Vid #148: “Your faux opals really capture the deepness and the shimmering layers.” ~Angelghost
This polymer clay opal tutorial seems like it has been a long time coming… primarily because we started talking about it back around Christmas time of last year. Well I finally came up with my own version of faux opals that has more depth than any other polymer clay “fopals” you have ever seen before.
Listed below are several of the “Tutorial Yes Votes” that were originally posted at this article: Using Iridescent Buffalo Snow Flakes to Make Beautiful Faux Opals
Just two days ago I came across my package of iridescent buffalo snow while looking for something else and wondered if the time to use it was near. That’s a little spooky for me, Cindy. I am ready to go with it. Looks to be a wonderful and never ending technique. ~Joyce-M
Oh man, I’ve been waiting for this one!! My big ole bag of Buffalo Snow is begging to be opened and transformed into something gorgeous. The pendant in the photo is stunning! Can’t wait! Can’t wait! Can’t wait! ~Elizabeth-S
Like Elizabeth S. I ran into my Buffalo snow this past week and was hoping that your tutorial would be coming out soon. I am ready to learn how to do this Cindy. I call action for the camera crew! ~Illaya-B
Yes, definitely! I’m mostly interested in the pale milky white ones. Looking forward to it! ~Laura-B
That’s funny, I was just looking at some “Christmas-ey” stuff that didn’t make it into the Holiday put-away gear. Good thing, I would have been reluctant to get it out of the garage. Actually, that’s not true. I would have braved the very crowded garage in order to make these beautiful opals! The ones shown on this page are gorgeous! I’m looking forward to making them. ~Phaedrakat
Count me in too, Cindy… been wanting to make these little sparklies. ~Lupe-M
Faux gemstones are fun in their own right as well as for the things you can do with them that are just not practical with the real deal. I haven’t made faux opal before although I’ve seen a few ways of doing it, so it will be great to see Cindy’s approach too. ~Sue-F
I have been waiting for the opal tutorial. I love fire opals with the red and orange colors. I’m ready to go. ~Linda-B
If you didn’t pick up some Buffalo Snow at Christmas time, I think the Arnold Grummer flakes are similar to it. They would be more expensive but I don’t think too bad. I’m looking forward to the tutorial. ~Freda-K
I’m ready! I got 2 bags of Buffalo Snow and when I was organizing my studio the other day, I was hoping this tut was coming soon. ~Linda-K
I have been waiting for this tutorial also! Really looking forward to it, Cindy! ~Marsha-N
Peggy Barnes – That is so very sweet of you to offer to send some Buffalo Snow Flakes to those who were not able to get to find any. You are another example of how wonderful the people in this community are! Someone else has already generously offered to send me some (thru Cindy – thanks again!!!). So I’m all set. There may be others in need though and I hope they take you up on your thoughtful offer. These Faux Opal beads are just to beautiful for anyone to miss out on. Thanks again Peggy! ~Lisa-W
I would love to make the opals…this is my birthstone.
~Loretta-C
Hi Cindy. I love the Polymer Clay Faux Opal Pendent with Hammered Copper Jewelry Bail. I would love to see a video on how to make this bail. I tried to make faux opal from someone on the net but did not turn out very well. I think maybe the direction may not have been clear enough, as yours are. I look forward to starting my day reading the news letter with a hot cup of coffee. ~Barb-C
You are simply stunning, Cindy. Ever since my parents gave me an opal as a present when I was 10 years old, I have loved these stones. I have always worn it around my neck, since then. I read every article about making fake ones, that I stumbled upon until now and I never ever saw one that even came close to how the real stones look. But your faux opals really capture the deepness and the shimmering layers. I would love to see the tutorial and try it out :D ~Angelghost
With such a clear Yes vote, I am happy to say that the Polymer Clay Faux Opals Tutorial has now been filmed and will be available in the Polymer Clay Library (Vol-022-3) on Friday March 19th, 2010.
Supplies & Tools: Video-022-3: Polymer Clay Faux Opals:
- Translucent Polymer Clay plus another color for your choice as a base. I used a 50:50 mix of Translucent and White Premo Sculpey.
- Buffalo Snow or other brand of large flaked Iridescent Glitter.
- Alcohol Ink (Optional).
- Studio by Sculpey Bake and Bond or Translucent Liquid Sculpey (TLS). Although TLS is easier to apply, it is much more rubbery than the Bake and Bond. I prefer the Bake and Bond over the TLS because it is much easier to sand after baking and gives a nicer overall finish.
- Parchment Paper.
- Wet/Dry Sanding Kit.
- High Gloss Finish such as Studio by Sculpey Glossy Glaze (Optional) .
The full version of the Vid-022-3 “Polymer Clay Faux Opals” Video will be posted in the Polymer Clay Members Library on Friday March 19, 2010. But if you would like to see a sneak peek intro clip right now, scroll down the page a bit to the video player below.
Here’s That “Link Below” Referred To at End of the Video
>> Polymer Clay Tutorials <<
The full version of the “Faux Opals” preview video shown above, is now available for purchase at the Polymer Clay Library in the Vol-022 Back Issue Package.
Customer Feedback About Membership Value:
Thanks for the welcome! I have been poking around this blog for months now. I am kicking myself for not joining sooner. I see now that I could have had access to the last few months of videos for a third the price, but I thought I knew enough that I didn’t “need” the subscription. But, after watching my first 2 member videos, I can see that it would have been soooo worth it. I have learned some new things already, and I’m sure there are many more great things in store for me. You are a great teacher, and you have such a supportive group of people here at your blog. I’m glad I finally made it to member status! (If only there was a way to wind back the clock and get Vol. 14 to 19 for $3.32 each instead of $9.95! What a dummy I am!). Sorry, I tend to be long-winded. Thanks again for such a great place to visit! I think I’m going to like it here. :) ~Phaedrakat
The following topics are included in this week’s “Polymer Clay Faux Opals” video tutorial:
- See examples of several different Faux Opals in a variety of color choices.
- Discussion of the supplies needed to create these beautiful stone replicas.
- Learn a new trick for getting incredible depth in your faux opals. Way beyond what has been done before with polymer clay.
- Tips on how to get the perfect finish on your faux opals so it’s hard to tell it from the real thing.
