Faux Flaking Rust | Polymer Clay Tutorials Vol-056

Awesome! Can’t wait to see how we do the rusty look.

I thought you might like this tute Sue! ;)

Sue

Would you promise to put up a picture on the FB site to show me what you mean once you finish? I would just die to see it. I learn so much from you and it would be a joy to see how this rusted patina effect is interpreted by you.

Sue, no worries, a lot of folks are abandoning FB for those very reasons. Me, alone and homebound, I think it’s a boon. But I very carefully watch and monitor my info and my interactions.

If Cindy could put a pic or two up here, that would be fabu.

clay day here,too. It has been very cold for a week now. They say we will warm up to freezing on Monday. So claying is my plan for the day as well.

Thanks for the sympathy, Andrea! :)
I have three christmas trees to take down yet. So, I hope it won’t take too long so I can play with my clay! ( I only put up 8 trees this year! )

Can’t wait to do this I have a great thought process going on in my head. Love this!

Cindy

Just finished watching this set of tutes. My mind is racing with ideas. You are so inventive. Cannot wait to try it later tomorrow. I loved those shipwreck pics Doug took while you were on the road, and with my Dad, collecting metal for use in the future and all the gadgetry, my head is filled with color and design possibilities. Thank you so much!!!!!

Hey, Cindy!

What a beautiful set of tutorials! I just was swamped with ideas for using this technique. I also appreciated seeing how you made the findings. You always keep us so excited! Also will look on Pintrest. Thank Doug, too!

Love ya!

Andrea

Cindy – What’s the name of that product you used on your bead rack to stabilize pins? I can’t find the video wherein you recommended it. Please advise. Thanks.

Oh wow, I cheated and got up at 3:30 am to watch the video series and love it! You can’t make it look bad and the dark green from Denise’s suggestion sounds wonderful. Maybe I could add some crusteachans to that color and give it more of a deep sea effect, who knows, it will be fun just to explore. I love the clock face with the very rustic look though and will definitely be making that. By the way Sue F. thanks for that in depth explanation you put out there. I just love the exchange of information on this blog. It was really a fascinating read especially the way you disassembled the information and then kind of built it back together again. Good Job! 2013 is proving to be a wild year as I have decided to sell the house and move into a condo. The pain and wear and tear on my body from the accident and not being able to take care of the outside work and a lot of inside stuff too made me realize it’s time to make the big move. I don’t know how much claying I will get done but everyone just keep those ideas coming and I will try and stay current with the Blog. Happy New Year all.

aw-w-w Jocelyn you are such a sweetheart, yes I’m dreading it already but it has to be done. One nice thing is I can use some of Cindys ideas to help set up the new craft area. That is going to help keep me going. (((hugs)))

Just watched all the tutes and I am so excited to try this. Cat has an awesome idea about using this technique for a clock. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with. My grandson wants a bracelet. It should make some really cool jewelry for guys so that will be my first attempt. Mens jewelry. Hopefully I will be able to work on some next week. Then I think I am going to take a piece of my barn siding I have been wanting to make a name plaque for our new TV room. I think the letters for our last name would look totally cool in this technique. Cindy the inspiration you have sent my way is just a flying through my head. I am so looking forward to working on these ideas. You and your artistic talent and Doug’s filming. It just doesn’t get any better than this. Thank you once again for another A+ #1 tutorial. Pure Genius!!!!!!!!!

Peggy, sorry to hear your not doing well. Winters are always so tough on a lot of us.
I know med changes can create lots of problems too. Here’s hoping things get better for you, sending you lots of (((hugs)))

Doug no need for an apology, I know how busy you and Cindy are. Even the kids are doing their part. Truly a family affair. I will keep my eye open for this offer and definitely jump on it. Pictures with the recipes would be awesome. I feel the pictures are so inspirational to the colors. I appreciate you taking the time to inform me of your plans. Patiently waiting.

