane B.

Hey everyone. I went out tonight and got Triple Thick. I have to say this is what I'm looking for! I love it. I made a pendant today, sanded with a lower grit a little to smooth it out, then sanded with 1000 and dipped it in Triple Thick. The finish is beautiful! Exactly what I'm looking for...looks just like glass. I put a very thick layer on tonight on another pendant and I'm letting it dry overnight to see if I can get that depth that happens with glass. Now, if I can only hone my clay skills enough to actually make nice looking pieces, I'd be very happy! Thanks for all the suggestions and help! Polymer clay is my new favorite thing!

AndyPan said:

QUOTE: I glue sheets of wet/dry sandpaper together, then cut them all up to make the chips.

What kind of glue do you use, AndyPan? Wouldn't it tend to fall apart in the tumbler water?

Wellllllll.....

I own a custom frame shop, and I used a heat activated adhesive called Fusion. I was taking a chance on its waterproofness, and lucked out. (My chips have stayed in tact, even after about 5 or 6 (maybe more) tumblings. The edges get a little worn, but not enough to worry about.) Of course, not everyone has access to this. I think I had read about gluing the sheets back to back on glassattic.com, and I think it said that they used a 2-part epoxy. I am not entirely positive on that, though, so you might want to check it out. I think it's under "sanding" or "tumbling."