- I will also show you a great way to use the left-overs from the process for other polymer clay projects such as the inlay technique.
The full version of the “Faux Opals” preview video shown above, is now available for purchase at the Polymer Clay Library in the Vol-022 Back Issue Package.
I am so excited this week is finally here. I have been waiting for your faux opal tutorial. We are on spring break here and I have everything ready to start Friday morning. Air head here finally found macro on my camera so will send you some pictures of the opals I make. Thank you so much for all you do for us. You are just amazing!!!!!
Linda B.
Kansas City, MO
Hurray! Thank you for publishing the list of things we need cause now I know I have them all and I can try it on Friday! If I didn’t have things here I couldn’t just pop out to get them locally so would probably have to order online and that would feel like forever waiting.
I have now started actually using your videos instead of just enjoying watching them and I am really impressed with how easy they are to follow. There are so many little tips that you share that I am sure you wouldn’t get in a written tutorial. It is nice to be able to see you doing it so I know I can do it just like you (well I can try ;)
Here it comes! Yea!! The “opals” in the photo are stunning. With yet another wonderful tut on the way, I am confident I soon will have another pc skill in my repertoire. As always, thank you.
I know I am a little off topic here but I would like to add my request for learning how to make the bail used in the beautiful piece pictured yesterday.
Three days to go…I can hardly wait!
Whoopeeeeee this one i have been waiting for (as if i don’t wait every Friday) Just to show you how your blog has got to me i am now talking to myself, when playing last evening i was saying i think this is how Cindy does it and my husband came into my work room and wanted to no who i was talking to LOL????
Right, well that’s my Friday afternoon sorted then! :)
Yay, these just shimmer – can’t wait…eagerly awaiting another Fabulous Friday!!
YES once again I am on pins and needles. I got very close to working with my clay last week just in time for another bout of the flu. I have left my house twice over the last 7 weeks both times to go to the Dr. I have no immune system at all. So once again to the Dr. for more tests just to find out they can’t find anything out. It is my Fibromyalgia. I think they just like using that for an excuse when they can’t figure out what is wrong. Oh well it definitely could be worse and I am pampering myself so I can try my success at faux opals. There come the pins and needles again. I feel like a little kid waiting for Christmas. Can’t wait this is going to be a great one. I know because they are all GREAT!!!!
Thanks Cindy and Doug, Uuuuugggggggs to all, Peggy
Canti wait for Friday!!! Opals are my mom’s birthstone and she had a beautiful expensive one given to her by her uncle (who worked on a ship) from Africa. She lost it many years ago but also talked about it. i saw the ring once. I am going to make her an opal pendant or earrings as her fingers are now swollen with arthritis and she also had a stroke two years ago. She still loves to wear earrings so I think that’s what i’ll do and send it to her. She lives with Dad in India so far away- I miss them.
These faux opals are going to be fun — so much anticipation! I love the look of your “fopals,” as you called ’em. Yummy! One question, is it really worth it to go out & get some bake & bond, or is sticking with my TLS okay for now? Actually, now that I think about it, I haven’t seen Bake-n-bond anywhere; I’d have to order it. Maybe my question just answered itself! Do any of you other US members have Bake-n-bond for sale at your local craft stores, like Michael’s or JoAnn’s? ~Kat, Riverside, CA
First, I just love the modern world. I’m sending this while enjoying a beautiful day outside using a WiFi hotspot in Wilmington DE. Opal is the reason I became interested in PC, I can’t wait for Friday! Opal this month and Jade next, i’ve died and gone to PC heaven. Thank you Cindy
How exciting! You’re right, technology’s amazing, isn’t it? I’m glad you’re getting your PC tut-wish. Have a fun & safe trip!
Just how excited are we all, thinking of Cindy’s “fopals” on Friday? There’s more than a whiff of pc fever in the air! Thanks for the advance notice you give on upcoming tutes, that’s such a help, Cindy, in getting our ducks in a row. Dare I say, Friday is my birthday (I think I’m about 259 now) so it will be a v. special prezzie for that. Already thinking of lots of projects – pendant, mend my opal ring… what fabulous fun! XX Mary
Seems silly on the eve of our opal venture, but did anyone do anything green or shamrock-y for St. Pat’s Day? Maybe next year.
@Mary: I did a pendant :) four leaf clover using the extruder it turned out really cute. My doctor told me that I should be living in a beach house making jewelry. *LOL* Now wouldn’t that be nice. All credit goes to Cindy and Coug for their awesome tuts…
@Brenda: Woops! Typo” Doug”
@Brenda: well faith and begorrah, Brenda – good for you. Your shamrock pendant sounds terrific; part of getting that beach house could start with seasonal marketing of things like your Paddy’s Day things. All good. Have a pint of Guinness!
IS IT FRIDAY YET???????????
We need more Fridays in the week but Cindy wouldn’t get any sleep.
@Bonnie: Sorry, 2 more wake-ups…
Ta-dah! Finally, everyone can bust out their Buffalo Snow! (Looks like I need some bake and bond…)
Thanks, Cindy! Great tut! Happy Friday, everyone!
Oh” look out craft stores here I come…. Opals are my Birthstone. Did you know that Opals and Turquoise are spiritual stones.. I am part Cherokee and researched a long time ago as to why Indianians loved Opals and Turquoise.
The Opal helps those who use it to see possibilities.
It correlating with our emotions. Clarifies by amplifying and mirroring feelings, buried emotions, desires including love and passion. Less inhibition, more spontaneity. Visualization, imagination, dreams, healing. Easily absorbs, stores emotions and thoughts..
The Turquoise: is used for opening communication, creativity, serenity, spiritual bonding, upliftment;Opens the heart for giving/receiving. Symbolizes our source (spirit/sky) and spiritual love for healing, help. Like amethyst, it protects and detoxes from alcohol, poison, pollution, x-ray/sun radiation. Ancient absorber of “negativity”; protection from “evil eye”. Brings wisdom. Helps anorexia, headache, fear, etc. Throat, lungs, asthma, infections, teeth, hearing, high blood pressure, creativity block, depression. Thought I would share.