Jocelyn thank you so much for the prayers. As so many of us know the power of prayer out weighs all else.
Many Uuuuuggggs for all your kindness

Encore un merci pour toutes ces vidéos…que je regarde avec beaucoup de plaisir, même si des fois je ne comprends pas tout!
Mais le fait que vous parlez lentement ça aide énormément.
À bientôt
rosa (Suisse)

———————————————————————————————————————-
Google Translation:

Another thank you for these videos … I look with great pleasure, even if sometimes I do not understand everything!
But the fact that you speak slowly it helps tremendously.
See you soon
rosa (Switzerland)

Ken, had a few moments so perused a site that features his whole line. That man is such a creative genius, and the site is filled to the brim with stuff that can be used with polymer clay.

The packages of findings, like the clock hands, gears, sprocket gears and charms seem to be made of metal, so surely no harm in baking or rebaking them with clay. If plastic, would say you’d need to test.

This link shows the sprocket gears up close, and it clearly states the clock hands are metal, so I assume when he speaks of the finishes of the sprockets he is also referring to a metal product.

You might want to check them out in a store just to make sure, and if I am mistaken, please someone (Cindy?) correct me.

Hi Ken, that makes me happy to know you enjoyed this tutorial! The girls are right, the Tim Holtz stuff is all metal and you will have no problem baking them with your clay. The quality of all his products is high. I wholeheartedly recommend everything he puts his name on!

Cindy
Your simply the best :) Steampunk being one of my most favorites to create. I always knew there was more out there than just watch parts(although taking apart old watches is quite fun and relaxing:), keys, hearts, etc, etc. I was missing something…. RUST !! you have found my missing object to complete the look. Is there “anything” you cannot think of to do ? LOL.
Keep on cranking out the great ideas and passing them on.
Thanks again for all of the hard work that you and Doug put into every tutorial.
Susan R.

Thank you Idita! That is so awesome that you came up with your own little tweak with the metallic paint. Bet it looks fantastic!

Sue, I am swooning at your results. Funny, but, when I clicked on the links, this was exactly what I craved and expected to see. Love the use of darker and lighter combinations of color, to me it makes the use of the technique sing. Thank you so much! Envy you that fine collection of Kato in the other thread too. The Dream Machine is a dream, but, I found that when I finally invested the money in a good Atlas and motor, it more than serves. Google me and machine for specifics. I adore it, and wish I had done it so much sooner.

I am supposed to be making dinner, but I just had to stop in here and compliment you Sue on what an incredible job you did on these faux rust pieces!! I really am so impressed. Love the neat things you did with the colors. Really fabulous! Thank you so much for sharing your work with us!

I too would love a Dream Machine… still having a hard time justifying the price. And you’re right that the fact that they don’t have them in stock and you in most cases have to wait until the next time they make a batch, makes it hard to make the quick decision of buying one if your machine breaks down.

Sue, here’s the link, posted here on another thread, to the atlas pasta machine I purchased.

I too am heavy handed with the stuff I try to put through, lol. And trying to be better about it, following Cindy’s advise always to roll it down with a rod or brayer first. I do not want to overload that engine, because this one has got to last me for a long time.

I love it. The motor is not loud, doesn’t bother the neighbors, and the finish and workmanship of the metal casing etc. is superb. Gave me a whole new boost to try more of Cindy’s tutes, which has been thrilling to say the least.

I use my own pincher clamps to hold it down, 2 of them in the front on either side, 3 inch models, and boy do I not miss chasing that darn crank handle down one single bit. No problems with the scrapers or collecting clay, just run a paper towel soaked with alcohol through it to clean rarely. It seems so well made that the clay just flows through and doesn’t get stuck.

Dad was right again, you do need the right tools to do the job.

I am one of original D.R.E.A.M. Machine owners. It took about 9 months to receive delivery, but my card was not charged until shortly before actual shipping. It really is the ‘Lexus” of clay machines. Super easy to clean blades and rollers. Very solid, heavy construction. I also purchased the motor (a ‘hedge’ on my rapidly advancing old-age…). Maybe not for the casual clayer – but absolutely worth it for PCT devoted fans. (Start a quarter jar!)

I don’t think the Iron look looks like slate, it looks wonderful.

Thanks, Ken! :D

I’d intended to mix some fine black glitter into the “cast iron” clay to visually mimic the almost crystalline surface cast iron usually has… but it wasn’t until I was cleaning up while the pieces were baking that I spotted the bottle of glitter I’d put out in preparation. Oops. Maybe that’s why it looks more slatelike to me. But there’s always the next time!

