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kudzukween Where are you??

Lara
16 years ago

I hope I have the right person here. Are you the person who makes those lovely spoon pendants? If you are, I would like to ask you a few questions regarding those if you don't mind.

Ok, I recently acquired a whole bunch of dainty gold plated spoons, and wanted to know if you think your method will work on this type of metal. I want to try making some pendants for my daughters as well as for myself, but do you think the clear sealer you use might "eat up" the fake gold? Also, After you cut the spoon, do you sand it down before folding the edge that holds the cord? Oh, yeah, I forgot to ask what do you use to fold over the bit of spoon handle? Sorry if these are too many questions to answer, but I really must know what I'm getting into before I jump in. Thanks so much, and I appreciate any replies.

Comments (11)

  • kudzukween
    16 years ago

    all you can do is try one and see :) I use silver plated ones, with no problems, I don't know how different that is from the gold. My DH bought me bolt cutters to cut the handles off, they come off smoothly so little sanding is needed. I just use a rough emery board to do that.Then I use a pair of pliers to bend them back, covered with a towel so it won't leave tool marks on the spoon. Then I use needle nosed pliers to finish curling it back. I glue down some of the things in the spoon bowl,some I don't need to. If you use glitter,use very little! And I have to tell you,some things don't hold up to that Clear Cast, the temp will reach 200+, so keep that in mind. I bought my Clear Cast at Hobby Lobby,and if you have that store,you can print out a 40% off coupon for every time you go there. Also, if it wants to stay tacky, use an acrylic spray after it dries. I used Rustoleum Painters Touch Crystal Clear...I had this problem because I live in a very high humidity area. Just spray a few coats on and it works great. Since it's hard to make a small amount, use some stainless spoons or metal bottle caps, something....and make your one gold one, for practice. You can use the bottle caps as magnets later. Hope this helps!

  • Lara
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Thanks for the quick reply! I had my hubby cut one spoon yesterday, but he did it behind my back, ugh, not good. He didn't use the towel to avoid scuff marks and he didn't use a bolt cutter, not sure what he used to cut.
    ANyway, it's still salvageable, but I still have a couple more questions.

    On some of your pendants, they appear to have a background color, for example a pretty aqua blue one you showed, did you tint the clear cast to get it a pretty blue? I saw a website that sells the tinted clear cast, that's why I'm asking.

    Also, when i pour the clear cast over the pre assembled spoon, if it spills over, will that be a problen? How do you control that? Are your spoons flush with the rim when the clear cast has hardened or are they domed shaped?

    As you can see, I'm serious about making these, and not just asking dumb questions out of curiosity, at least I hope not to come off like that.

    Thanks so very much, and i'm sorry if I'm bothering you with lots of questions.


    If anyone else is reading this and has already tried it, please post your tips or pics, would love to see all your spoons!

  • kudzukween
    16 years ago

    Hi....not dumb questions at all! I did use a jig saw at first,it cut nice. The colors you see in mine are not a tint. I've used tissue paper,(that was the nice blue color)lace,pictures cut out of magazines. I used some folded tape to set my spoons on when I got ready to pour, and put them in an old shallow box. Some place I read set them in a bowl of rice to get them level. I pour some in each one, then go back and pour some more. I use a toothpick to go around the edges to make sure it's all around the edge. If it spills, you can peel it off somewhat before it gets too hard. I believe the can says you can clean the back with acetone. Mine are flush. You can also pour some halfway,add more objects,then mix some more and add it( I think it says within 20 or 30 minutes??? but that's on the can,too)Also, I had to spray a clear acrylic spray on mine because they stayed tacky(high humidity) so I used Rustoleum Painters Touch Crystal Clear with a high gloss.