PS. I looked this info up to share because I knew they had strong meanings behind them. It will put more meaning into your stones when making them :)
Love the faux opal tute – I knew I would how about everyone else. I see many sparkles in our lives. Wow did not expect to use the bake and bond like that. It is amazing these beads can be polished into those beautiful stones. HIP HIP HURRAY FOR CINDY AND DOUG!!! Job well done once again. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. It is going to be 60 degrees plus here in Southeast Iowa with lots of sunshine this afternoon. Then snow and rain tonight and tomorrow. That’s Iowa don’t like the weather just wait a couple days it will change. I LOVE IOWA and the 4 seasons always something new to look forward too.
@Brenda: That is REALLY interesting information you posted about the spiritual significance of opals and turquoise. I wonder if those meaningful attributes still apply to our faux versions of these little beauties?! I for one would like to think that they do :-)
@Brenda – PS1: Let me know when you are set up in your Jewelry Making Beach house. I’ll come visit you. Doctors orders! :-) :-)
@Brenda- PS2: That’s funny about the Coug-Doug typo. With all the work he does behind the scenes to make everything run so smoothly around here, maybe we are actually morphing together as one person… LOL. Both Doug and I got a chuckle out of this. Thanks for the Friday funny.
By the way… HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Mary. She is 259 years young today!!!!
@Peggy: Thanks for the 3 cheers. I LOVE FRIDAYS and all of you guys and your wonderful positive attitudes.
@All: I can’t wait to hear from more of you about how your Fopals are coming along… Or maybe we should call them Fropals (Friday Faux Opals) Hehehe.
@Cindy Lietz from Faux Opal Pendant Project: *Giggles* Cindy I just ready what you siad about the beach house LOL… I am like 30 Mins from the beach, close enough for me. I am sure you would have beaten me there a long time ago. Too many Hurricanes for my blood. ;)
@Brenda: OMG… I need spell check this morning *LOL* Sorry for the typo’s. I promise I’m not an idiot. “read” and “Said”. I blushing…
Fopalicious, Cindy! Love those opals and thank you so much for a great tutorial: is there a special technique for the round, red one? Is it manipulated while the B&B is still wet and how? I should just plunge in and try, shouldn’t I? And thank you so much for your birthday wishes on my 259th. (People say I only look 257 but I think they’re just being polite.) 19th March hereafter known as Fopal Day. XX Mary
Cindy, I haven’t tried these yet (still need some B&B — bake and bond,) but I was wondering if you do the ice-water plunge after baking with this method? I know it aids clarity with regular translucent clay, but does it help with B&B as well? What about the heat gun method, right out of the oven? Or, did you just pull them out of the oven, let ’em cool, and then sand & buff? I guess I’m just so amazed at how clear & beautiful these opals get — truly gorgeous!
BTW, I believe that our creations carry the properties we put in them. So don’t think ugly thoughts when you’re making your fropals, or any faux stones…!
I was so excited about this opal tut, that I paid my worker to come in for a couple of hours while I went shopping for supplies.. I’ve got it bad *LOL*
I found the Snow at ” Party Supply” It is called confetti on the bag. I did not find the exact alcohol ink colors though. Does that matter?
@Mary: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
@Mary: I did the same thing with the red as the others, just didn’t push it down as firmly to the surface, so it stayed rounder.
@Phaedrakat: Yes plunging in ice water is a great idea. I always do that with all my beads so I forgot to mention that. No need for the heat gun though. Just sanding and buffing will do it!
@Brenda: LOL wish I had one of those paid workers… would come in quite handy! You don’t need to have the same colors of alcohol ink at all. You can even skip that step if you want and there is still lots of colors that show in the iridescent flakes. That is up to you.
So who is superstitious? I love opals but have never worn them as my Grandmother insisted they were bad luck. Thought the clay ones would be OK but when I went to get my clay kit out tonight the mirror I normally work on fell of the top and crashed – hmm that’s bad luck for 7 years!
After a moments hesitation I decided it was more likely my mirror feeling hurt that I was planning on replacing it (it’s lovely and smooth but off putting look down on your work area and I was having trouble with lighting due to glare from the mirror). Well I will have to get a new work surface now.
Opals baking – can’t wait to see how they will turn out.
I had trouble with dying the flakes they came out very bright colour and I tried mixing in more flakes to the same amount of ink but it just was bright in patches. My inks are bright primaries – perhaps more muted ones would be better.
@Cara: Could you add a drop or two of alcohol to thin out the inks a little or dilute the color in the “bright patches”?
@Phaedrakat: Genius! Will try it. Opals don’t look great yet – need more sanding!
@Cara: Forgot to say “Sorry” about your mirror. Even if you aren’t worried about the bad luck, what a mess to clean up! GOOD luck to you, and I hope your opals come out of the oven gorgeous like Cindy’s!
I guess I won’t be claying much this weekend :( My Mother in-law is having a hysta as I type. She went in knowing she had a lump in her Fallopian tube and they were to remove it. They said her tube burst and she has cancer
:( …… She is a cancer survivor of 20 years. I am heart broken. I can’t get a hold of my husband either. I don’t know how he is going to take this news…
@Brenda: So sorry to hear that, puts my borken mirror into perspective. Take care x
@Brenda: So sorry, Brenda. I hope your MIL will be okay. Will pray for all of you.
Cindy,
Wish I could have watched the neurons firing when you came up with this faux opal tutorial. You’ve outdone even yourself, and that is no minor feat. Oh, these are so beautiful! Sadly for me, my big ole bag of Buffalo Snow was something besides the flakes you used, but I will hit the party supply stores tomorrow in search of a usable substitute. In the meantime though, I bought some cellophane gift wrap stuff at Hobby Lobby which will allow me to practice the technique. Are you sure I can’t borrow just a tiny piece of that creative brain of yours? As I have said before, I will give it back, I promise (well, maybe).
Brenda,
I just refreshed the site and learned of your mother-in-law’s diagnosis. I fear anything I would say here would be so lacking in what I want to express. My prayer is that the gains in the fight against cancer will bring this lady, whom you love so much to a place of complete recovery.
My love and prayers to you and your family,
Elizabeth S.
@ Mary: Happy Birthday to You! I hope you’re having a wonderful day.
@Linda K.: You’re very sweet, thank you Linda.
@ Brenda: I’m keeping MIL in my prayers, along with you and your husband.
Thank you everyone. We are waiting on test to come back to see if it spread to any other places. So to take my mind off of it I tried making the Opal. It did not turn out. My B&B is really thick. Any suggestions to thinning it a bit?
