Video #499: A dip treatment that will help to prevent unprofessional looking nicks and in your wire jewelry pieces.
Topics Covered In This Video:
- Tool Magic – Rubber Type dip for the working surfaces of jewelry pliers and tools.
- Marks, dents and dings on wirework in polymer clay jewelry looks unprofessional.
- Coating helps prevent tools from marring and denting soft wire and metal.
- Coating has a thick paint like consistency.
- Clean tools well with rubbing alcohol before applying Tool Magic.
- Stir Tool Magic well before dipping tools into it.
- Dip tool tips only. Do not go as far as the hinge.
- Set aside to dry for 2 – 3 hours (on edge of a bucket, coffee cup, etc) so that the pliers tips do not touch each other while drying.
- Product will shrink to surface as it dries.
- Tool Magic can easily be peeled off when it shows signs of wear, so that you can then apply a fresh coat.
- Temporary coating, won’t harm expensive tools.
- I really like this product. Makes it easier to get a nice professional finish on wire jewelry projects.
- Related Video: Handmade Ear Wires
- Related Video: Wire Wraps and Loops
- Related Video: Embedded Wire Links
Do you have any suggestions for videos on tips, techniques or products you would like to learn more about? Let me know in the comments section below!
My goal is to help you to learn quicker and easier ways to bring up the professionalism in your polymer clay art.
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Looking forward to hearing from you!
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Cindy – love your videos! Question about Tool Magic: The contents of my jar has gotten very thick and leaves too much on my tools. How can I thin it out? I’ve had it for a couple of years but still have most of the jar. Do I have to replace it?
Hi Carol, I answered you below…
Hi Cindy. I just watched your tool magic video. Unfortunately, my experiences with it have not been good. I have bought it on 3 separate occasions. The results were the same with every jar. It’s fine when first open it, so the first applications are OK. However, when I have gone back to reapply, the product is extremely thickened and rubbery. I have searched the web for ways to thin it out but found nothing. Having to buy a new jar after only one use is expensive and frustrating. Do you have any suggestions?
Hi Frieda, I posted some info below, that should be helpful for you.
where did you purchase the Tool Magic Protective Dip?
Hi Anna, I believe I bought mine at Rings & Things but I bet it is at FireMountainGems and a ton of other places as well.
Thank you for that demo I have wondered how to keep my tools in tip top shape and now I know. I am so excited to have found your site,the demos are clear and easy to understand and I have already made my first rose with your guidance and it actually looks like a rose. Thank you to both of you
We are excited to have you here Jennifer! Thanks for your lovely comment!
Hi Carol I just did some research and here is the info I found:
“Some of our customers have reported being able to thin Tool Magic with toluene, xylene and naphtha.”
“I think I used mineral spirits to thin mine, I think it had one of those 3 ingredients on the list, so I threw it in and it worked fine. I’m also not sure about the acetone, BUT, scoop a little of the thick stuff out of the can and mix the acetone in and see if it works. You got nothing to lose, it won’t explode or anything.”
“How to thin out clumpy Tool Magic: Sometimes your Tool Magic will start to get clumpy as it gets used up and closer to the bottom of the jar. You can use a product called Naphtha to help thin out your Tool Magic, which is a type of paint thinner. Just use a very small amount to start, you can always add more if your Tool Magic is not thinned out enough yet.”
“You can buy Naphtha at home improvement or hardware stores for usually around $8.00 a quart. We recommend using this product in a well ventilated area, and to read the warnings on the Naphtha container.”
“If your Tool Magic is thick, instead of dipping the pliers, we recommend using a shiskabob skewer (or similar utensil) to spread on a thin coat, making sure to cover the edges well. After letting it dry for a few hours, apply a second thin coat.”
Hope that helps!
Cindy, thank you so much. I appreciate your speedy reply as much as your good advice. You’re the best!
Hi Cindy, I have used a product similar to tool magic years ago. Back then you dipped the pliers handle or whatever handle you wanted at the time in a long tall bottle and it placed a plastic rubberized coating on the handle of your tools to help you hold it better.