Thanks, Tantesherry! :D

Polymer clay is such an amazing medium… I really wish it was better supported by craft shops and similar suppliers here (Australia).

I also wish I had more time to play with it! But when I use techniques from Cindy’s tutorials in the future — and some of them are amongst my favourites — perhaps I will post links to a photo or two if people are interested. (I have an idea that combines this month’s technique with an older one that I hadn’t tried when it was published because I didn’t have all the right materials. I found the missing item by accident recently so I might try the combination next. Don’t expect pics if it doesn’t work out though! ;)

It didn’t *quite* work out, but it wasn’t a total failure:

Faux Flaking Rust Boulder Opal

The way *that* evolved from faux flaking rust is that I thought my cast iron faux flaking rust variant looked a bit like slate after baking, so I decided to combine that layered rock look with a faux opal technique to attempt faux boulder opal.

I hadn’t tried Cindy’s Faux Opal technique (volume 22) before because I had no idea what this “Buffalo Snow” stuff was and couldn’t find anything like it at the two craft shops in my area when that particular tutorial came out. However I did spot a packet of “Snow” when I was Christmas shopping last month, which I bought with that technique in mind.

Since I’d never tried any faux opal techniques before I made samples to start with, using Cindy’s technique as well as Donna Kato’s, but they didn’t give me quite the look I wanted so I had a go at my own.

I arranged torn pieces of the raw faux opal with torn pieces of the dark clay I’d made using Cindy’s faux flaking rust technique, with more of the latter for the backing.

It was difficult to photograph, and it looks more iridescent and opalescent in real life. However the opal part and the construction aspect are still not quite right. Next time, maybe!

Thanks, Cindy! :)

I was a bit concerned that I might be “taking over” some of the threads and drowning out everyone else — still am, actually! — but there have been more topics recently than usual where I can put my $0.02 in.

LOL

Thanks, Andrea! I won’t have a chance to clay again until the weekend at the earliest, unfortunately… not sure whether I’ll experiment with more ideas using this technique, or pick some other techniques that I haven’t tried before. (And sometimes I start out intending to do one thing, but end it ends up morphing into something entirely different!)

I’d actually love to see how other people are interpreting this technique too… there have been some fantastic-sounding descriptions!

Wow! You blew this technique out of the water!! Loved the pics – they look great! Glad you had fun with this tute. I was so ready to play this week end and wasn’t able to find the time. I know, poor me!! :(

Sue—Have been so awfully busy I just saw what you did with Cindy’s wonderful tutorial. Most excellent! I am totally in spin mode coming up with ideas and will have to chose at least one—or five or six! Thanks to all of you again. That verdigris is tugging at my skirt! LOL and love ya all. Andrea

I loved the pieces you did. I had problems with keepings the layers showing. They seem to just blend together – clay was soft when I was trying to rip them into smaller pieces. not sure what I ddi wrong, but you have it. i like the looks, Cindy

Loved the tutorial and had a duh slap myself on the forehead moment when you made the jump rings!!!! I never thought to turn my flush cutters around to get the smooth end on the other side of the ring! I could never figure out why my jump rings wouldn’t come out right, lol. Thanks for the wonderful project.

Hi all
Last friday I spent the day w/ a wonderful friend Mary, who happens to have MS and now due to a fall lives at a care facility– I think I’ve mentioned her to you guys before…anyway she used to come to my house and we would play with clay for hours, such Wonderful memories…(All of this happened before I joined Cindy’s site)
All right – to the point – or rather to my confession, I was telling Mary about Cindy’s latest tutorial, faux rust and could not do it justice with just words so I signed in and we watched the videos together… Mary’s 1st words after the clay technique “Good Grief she (Cindy) is SCARY SMART”. Loved that and have smiled about it every time it’s come to mind since! We had such fun that day, like old time talking about claying.
So if I broke the rules just tell me and I’ll be good from now on – it was one of those times when asking for forgiveness came before asking for permission ;/

SCARY SMART LOL (but true)

Ahaha, sooooo Cindy I love this technique. Just grabbed some silver I had around in the binder, slung it through it threw with some transparent and black patches, used black pepper, poppy seeds and some black mica. Then the toothbrush and fingernail brush (lol, all I could find), and some black antiquing, a dab of canuba wax and a quick buff. Wow!!!! Very versatile, cannot wait to try it with deep reds/transparent/brown and see how that turns out. Doesn’t need to scream rust to be gorgeous.