@Brenda: Maybe some Sculpey Dilutent? It works well for thinning TLS. I hope everything turns out OK.
@Brenda: First of all I am so sorry to hear about your MIL. I hope she makes it through this OK. Sounds like she is a tough woman and she has the strength inside. You are such a good woman to be standing by her side like that. I will keep you both in my thoughts.
@EVERYONE: As far as the opal goes, don’t try and thin down the B&B. It will just run down the sides if you do. I did notice while filming it came out of the bottle easier, so I’m thinking the heat from the lights helped. You could try and set your bottle in a bowl of warm water to ‘loosen’ it up a bit. Also you can cut the tip on the bottle a tiny bit bigger so the liquid comes out with less squeezing, if you like.
@Ritzs: You haven’t done anything wrong. It’s just that you’re not done yet. A VERY thorough wet sanding process is required to get your opals to look like mine. Start at 320 grit, go to 400, 600, 800 and finally 1000. Then you will need to buff well. You will have to put some concerted effort into this. Bake and Bond sands easier, nicer and clearer than TLS. It is really worth it to get a hold of some of the B&B product for this faux opal technique. — If you don’t sand properly or deep enough then that outside layer will be too thick and cloudy and you just won’t see the flakes very well. Just keep going, you’ll see that the effort is worth it. — If it is too frustrating for you, skip doing the the outside Bake and Bond layer… but you will be cutting back on the look of depth, considerably.
—————————————————————————————–
I fully anticipated that the sanding process would be an issue for some of you. So I’m going to re-emphasize and re-state the information that I provided above.
The MOST IMPORTANT part of my faux opal technique is the sanding! It doesn’t matter if the outer Bake & Bond layer is thick. You can (and should) sand it thinner. In fact sanding is one of the main reasons why this opal, when done right, looks so much more realistic than most other faux opals you have seen.
You MUST put in the effort to wet sand through all the grits. 320, 400, 600, 800, 1000 and higher if you wish. Then it needs to be buffed well.
Have you seen a real opal in raw form? It doesn’t look that great does it? It is only after the sanding and buffing that all the wonderful sparkling layers are revealed.
If you want that wonderful depth that you have seen in the faux opals I create, you are going to have to work for it. But it’s worth it! You’ll see! :-)
Hello, I am new to Cindy’s tutorials and so far I am loving them. Cindy, about how long do you bake your fropals and at what temp? I know some PC artists use lower temps and longer bake times but what about you? Thank you in advance. I can’t wait for some time to call my own so I can try out your fropals. Opals are my birthstone and I think I am obsessed with them.
Brenda, I feel very impressed to tell you that your Mother-in-law and your entire family are in the best of hands. There is a beautiful song called “He’ll do it Again” (sung by Karen Wheaton) about the miracles we can claim and believe in. You said yourself that your Mother-in-law is a 20 year survivor. Remember, NOTHING is impossible for those who love and trust Him. I say to you and your Mother-in-law, BELIEVE. That is all, believe. With all of these wonderful people lifting you all up in prayer you are surrounded by angels. I would be honored to add my prayers as well. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to pray for you.
@Cheryl V.: As far as baking temps go, I like to bake at 265F-275F for one hour. Then plunge into ice water after baking to help with the clarity of the translucent clay and liquids. Use an oven thermometer to make sure the temp isn’t spiking.
For more info on baking, click the link by my name.
@Cindy Lietz from How to Bake Polymer Clay: Thank you so much Cindy! I can’t wait to get started making these amazing faux opals. I had never heard of plunging the baked clay into ice water to clarify the translucent clay until I discovered your site. Thank you very much for that also.
@Cindy: I didn’t get to watch the fopal tutorial until late last night because I was too busy all day making my peony-kalei-heart necklaces to fill the orders I’ve been getting!!!! Three things you taught me, all rolled into one!
I’ve seen tutorials on other opals and I think yours is the best. Can’t wait til I have time to try it.
As always Cindy adds that super flair…. I have tried other faux opal techniques and was not happy with the outcome… this one looks wonderful… Thanks Cindy.
Hi; Cindy I made the faux opal yesterday and after baking for one hour they came out white and nothing like yours I used fimo white translucent a spot of alcohol ink in the clay as I wanted a very pale pink base followed the tut I only had TLS to use for the final coat I tried sanding but they still stayed white white no sign of the buffalo snow or only a shadow any idea what I did wrong I was very disappointed. Ritz.
Hi All, I just got back from the hospital. MIL Is doing well. Thanks for all the kind support.
The Fopal project has been interesting project. I couldn’t sleep last night so I stayed up trying to takle the fopal. I made them but man they are tuff. You have to sand & sand & sand & sand… Mine are clear.. The B&B is super thick and stringy like honey. I found it hard to work with. I am not giving up though :)
Thank you Cindy i will have another go at the sanding
Cindy,
On the way the opals are made do you think it would work with the rose petals? Just using translucent clay and roses, cover with the bake and bond.
Which were the different in finishes between the bake and bond and the glossy glaze? I’m just wondering which one to try in getting a better finish.
Off the subject: Have you ever tried to make flowers (like the gum paste ones) with the polymer clay? There are videos with gumpaste on youtube. There is one lady that makes orchids with polymer clay.
Michelle
@Michelle: Wow, when I was typing the above answer, a lot of people put comments in (I need to type faster!) The other thing you asked about – the difference between Bake & Bond and a glaze? The difference is that B&B is a polymer clay/bakable adhesive; a glaze is just a glaze. B&B’s not really what you’d call a finish — it’s a liquid clay/adhesive, which allows the iridescent flakes to lay at different levels so that your opals get the ultimate look of depth. A glossy glaze just sits on top of the clay, providing a shiny finish. Hope this helps!
@Ken H.: I’m sorry Ken I didn’t address your comment. I can’t see why you couldn’t try dipping it though you could run into problems. B&B is so thick and sticky that it may not dip well and since it is a liquid, dealing with the drips could be tricky. But you know me… you won’t know if something will work unless you test it. So why don’t you try it on one and see how it goes? Don’t forget to tell us what happens. I am curious about this!