    {{gwi:1474559}}

    {{gwi:1474560}}

    {{gwi:1474562}}

  • oddie
    16 years ago

    OMG love those close up! just beautiful! been thinking on how I can try your project without haveing to buy more supplies, I have a product called enviroTex polymer coating, have just about enough left to fill a spoon, would that be close to what you are useing? its a two part mixture and becomes real hard when dried.
    will save the rest of my questions till I know if this might work
    thanks for shareing all the info and photos on your beautiful project!
    oddie

  • Lara
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    I've gotta tell ya, I am very picky when it comes to picking crafts I want to try, and your items are so amazingly breathtaking I just have to try making these! Yesterday, I started poking around in jewelry boxes collecting little charms, broken chains, and stud earrings that have no matching pairs, it was so much fun just getting all those things together! Today, I went thrift store shopping, but didn't find any silver plated spoons, only brought home a couple of forks for a windchime.

    I haven't gone shopping for the two part Clear Cast yet, and I can't wait to try some. If I purchased this type of Resin the blue/white can pictured in the link, do I still need to buy a hardener?

    Again thanks for the helpful tips, and I'll be back if I think up more questions to bother you with, LOL!

    Here is a link that might be useful: resin

  • kudzukween
    16 years ago

    I used the kind in the pink can,so I don't know about the blue one, it looks like no catalyst comes with it,so maybe it isn't needed,and that would be better. But that's the brand I bought at Hobby Lobby, so maybe they carry both kinds. Call and ask them about it. You can print out a %40 off coupon for Hobby Lobby. If you don't have Hobby Lobby,try Michaels, but you can't print a coupon from them. It was $20 at Hobby Lobby, but 40% off that. I couldn't tell you if there's a price difference between the two products. If the blue one doesn't use a catalyst, buy it, and that's what I'll try myself next time,lol. And thanks ya'll for the nice comments:) on some things I glued to carboard,by the way,like words,or pictures I didn't want to become transparent. But some things,like the purple flowers., I left alone,and they looked like pressed flowers. Rhinestones do not work well in this, the heat does something to the back,and they will wind up looking round. I tried sealing with a clear spray sealer,and that didnt work. The rhinestones in the tiara pieces worked fine,though. Oh, and I did use photographs in one, and they worked fine. Let me see if I have a picture of it. I made one with my three grandchildren in it. You can see what happens to loose rhinestones! The silver hearts and stars are those little stickers you put on your fingernails, they worked well :) This is an old small sugar shell I used for this one.

    {{gwi:1474563}}

  • kudzukween
    16 years ago

    Thanks ya'll!! Oddie, I bet it's the same kind of stuff,if it gets hard. Keep a toothpick handy to move stuff around after you pour, like glitter over the face( missed that one)and to run around the edge of the bowl of the spoon. And try to keep it level with some method(tape,a bowl of rice or sand) I glued stuff down before I poured,no problems.

  • rainey-1
    16 years ago

    had a question on the spoons did a few but on one it fell i thought it did not touch anything, but it did and while the resin was wet i could not see it, now that it is filled to the top and dry you can see the pot marks, so my question is if i run a thin film of resin over this will it dissapear?

  • kudzukween
    16 years ago

    Yes, I have poured another layer over mine with no problems, and some had lines or marks on them that disappeared. You can only try and see if it works! :) Just lay it out level again and pour some more. I have an antique plate my daughter in law gave me with a picture of my grandchildren cut out in a circle in the middle, I am waiting to buy more resin to see if it will work to cover that. If it does,then I'll have another project to show :)

  • Lara
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    I saw a few molds online and some finished items on etsy and was wondering about placement of items in the molds. When using the molds to make jewelry , do they add the items facing down, then fill with resin. Or do they just place everthing upright, like in the spoons? Some of the molds used were rectangled, ovals, and circle domes. They made resin encased items to use for necklaces and key chains.

  • kudzukween
    16 years ago

    HMMMmmm, I don't know Lara. I haven't seen an actual item made with them, but my DH was telling me about the molds he saw at the craft store for things like that.

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