Sue F, hang on for a day or two. Contacted the distributor of the machine, Gary Valenti Incorporated, 718-386-0896, and have someone checking for distributors in Australia which would have the proper electric support, as using any conversions yourself invalidates the warranty.

This is Italian made and is sold all over the world, so pretty sure we’ll get a good response as most countries differ in their electrical offerings.

Fingers crossed, and I’ll post back as soon as I hear.

Also, forgot to mention, the motor is detachable and they give you a crank handle along with the standard C clamp. So if you need to switch back and forth, no problem. Myself, for the simple stuff I do, I plan on never using another one of those handles, LOL! Just need to remember to tie back the hair.

Thanks Jocelyn… that list sounds really useful!

Sue F. your faux rust and opal technique is really quite stunning.
I like it. As far as your buffalo flakes, you can order them online from the Dream Machine folks. Just ask for Grummers Iridescent
flakes, they have them in 5 different colors besides white.

I actually started out intending to use Pardo, but one problem with it being wax based is that it gets very soft and very sticky quite quickly in warm weather (the stickiness is more of a problem than the softness, actually).

It’s summer here, and even though it wasn’t a super-hot day, and even though I was using the Professional Art Clay Pardo which is the firmer one, it became completely unworkable before I’d got going properly.

I’ll have another go with Pardo when the weather is cool, and also when I’ve figured out my faux opal technique properly. You get best (clearest) results from Pardo Translucent if it has minimal handling, which isn’t exactly how I tackle things while I’m still working them out!

And yes, those faux opal bits would be a pain to buff! Perhaps I could stick a cotton bud in my Dremel and give it a go.

I made a second piece using the same raw faux opal but squished out thinner, with a different construction approach, and I’m going to glaze the faux opal on that one (it’ll have to be done by paintbrush).

I’m also part way through testing yet another idea for making the faux opal part.

That’s a good idea in general terms — I used to do a similar thing with refrigerated cutting boards for an old laptop computer that got too hot to put on one’s lap except in the dead of winter! — but in this case I couldn’t even roll the Pardo without it sticking to everything. It stuck to the pasta machine rollers; it stuck to my acrylic rod when I tried rolling it by hand. I put it inside folded non-stick paper, and it stuck to THAT whether I put it through the pasta machine or rolled it by hand. Argh! When I can’t even peel it off non-stick paper except in little bits it’s time to change to something else! ;)

(I know I could have refrigerated it in the non-stick paper after rolling it, and then peeled it off, but that was way too much bother for a simple experiment.)

Sue F.
Yes, I love that place, I won the Dream Machine 2 yrs ago for Mothers Day. The flakes were a problem for me because of size so I had a little electric coffee bean grinder and use it to grind up the flakes. It worked like a charm. Now I use it on both kinds. Maybe that would solve your problem.

Grinding up the flakes is a great idea, Dixie. Ended up using a cuticle scissors on mine to reduce them when I was playing with Cindy’s fabulous faux opal tute.

Sue !!!! OMW!!!…speachless…beautiful opal/rust tech…wow :)

Thanks, Sherry and Pollyanna! :D

Just gotta nail the faux opal part now…

Go for it. ;D

And I like your idea of doing it with faux turqoise as well… Turquoise is one of my favourite stones, particularly when there’s lots of irregular matrix! I’d love to see what you come up with.

And yes, a 48 hour day would help with all sorts of things!

(Oops. This is supposed to be a reply to Jocelyn’s post above. Wasn’t paying attention to where I stuck my reply!)

There have been some really hot days — last Tuesday it was still 41C/106F at 7pm when I rocked up for training for my sport, and still 30C/86F at 4.30am the next morning — but the day I tried to use the Pardo wasn’t one of them. It wasn’t even hot enough for me to bother with any air conditioning at all [I actually have full ducted air conditioning in the house, AND one of those new portable refrigerative air conditioners as well which normally sits in my computer room because of the extra heat from all the equipment there ;) ]. It just seems to be a characteristic of Pardo.