@Michelle: Looks like I missed your comment too Michelle. Sorry about that! Phaedrakat had a good response to this. I do love to try things and although I have stuck rose petals onto beads with B&B , I haven’t tried coating them with it yet. Why don’t you try it out yourself and see how it goes? Let us know what your results are and any problems you may have encountered.
Also the Glossy Glaze is just a shiny coat to add after all the sanding and polishing was done. It can not replace the B&B as part of this technique.
WOW I’m beginning to get a little intimidated by these opals. I haven’t tried them yet but I hope to Monday. I was wondering with all the sanding and I have the different grits of paper so that is not a problem. Does anyone think you could save on some of the sanding if you were to use your rock tumbler. I have the vibrating tumbler and it uses very little water. Do you think it would make a mess to put these opals in there with all that B&B on them. Has anyone gave it a try or even a thought?? Anyone have any input before I give this a try. I would only try 1 or 2 the first time out.
Brenda I am so sorry to hear about your MIL. You and your family are in my prayers. Your husband is blessed to have you by his side.
May God be with us all.
Uuuuuuggggggggggs, Peggy
@Peggy Barnes: I also have fibromyalgia and sanding cramps up my hands quickly. A few month ago I found Desiree McCrory’s website, where she had a link to a tutorial on creating a sanding tool out of a battery-operated toothbrush. The tutorial required a different head for each grit of sandpaper, which I thought was not necessary, so this is what I came up with:
Buy a cheap, battery-operated toothbrush with replaceable batteries. Use a hot-glue gun to completely fill in between the bristles in the round section that spins, so that those bristles become rigid. The round section still needs to spin, so don’t glue it to the stationary bristles.
Cut out a circle of sandpaper in each grit, the size of the circle of spinning bristles that you just filled in with hot glue. Using strips of velcro (with the hooks and loops joined together) cut circles the same size as the circles of sandpaper or use pre-cut vecro dots.
Use the hot-glue gun to glue the sandpaper circles to the back of the loop (soft) sides of the velcro. You now have a “sandwich” with the sandpaper on the top.
Hot-glue each sandwich, in ascending order by grit, onto a long strip of cardstock, leaving enough room to write the grit number above each sandwich. Use a waterproof pen, like a Sharpee.
Finally, cut one extra round of velcro and hot-glue the back of the hook piece to the round spinning area of the toothbrush bristles. Now all you have to do is choose the grit you want to sand with and separate the hook and loop of the velcro. Stick the sandpaper/velcro loop piece to the toothbrush/velcro hook piece and you’re ready to sand.
When you’re done with a grit, stick it back to its velcro hook piece that’s glued to the cardstock.
When any of the grits or pieces of velcro wear out, just glue on a new one.
I always wear a surgical glove on my left hand while I hold the toothbrush in my right.
Fantastic Video, I saw an Opal bead necklace when I was out in Las Vegas, didn’t go in the store to ask how much, you know the saying, “If you have to ask, you can’t afford it”, But up till then I had never seen round opal beads, they had always been cabs. Can you put the BnB in a cup and dip the beads into it for the final layer? Thanks again Cindy, can’t wait to try this one.
Hi Michele, have you seen Cindy’s rose videos? Her Variegated Rose Beads are lovely. They are part of back issue Vol-013, which includes tutorials on Rubber Stamping texture, Anjou Pear Beads, as well as the Sculpted Rose Beads.
These links are to the articles about them; to get to the actual tutorials, you go to the members video library (link at top of page,) and scroll down to “Volume 013 Back Issue Package.” Underneath it in red it says “Click Here:” That will show you previews of all 4 videos in the volume. I haven’t seen this one yet, but it’s on my list. I eventually want to get them all – they’re so good!
Concerning your question about the rose petals — I see no reason why it wouldn’t work. The only thing you need to remember is the flowers need to be completely dry first. Cindy did an article about Rosary Beads using Bake and Bond. There are links to several other articles in this post that will give you lots of info on the subject. (Don’t forget to read the comments – lots of ideas, tips, & even pictures!)
She also has videos with flower inclusions. If you want to look at those, it’s Volume 003 in the library. You can check out the video previews the same way described for the Rose beads, or I think they’re on one of the posts linked to in the Rosary Bead article.
Wowsers! Opal is my birthstone (they were also my grandmother’s but she wouldn’t wear them because she thought they were bad lick). I have some raw opal stones so I totally agree that “rough” opals are nothing like the final ones. I’ve tried and tried other methods to make faux opals with terrible results. Using the Bake & Bond is a stroke of genious! For anyone who might want to know: automotive stores always have the best selection of sand paper grits (not sure why). The depth of these is amazing. I have to find the flakes but will try with the glitter I have just to learn the technique. Maybe I’ll wind up with colored versions of goldstone!!
Ooops, make that “bad luck”…
Amazing! I have some Buffalo Snow on order now! Thank you for this video!!!
Cindy E.
Right, I finally have some time to try this! I only have liquid Fimo so I’ll try that and see how well it works. I have a feeling it might be too runny so will probably require several layers but experimenting is part of the fun!
@Silverleaf: How are your experiments with Deco Gel coming? I was thinking about what you said about it being too runny. If that happens, I wonder if you could use a heat gun to partially cure it, to kind of “hold it in place” over the snow, and then slowly build up enough layers. I’m curious to see how it goes, as I know you’re very creative. Also, I haven’t any B&B yet, either, so I’m anxious to see if I should order some online, (or work with one of the 3 types of liquid clay I already have!) Good luck, Anna, and keep us abreast of your progress! I mean, could you please? ;D
@Phaedrakat: I am using the B&B It is super hard after baking. It seems to be harder than regular clay. I sanded mind both the wet and dry way the grit is coming off into to clay when I wet sand though. Mine are a little lumpy and my thumb has a blister from the sandpaper hitting it :( So I through them all in the tumbler. They have been going all night so I will let you know how it goes later today.
@Silverleaf: Thant sounds cool! I like Phaedrakat’s suggestion for heat set the layers to get them thick enough. That should work. I’d love to hear what happens with your testing!
@Peggy Barnes: I am sorry to not have gotten to you sooner Peggy… Sometimes my life feels a little like a run away freight train! Thank God for people like Phaedrakat and everyone else to come to my rescue in answering questions so well!