The only problem with this product is that it dryed hard within 6 months time and you just had to throw it out. It cost around $8.00 a bottle back then. Am so happy to see you find another product in a smaller jar that will work on the tips of the tools and it is white in color. Nice to know also it can be thinned when it starts to thicken up. I will definitely get a jar of this now that I know it is available. Thanks so much for the great tip!
Hi Cindy, thanks for all the vids and this website, I have learned alot from them :)
As you often post to post questions and challanges in the comments… here I go!
I do have a little pickle on what matte/gloss varnish to use… As most of the brands used and talked about on the website around are American products that we can not get here in Europe (Netherlands to be specific).
Things like Varathane and PYM II are not available to us :(
I do need a durable finish on the products I make/want to make as I will use pastels and mica powder on them. As these still need to be fixated better after baking. Renaisance Wax would not do I guess because you then run the risk of smearing the pastels and mica powders.
Maybe a nice idea for a blog/video about fixating pastels and powders in a durable way?
Many thanks!
Frits
Hi Frits, I’ll add your suggestion to the list! Maybe one of the liquid clays would be a good solution for you? I don’t know what products are easily available to you, but if you can get clay, maybe you can get the liquid clays too? Try that and see if you like the results and I’ll do some further testing to see what your options could be.
Hi, thanks for your reply.
Liquid clay does not seem to be benefitial for us due to the thickness. It will fill in a bit on the small details we have. And people say it is not so durable.
Ideal would be a thin varnish in matt and gloss choice. We can then also spray them with an airbrush that we got to get a thin but uniform layer.
We are a bit hestitant with this as it can be months and months till you know you got a wrong varnish and it eats in on the clay and get tacky and all that horror. As we make OOAK items this would be a disaster.
We hoped you had some experience with some different options ;)
Thanks for looking into it!
To add a little more. Some of the varnish brands we do have here, but from which I do not know how ‘good’ they are:
Liquitex
Jo Sonja’s
Pearl-Ex
paverpol Josefine
But Google may be a lil in the way of finding the right results as we are not US based and most info seems to come from US websites. But for all the above we do not find to much results as most are useing the stuff we can not get here, like the Varathane.
Anway, we just hope to find something that would last for years on the things we make.
Thanks for sharing what is available for you Frits. I tend to not use varnishes and glazes that often… opting for techniques that mostly use sanding, buffing and waxing. Have you tried using Perfect pearls instead of Pearl-Ex? It has a resin in it that is quite durable. I haven’t done enough testing with it yet to know its long term wear without a finish to protect it, but it may be an option for you.
I have used Liquitex Red Label Matt Varnish with success, but not the others you mentioned.
I would suggest making up some samples with the pearl-ex and each of the different varnishes you have available to you and then putting them in a high use situation (like a key chain in a purse). That way you will have an excellent idea how it will wear over time. I will continue to do test labs and share my findings. Let us know how it goes!
Hey Cindy, I was going to ask you for a mini tut on Tool Magic too. Thanks for the info. and the tips. I’d like to try it one day. :o)
Hi, Cindy,
just wanted to tell you that yesterdey I watched your video about using Tool Magic Rubber for wire tools and I order a jar of it. (…yes, I’m a very quick person.. too quick).
Today I woke up and realized that maybe it would be better to use SUGRU instead of Tool Magic??? I think it would be much more durable.
Years ago I made Sugru hack for baking rack and for my blades – I’m very thankful for your tutorials, they are GREAT.
I will try this idea of Sugru+wire tools right now – if you think it could work, please try it in your lab – maybe it would help other polymer clay creators too….
Wish you a beautiful day,
kind regards,
Mojca
Hi Mojca, the Sugru is an interesting idea, but I think it might be a lot harder to put a super thin layer on the tools, like this Tool Magic can. It is so easy to apply that once it wears off you can add it again. So I wouldn’t worry about your purchase. I think you will like using it on your tools. :)