Good thinking, though! If I particularly need to use Pardo I might do something along the lines you suggest… but most of the time I’ll be lazy and use a different brand! LOL

Hi Lisa-Marie – Yes you could definitely put clay over the brad if you wish. That is a good idea and would be no problem to bake in the oven. Another alternative is to use wire rivets, which I actually prefer since they look so nice and professional.

I did a tute on it awhile back, if you want to learn how to do that. Here’s the link if you’re interested: Wire Riveting Polymer Clay

Oh and on the tumbling, it should be OK but I would test it first, to see how it does. (You will see I recommend testing things yourself, a lot. It really is the best way to know for sure.)

Thanks, Jocelyn! I think the Atlas pasta machines I got are effectively the same as yours — the add-ons are compatible with them all, at least! — although there are a couple of cosmetic differences, e.g. the colour and the labelling on the front. Made in Italy, 5 year warranty (only for pasta dough though!), 9 thickness settings plus the undocumented setting 0, etc.

The mechanism feels smoother than the various other pasta machines I’ve had in the past — three Fire Mountain Gems & Beads’ Polyrollers, three Makin’s Professional Ultimate Clay Machines, and a whole swag of cheapies whose brands I can’t remember — and the thickness adjustment is more precise, particularly at the thinner settings, so I’m hoping it’ll last well. (In case anyone is curious, out of those past pasta machines, the ones that lasted best were the Fire Mountain Gems & Beads Polyrollers; the Makin’s Professional Ultimate Clay Machines didn’t last any longer than the cheapest of the cheapies, which was rather disappointing.)

Anyway, I didn’t get an Atlas motor in the end because I decided it didn’t feed anywhere near fast enough for me after watching videos of one in use (I don’t have any patience! ;D), but I can buy a motorised version later if I decide I want one. Peters of Kensington doesn’t sell the motor on its own, so your distributor list will be useful for that (I’m hoping the Atlas machines I bought will still be going strong if and when I do want a motor!).

Hi Cindy P,

If you find that your clay is too soft for a technique, whether it be this one or something completely different, you can firm it up before use by leaching it, i.e. extracting some of the plasticisers.

The way I do this is to roll the clay through my pasta machine at a thinnish setting, place several sheets of plain white photocopy paper under it, several more sheets of plain white photocopy paper over it, and then put a pile of books or something heavy on top of the lot (I’ve been known to sit on it while working at the computer ;D). The paper will absorb some of the plasticisers; the longer you leave it, the more will be absorbed. The rate at which leaching takes place will depend on things like the brand of clay, the temperature, and the absorbency of the paper. If you over-leach the clay it will be weaker when cured and might also crack when you’re handling it in the uncured state, but if you do accidentally over-leach you can soften the clay back up again by mixing some liquid polymer clay into it.

Another method (which I think I’ve seen Cindy suggest) is to roll the clay through your pasta machine between sheets of paper, as many times as required to get the consistency you want (using new paper as required when the previous paper no longer absorbs the plasticisers effectively). If you type “leach” into the Search box near the top right of each page you’ll find all sorts of information about leaching polymer clay.

Pasta machines roll at varying thicknesses — the Atlas pasta machines I bought recently don’t have as thick a setting as the pasta machines I used previously, for example — so perhaps you need to adjust for that. For example, in video 2 around the 6:02 minute mark, use an acrylic rod or brayer to roll the clay instead.

I hope that helps,

Sue

Interesting results Cindy P.! My guess is that either the clay you used in the second batch had less plasticizers in it to start with so it was firmer, or that the different paprika was more absorbent and helped to remove some of the oils and plasticizers in the clay. Either way it sounds like it worked better for you.

As far as uploading pictures, you should do that at the
PcT Members Facebook gallery page.

Looking forward to seeing your new pieces!

Hi Vierra, I have not found any issues with the Liquitex Matte Varnish, scratching or wearing off. I tend to use thin coatings and since the polymer clay itself, is relatively matte, if it did scratch off, I am not sure if you would notice anyway. For this project it was used to protect the paprika inclusions in the clay without giving the rust a shiny uncharacteristic look. As far as a matte coating being less tough than a glossy finish, that is generally true when it comes to house paint so it may be the case here too as well, but I haven’t had any issues with it.

Thank you for your comment! I am pleased that you have enjoyed the tutorials for so many years!