I don’t think the Polybonder will work. Though I haven’t tried it, from what I’ve seen it is a thin glue and not a thick liquid clay based adhesive like Bake and Bond. If you really want the look I got, B&B is your best bet (so far that is).
Sure you can toss your beads in the tumbler, it won’t hurt them, but in my experience the tumbler really doesn’t take the surface down very far. There could be another grit that will work, but I just haven’t figured that out yet. Maybe if you tried a small power hand sander like one of those ones called a ‘Mouse’ would work if you put wet dry paper on it. (Another thing I’ve been wanting to experiment with but haven’t got to.
You could try drywall sandpaper as your first step, to get the surface at least to the right thickness, then move on to the wet/dry steps. I’ve linked to an article by my name for more info on that.
Hope you have fun with your Grandkids! I know you are crazy about spending time together! :-)
@Phaedrakat: Thank you for all your outstanding help! Hope this doesn’t embarrass you but you are my guardian angel here at the blog. :-)
@Brenda: Do let us know how the tumbling goes. I am curious.
@Cindy Lietz from Drywall Sandpaper: @Phaedrakat:
Fimo gel doesn’t work very well at all. It’s far too runny so you can’t get a thick layer to cover the flakes, and once it’s in the oven it runs some more and pools over the tile around the piece. I thought that maybe I could build up successive layers to create the same effect as the B&B but after 4 layers it still looks awful and lumpy so I gave up.
Also I found that the Wild Plum ink I used leached out into the gel and stained it, so I ended up with colourless flakes and bright pink gel, not quite what I was after. :( Think I didn’t let the ink dry enough in my impatience!
I’ll be ordering some Bake & Bond later.
I did try something different with the Fimo gel though. I extruded some black clay with the small rectangular die and laid it around a metal cookie cutter to form a “frame”. Baked on a tile and removed the cutter, then filled the frame with several layer of flakes and gel, baked for 15 mins or so for each layer. Looks pretty cool so far so we’ll see what happens – I want to add a layer of trans with flakes to the back of it to make it different on the reverse, and less transparent.
@Silverleaf: Thanks for letting us know how it went! I’m sorry it didn’t work out with the Fimo Gel. I hope it doesn’t take too long for you to get your bake & bond — and that it’s not too expensive. It looks like it’s about $3.50 over here, but I have to order it. Thanks for sharing your experiment, I appreciate it very much (& knowing for sure I have to order b&b.) You also helped by reminding us know to make sure the ink’s completely dry. Your other experiment/creation sounds gorgeous! Your explanation is very clear; I can just about picture it in my mind (I can see it, just not the exact shape!) I hope we get to see pictures when your project’s complete!
@Silverleaf: Thanks for sharing your findings with the Fimo Gel. That was really interesting. I had a similar thing happen with the ink bleeding into the B&B when I let it sit for several hours before baking. I like how the turned out though. Looked like some sort of Easter Egg Opal! LOL
@Cindy Lietz from Polymer Clay Color Recipes: I mentioned the ink spreading on Facebook the other day, and Tina Holden commented that red and purple inks particularly tend to bleed into other things – in my experience the Wild Plum seems to want to share its pinkness with everything! ;) Sometimes it’s pretty, but it can be annoying. Definitely worth waiting until the ink’s absolutely dry unless you like the tinted look.
@Phaedrakat: No problem, it’s good to know that my experiments will save other people potentially wasting time and supplies. Makes me feel a little tiny bit like Cindy, “making mistakes so you don’t have to”, lol!
@Silverleaf: I noticed the red bleeding in mine as well. I mentioned before about the blister on my thumb “right” well my husband had got me some rubber coated gloves “LOL” like what he uses on his job. I never used them*hehe……. I showed him my beads and told him that the big red spot where from my thumb. I think he actually believed me. His comment was “I gave you gloves” Got to love em… :)
@Brenda: Your fopals are so pretty! You made quite the variety, as well! I love them all, but have to comment on the lovely earrings. I think I’ll have to try some in black, as well. I’m quite eager to try this technique. I know I’ll hate the sanding part, but the end result is WAY worth it!
You are such a meanie to your hubby. LOL : ) Not mean, just a little fibber — making him think the ink was an injury from sanding! Did you get some sympathy, or just an “I told you so” about the gloves? You’re in trouble when the ink washes off… hehehe That’s funny! ;~D
@Phaedrakat: Thanks, I like them I wore them today to see if anyone complemented me on them. One client did.
*giggles* No’ I got no sympathy. I told him that I was joking. We cut up all the time like that. He is so funny. He showed me those gloves again this morning. “you should really get a pair of these things” he said. I did get a cut though the dremel got me.
@Silverleaf: Thank you… The irregular shape is growing on me.
@Silverleaf: Thanks for the warning about the ink bleeding problem. Although it might be a pretty effect for some things, I don’t want it to happen to my opals! Now I know to let my inks dry completely, and not to let them sit around much with the liquid clay (or B&B.) You really are like Cindy, “Making the mistakes….” I totally appreciate the save! You’re awesome! How did your other experiment come out, the extruded frame with the gel & snow in the center? They sounded like such a pretty idea. Please, let us know how they turn out too, Silver-‘Tutor’! ;-) Wait. :~\ huh? Sorry, weird stuff going on around here right now. Gotta go, cuz I’m lo-ooosing it… 8-D
@Cindy, Our Fabulous Tutor!: Thanks, Cindy. I enjoy talking with everyone. I wouldn’t go that far – guardian angel! I’m definitely blushing…
@Brenda: Your poor fingers & blistered thumb! I sure hope the tumbler works! If the b&b is that hard, the tumbler should help a little at least. I guess it all depends on what kind of grit you’re using, or do you use river rocks? I can’t wait to hear how it turns out! I know when I get some b&b and make this project, I’m going to need a tumber or something. I have sissy fingers! (Actually, I have sissy everything!) Thanks Brenda!
@Phaedrakat: LOL The rock tumbler made them look white and beat them up pretty good. All I can say is Cindy your the queen of Fuax Opals!
@Brenda: Your opals are probably just fine Brenda, the water probably just made them look white. You should be able to sand them now with no problems.
@Everyone: This technique really isn’t that hard, you just need to follow the directions just like I showed you. Make sure they are baked for a full hour so that they are nice and hard. They sand better that way.
