Jewelry Making

I'm going to be making some props for an anime convention (i.e. swords, jewelry, etc) and I have heard that resin casting is a good way to go. Can anyone tell me how to being, or give me a website showing how to use resin?

Casting anything (including resin) is actually very tedious & detailed. If you have some experience in sculpture, especially in some sort of casting process, then I'd suggest going with Por-A-Mold products, my favorite of there's is Thixatropic Silicone rubber mold materials. They also have a great DVD that explains every step (If you have time). There's also other decent products you can use, Here's a link to Dickblick's supplies of mold making products: http://www.dickblick.com/categories/moldingcasting/
Dickblick will charge for shipping & might charge a fee for shipping hazardous materials, but they're great to work with & have the best prices. I'd also suggest checking out a library book on "mold making". Since "Mold-making" is the most important step in the casting process.

You can also check your local Hobby/Craft stores, they sell a lot of resin casting materials & instructions as well.

If you've never had experience in casting before though, can I recommend using another media called "Polymer Clay". My favorite kind is Sculpy. It is oven baked clay. Its easy to work with, non-toxic (as resin is) & inexpensive. You can also use it to form the base of your resin castings if you want. Also they make mold making materials as well. Amateurs to professionals use Polymer clay in all kinds of sculpture work.

Hope this helps!

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Where can i find cheap but quality beads?

Since I don't want to pay for gas & parking to go to downtown wholesale dealers, I buy online.

Firemountain Gems is great! They only charge $5 for any size order, shipped anywhere in US.

You can go in with friends to order enough for some substantial savings.

I also buy some unique, but not as cheap beads, from Oriental Trading co.

Joann's online is also good.

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Learn to craft a simple yet captivating squiggle snake ring! A Bead, Baubles & Jewels project. For more projects and jewelry-making know-how, visit us at http://forum.riogrande.com/ or visit http://www.riogrande.com/ for all your jewelry-making tools and supplies. …

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Technorati Tags: hammered jewelry, jewelry making tips, ring, silver, silver wire, snake, wire, wire jewelry, wire-wrapping

Melt it. Use a candle and put the ends of the thread into the flame. Just be careful and don't burn your fingers.

A lighter works also, but isn't as safe.

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I'm new at this and I need help. When I make a ring or necklace or anything with wire it looks great when I'm finished but 2 days later it's already tarnished. The wire that was left on the spool is still nice and silver. I mean why do they sell this jewelry making wire if it's only going to tarnish. What can i do to keep it looking good?

You can keep the metal from tarnishing so quickly by placing it in a ziplock bag when not in use. WD-40m also helps. Usually if the metal is worn and tarnishes it is because the wearer has alot of acid in their skin.

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Get rid of tarnish on silver the easy way, place a piece of aluminum foil (shiny side up) on the bottom of a glass bowl or pan. Fill the container with a solution made of 2 cups boiling water and 3 teaspoons of baking soda, and you've made an inexpensive "bath" to soak your silver in. Your silver will shine like new in no time!

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We are two stay at home moms with mucho creativity. We make handmade glass bead jewelry some with twisted wire and handmade handbags & other accessories. However, we cannot think of anything modern and catchy for a business name. Our names are Jaime and Christina. We live in Georgia. Like Dragonfly or something like that… need some help! We are stuck!
Classy Glassy

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1 . What are some examples of two-dimensional artworks?

A. drawings, paintings, sculpture
B. silkscreens, fiber art, sculpture
C. drawings, photographs, jewelry
D. photographs, paintings, silkscreens

2 . What are the two main categories of drawing media?

A. two-dimensional and three-dimensional
B. monochromatic and colored chalk/pastel
C. colored chalk and graphite pencil
D. ink and charcoal

3 . The early Egyptians used ink on sheets of ______ made from a plant that still grows along the Nile.

A. rice
B. bamboo
C. papyrus
D. tree bark

4 . What is the term for an artwork that has one color and its various intensities of tint and shade?

A. monochromatic
B. varied color
C. a wash
D. simple color

5 . What are some examples of monochromatic media?