If the sanding is taking too long, start with a courser grit like a 320 or you can even use a 120 grit drywall sandpaper (see link by my name). Don’t use an old piece of sandpaper, because it just won’t do the job. Then go to 400 grit, 600, 800 and 1000 grit.
This does take some effort but it isn’t anything that you guys can’t master, just as well as I can. You guys can do this, I believe in you!
@Brenda: I figured you have a southern accent, and were typing like you spoke! LOL, JK. No need to blush, now, it’s just spelnig, I mean spelling…As for the beach house, I understand completely! I love the “idea” of living by the beach. But the practicality of it is a bit scary – as are hurricanes!
I hope all is well with your mother-in-law. My thoughts go out to all of you!
Hi guys I need help. I’m going to be gone over the next 5 days to be with grandchildren while Mommy and Daddy get away. I was packing some clay things so we could work on it while I am gone. I was getting stuff for opals together and I only have Poly Bonder by Lisa Pavelka not the bake and bond. Will this work or should I try to get some Sculpey B&B. I am leaving Thursday morning so if someone could give me some in-put before then I would be very thankful. Also did anyone know anything about putting the opals in vibrating rock tumbler to cut down on sanding. I don’t have alot of strength in my hands because of Fibro it’s not that I am too lazy ( well maybe just a little )
Thanks so much in advance for any help. I am so grateful to be a part of this wonderful group of artists.
Uuuuugggggs to all, Peggy
@Peggy Barnes: Hi Peggy, I’m not familiar with the Poly-Bonder, is it just an adhesive or is it a liquid clay, too?
If it’s just an adhesive, then no, you would still need Bake & Bond, or at least a liquid clay (like TLS, Fimo Gel, or Kato Sauce.) You could use a small daub of it to put the “snow” in place, but then you’d have to use the liquid clay to cover the snow. (This is the important step she mentions, where she squeezes the B&B around & around like ganache.) She mentions the use of TLS as an alternative in the video; but above she states you do get better clarity with the Bake & Bond.
I haven’t tried tumbler sanding, as I’m still waiting to add one to my supplies. But, since Bake & Bond is still a polymer clay, you should be able to sand it the same way you do your other beads. In fact, Cindy recommends wet-sanding the opals, so using the tumbler should be okay too. Cindy did warn that this project requires a deep sanding, so you’ll probably have to add some hand-sanding, too. At least the tumbler can cut down on some of the effort.
Has anyone tried this yet, who can give Peggy more advice?
Ok… here are my final fopals. *LOL* they look ruff.
I tried several ways with these things. First tried Cindy’s way. Then I wan’t more of a bead look. I got tire of sanding and through them in the tumbler. That beat them up a bit and turned them white. but they coated up nicely. then I thought I might try with a black background to help the colors pop like a real opal. I guess it was ok that way. Last but not least, I grabbed my rotary drill, put my sandpaper bit on and went to town <–Make sure to wear safety glasses. Ta.. Da.. I just sand with a finer sandpaper after I got the ruff stuff off. I wish I could get them more rounder. I guess that is what makes them unique..
@Brenda: You did it! That is so great Brenda, I knew you could. Don’t worry about the shape, the more practice you get the rounder they will be. I love the colors on the larger one in the background. and the earrings turned out great! There is a lot of depth to your opals.
The Dremel was a good fix for you, glad you figured something out. Silverleaf is correct about the ink bleeding, if you let the ink dry longer and bake the beads quicker, there is less chance of the color seeping out into the liquid clay.
Your husband was right about the gloves… they’re good for avoiding blisters.
Thanks for sending in your photos. It will be encouraging to all of those out there who have found this technique a challenge and a bit advanced for them. Now they know with a little perseverance they too can do it!
@Brenda: They look really good, very natural. I like the irregular shape a lot!:)
I just saw these. Wow Brenda, Very nice.
I keep wondering about using these beads for bracelets. Since they are flat on the back they wouldn’t look good on a bracelet since the beads roll around. How do you use this technique for round beads.
My picture of my beads is on flickr. I sanded them starting with 220 then 320 and on up. They still don’t look like they should.
flickr.com/photos/fredak/4464179559/
@Freda K: Freda I had a look at your opal photo on Flickr and I have a couple of things to point out that should help a lot in the making of these faux stones. This is a bit more of an advanced technique than the others I’ve shown, so it may take a bit of practice to get yours to look like mine.
First of all, I think you are probably using TLS instead of Bake and Bond which ends up looking milkier. You can use it for this technique but it is not ideal. Also, the coating is not as thick as it should be since the surface is still very bumpy from where the flakes are sticking out. You would need to add another coat to get them to look right.
You said you sanded through all the grits, but I can still see quite ragged edges and bumps on the surface. The courser 220 and 320 grits need to used until the surface is completely smooth before moving on to the next higher grit. If you just kind of scratch at the surface for a minute or two and then move on, you won’t end up with a glassy surface like the ones in the video. They will end up bumpy, scratched and white looking.
As far as shapes go, you may find shapes other than the smooth round cabochon shape that I used, to be quite difficult to coat properly with the B&B. It won’t be able pull evenly over the sides. So try the domed cabochon shape first before moving on to harder shapes.
And lastly, that brings me to the shape itself. These particular faux opals work best when they are treated like a cabochon and added to a bail or background piece of polymer clay. They weren’t designed to be used as beads with all of the surfaces showing
If you want to make faux opal beads that are in shapes and seen from all sides, just do the first part of the tutorial and skip the B&B stage. This will create the type of opals that you have probably already seen out there, which although they do not have the same depth to them, they are still very pretty.
Hope that helps Freda. Good luck!
Thanks for such a thorough answer. I was a little frustrated with them because I sanded them so much longer than I usually do and it didn’t seem to do much. I’m going to get some B&B and try it with a cabachon like you said. Maybe the next batch will be better. The more I do something the better it gets. I know that and should have tried it more than once but now when I try it I’ll have a better chance of having them look like they should.
I did googled real opal bracelets, and found that they’re mostly cabochons set in some sort of bezel. So this project’s Faux Opals in cabochon form vs. a round bead, is more “authentic.” To use them in a bracelet, you could make a small polymer bezel/backing for each f’opal. Then put holes in both ends of each bezel, and link them together with jump rings. You can find lots of other designs by looking at jewelry made with cabs; your creativity will be sparked and the ideas will flow…
@Phaedrakat: While I agree most opals are prepared as Cabs, I found the picture of the necklace I saw out Las Vegas, it is a $3,500 necklace done in 5.5-6 mm opal beads, I can’t figure out how to get this photo on to the comment section, but for anyone who wants to do a little legwork to see an extrodinary piece of jewelry here is the website: opalsandgemsofaustralia.com/crystal-opal-bead-necklace-556mm-gold-3500-p-103.html
This necklace left an impression on me from when I saw it over a year ago. And I will eventually figure out how to mimic this with Cindy’s technique. (I have high asperations don’t I) :)
@Sue F: That is so cool Sue! I will have to try that. I only have a teeny piece of Frost left, does it work with trans? Or only Frost?
@carolyn: I’m here to pat you on the back as well. Your work is stunning! :-) To reply to more than 1 person I reply to one and copy the message and code to my computer clipboard, then cancel reply. Then I reply to next one and paste the previous message above it. It’s a little bit cumbersome but it works.
@Brenda: I am so sorry to hear that. :-( My thoughts are with you all.
@Hobokenmary: LOL that’s too funny!
@Ken H: Oooo Ken I see why you love that necklace… it is gorgeous! I was thinking you could try and make two half spheres, do the whole technique, bake and then glue them together and bake again. Would be a ton of work, but if you made a few bigger beads it might be worth it. Another option would be to stick the flakes onto a round bead with the B&B like you do but then bake it before adding the top layer. Then you could try dipping it. May get a lot of drips, but those could be sanded off. Just an idea or two to try.
Hi @Cindy,
I’m sure it will work with normal Premo Translucent too, since they seem to be roughly equal in clarity but just slightly different in how coloured they are (or aren’t ;D). However I haven’t tried it exactly since I’m in the opposite situation to you: I have several large blocks of Premo Frost, but only a tiny bit of normal Premo Translucent!
The same kind of “caramelising” and increased clarity seems to happen with all the translucent clays regardless of brand, although they darken differently and achieve different levels of clarity. I actually think it would be really cool to very roughly marble a whole lot of different translucents together and then to gently overbake beads made from that mixture as described in my earlier post, as that would likely replicate the imperfections and random cloudiness that I think are a lot more interesting than perfectly clear “gemstone quality” stones.
(I’ve actually done a similar kind of multi-brand translucent thing before, but using small amounts of opaque+translucent and mica+translucent clay mixtures as well as various plain translucents, with a technique more like faux turquoise: chopping different mixtures of the clays up with a blade, covering the chopped pieces lightly with thinned white acrylic paint, roughly combining the different mixtures, and then pressing portions of this together to make beads. The end result of that was lovely and looked like a stone composed of various types of large crystals in warm but pale neutral colours.)
You could also use a little bit of alcohol ink to further colour parts of the clay before mixing/marbling. And you could cut the mixture and insert very fine sheets of clay (e.g. a different translucent or translucent tint, or an opaque sheet) — or even brush on a thin layer of acrylic paint in a suitable colour — to replicate the planar fractures and linear inclusions that you see in some stones (if you did this, you’d probably want to cut your raw bead shapes out of the lump of prepared clay instead of the normal “pull a pinch off an roll it”, to preserve the straight/planar features added).
I just love making faux gemstones! ;)
(And I really will have to find the notebook where I recorded those particular results!)
Sue
@Marion K: Hi Marion! I don’t want to say too much, or give Cindy’s video secrets away in this “open forum.” Still, did you use Bake-n-bond as shown in the tute? You mentioned using certain Fimo glitter clays…was that instead of flakes? Did you limit the amounts, & did you mix w/regular translucent?
If you followed the steps in the video, then you probably need to sand more, as that’s where alot of members had difficulty (the Bake-n-bond bakes up really hard, so start with a heavy grit…or break out the Dremel.) Also, try reading comments on this page & other “opal” posts for more tips…
Good luck!
@Phaedrakat:
No bake and bond, couldnt get it overhere, have to try get it from somewhere,more searching to do,hahaha.
And i didnt use the fimoglitter instead of the flakes but with flakes.
I think maybe i put too much of the glitterclay in the translucent ?
But i wont give up so easy, will try again until i get something that looks like an opal.
Thanks Phaedrakat
@Ken H: Wow, that is stunning, Ken. I can see the attraction…
What about wrapping the “extra stuff” around a round bead? You know in the video where Cindy takes the excess B&B and flakes and smears them on the parchment to bake for ‘other projects’? She mentions using it for inlays, but maybe you could make lots of that, and wrap it around a bead made with trans/white with flakes, already shaped into a round shape (maybe even pre-baked and attached with more B&B?) Just another idea…
Thanks for the link, Ken H! Just to be different (which is normal for me) I actually don’t really care for the necklace… but I totally love the raw opal chunks that it’s sitting on. The deeper colours peeking out of the matrix… that’s what I’ll be trying to replicate!
@Ken H: Wow, I can’t imagine a reason for someone to say they don’t care for this necklace! The opals are brilliant! There are people who prefer other styles — this is a classic, knotted necklace with gold clasp. A simple piece in design, but anything too elaborate might detract from the glossy beauty of the gorgeous opals. I can only imagine how they look in “person.” Good luck in your endeavor to create fabulous, round “fopals”… :D
Ooooh I LOVE real opals, and hadn’t seen a faux technique that really captured them well…until yours! YEAH!!!
Hi all,
Here is a picture of my faux opal pendant. I’ve gotten so many compliments… thank you! The picture really doesn’t do the piece justice as compared to seeing it in person, but I thought I’d send this along anyway!
@Hobokenmary: Looks really beautiful — I’ll bet it’s a knockout “in person”. The colors are stunning, and the bezel looks great with it – what did you use? Anyway, it is a gorgeous piece! Thank you for sharing~
@Phaedrakat: Hi there Phaedrakat and thank you for the compliment. In the sunlight the pendant and ring is absolutely amazing. I use Patera bezels from Nunn Design. They are a bit expensive but the end result proves worth it. I also made a ring and earings in the fopal and instead of the Buffalo Snow flakes which I couldn’t find I found some iridescent decorating shred (or Easter basket grass) and cut that up instead.