A. graphite pencil, colored chalk, clay
B. graphite pencil, ink, charcoal
C. ink, charcoal, pastel
D. pastel, graphite pencil, ink

6 . What are ink washes used to create?

A. outlines and contour lines
B. a variety of color
C. shading effects and depth
D. linear perspective

7 . Chalk and pastels are similar in that they both

A. come in a variety of colors.
B. are monochromatic.
C. are made of high-quality material.
D. are applied only to primed surfaces.

8 . What are some types of painting media?

A. watercolor, acrylic, charcoal, gouache
B. oils, gouache, watercolor, tempera
C. ink, gouache, oils, acrylic
D. graphite, acrylic, tempera, watercolor

9 . Which is a common use of watercolor?

A. painting images on plaster walls
B. creating dark, opaque values
C. painting on primed canvas
D. depicting colorful outdoor scenes

10 . What is mixed with pigment to produce the kind of paint called tempera?

A. polymer
B. water
C. egg yolk
D. plastic

11 . Which of these are characteristics of gouache?

A. transparent and hard to control
B. transparent and water-based
C. opaque and water-based
D. opaque and hard to control

12 . Which of these is a characteristic of oil paint?

A. can be opaque or used in a thin glaze
B. dries quickly and unevenly
C. used infrequently since the Renaissance
D. most commonly used on paper

13 . What is mixed with pigments to produce oil paint?

A. resin
B. a polymer
C. linseed oil
D. grapeseed oil

14 . Which of these is a characteristic of acrylic paint?

A. has a chalky look
B. oil-based
C. can be thickened or thinned
D. dries very slowly

15 . What is acrylic paint made of?

A. linseed oil and polymer
B. plastic material suspended in water
C. pigment and oil
D. plastic material suspended in polymer

16 . In a fresco, what is paint applied to?

A. canvas with a heavy tooth
B. a wooden wall
C. a wet plaster surface
D. a primed ceiling

17 . What is a mosaic made of?

A. acrylic on unprimed canvas
B. fiber and paint
C. ink and acrylic
D. pieces of stone or glass

18 . Prints are different from drawings because they are

A. produced multiple times.
B. always monochromatic.
C. produced on paper.
D. made with a press in small editions.

19 . Which of these are types of printmaking?

A. relief, lithography, mosaic, and fresco
B. lithography, intaglio, silkscreen, and relief
C. lithography, intaglio, video, and mosaic
D. silkscreen, acid printing, relief, and fresco

20 . What are two types of surfaces that images are created on in printmaking?

A. paper and board
B. canvas and blocks
C. plates and blocks
D. panels and plates

21 . Which 2-D art form is most commonly used by non-artists?

A. painting
B. printmaking
C. drawing
D. photography

22 . What art form is based on a series of still pictures shown in rapid succession?

A. photography
B. film
C. computer art
D. mixed media

23 . Which of these are two of the newest art forms?

A. film and photography
B. video and photography
C. video and computer art
D. computer art and photography

24 . What is the term for using two or more media to create a piece?

A. mixed media
B. performance art
C. variety application
D. material mixture

25 . Which is considered the most popular artistic medium?

A. fresco
B. acrylic on paper
C. mosaic
D. oil on canvas

These questions are super easy, you shouldn't have any problem looking them up on your own.

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I was wondering if anyone knew any home made jewelry cleaners. I have a lot of silver jewelry and was curious if there was anything i could make at home that can get them nice and clean since they are starting to tarnish a little.

White Floride toothpaste. : ] Even on the jewels. use a toothbrush to scrub it good.

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I bought some bulk jewelry supplies and got some very fine twisted wire. It doesn't really hold it's shape very well, but it does have permanent creases if you fold it. What can I do with this? Is it just used for threading beads?
It must be that Tigertail wire. It's not the normal 24 gauge wire, but a lot smaller. Kind of looks like the thick guitar strings.

It is also used for cage wrapping stones. Twisted really tightly in patterns or tied in knots in patterns over the stones then twisted or tied into a bale for hanging works really well.

I have seen some really pretty things created out of ordinary stones this way.

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