Archive for February, 2010
Thursday, February 11th, 2010
Mylene writes:
As a card maker and paper crafter, I love to create embellishments to add to my projects. And being on the Krafty Lady Design Team I have access to some of the best moulds available for that very purpose. These moulds are wonderful: apart from the fabulous array of designs, and the fact that they are made from silicone so nothing sticks to them, they are also very flexible, making demoulding a breeze. I've used these moulds to cast every kneadable or pourable medium I could lay my hands on including soap, wax, polymer clay, air dry clay, resin, Opals and UTEE. They've stood the test admirably and are as good today as they were when I first used them, literally hundreds of casts ago.
So today I'd like to share my method of moulding with Friendly Plastic using a heat gun. So let's begin:
Gather all the materials you'll need: Friendly Plastic, Krafty Lady art mould (I've used AM247 Leaf Med), Tim Holtz Tonic scissors (because they cut Friendly Plastic so easily), a heat gun and a bowl of cool water.
Cut a strip of Friendly Plastic slightly larger all around than the mould cavity.
Place it in the mould cavity foil side down.
Heat it with the heat gun until it turn glossy......
....and begins to slump down into the mould.
Dip your finger tips from both hands into water - it's amazing how often you accidentally touch the Friendly Plastic with your non-moulding hand and it sticks to you. Press the Friendly Plastic down in the mould making sure you push it into all the nooks and crannies. 
Place the mould and Friendly Plastic into the bowl of cool water and leave it to set (usually about 30 seconds).
Once it's cooled, remove it from the water and you'll find the Friendly Plastic cast will just lift out of the mould. Here's the finished cast. 
If you were adding this to a papercraft project you could leave it as a rectangle so that you have something to attach it to your page or card with. Pritt Power Gel or strong double sided tape should do the trick. If you prefer to trim the excess away, then look for silicone adhesive to fill the back of the mould (my favourite is Helmar) but if you need something archival then choose Scrap Dots (also by Helmar).
For jewellery projects, try drilling a hole through the leaf stalk once the piece is cooled.
You can download and print this tutorial in pdf format from the tutorials page at Mill Lane Studio.
Happy casting!
THANKS MYLENE for sharing your tip with all of us!!! Using Friendly Plastic in moulds is a great way to reproduce objects over and over again!
Linda Peterson is compensated and endorsed by AMACO. The guests features may or may not have any affiliation with AMACO.
Posted in Beginner Friendly Plastic, Friendly Plastic Moulds, molding friendly plastic, Mylene Hilam, Plastic Industry News | No Comments »
Thursday, February 11th, 2010
Forbes magazine posted a story today that quotes an unidentified mold maker saying he sees no need to invest in new equipment -- at least right now. Described as a longtime customer of Kalamazoo County State Bank in Schoolcraft, Mich.,...
Posted in Plastic Industry News | No Comments »
Thursday, February 11th, 2010
Flex-N-Gate Corp. has a reputation as a very quiet, very private company. Its owner, Shahid Khan, is considered a mystery man in the auto supply sector. But get ready for that to change, in a big way. The St. Louis...
Posted in Automotive, Plastic Industry News | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 10th, 2010
Thank you Di for sharing your tutorial on making this pendant!
This is a great project to start with if you are new to Friendly Plastic. Simple yet elegant!
Di shares:
I'm trying something new today and posting a tutorial. I don't know that this is my forte, but I indicated in a November post I would share the process I used to make the purple Friendly Plastic pendant, and today's the day. Today we're making a blue FP pendant.
Start with a bargain piece of costume jewelry. I'm using a silver clip earring. Cut a piece of FP slightly bigger than the earring and choose a stamp (I'm using one from Fancy Pants). Unmounted stamps work best if your piece isn't totally flat. You can use a stamp that's smaller than your piece, but I'm not good at placing them in the center so I just use oversize stamps to eliminate that problem.
Lay the FP over the piece & melt it with a heat gun.
When it's nicely melted, prepare your stamp by pressing it into a watermark stamp pad (I use VersaMark) and then pressing it into the FP. Use your fingers to press everywhere to ensure full contact. Experiment with the pressure for different looks. Firm pressure will reveal the metal underneath, which may or may not be your intent. That's what I did for the purple piece, but for this blue piece I chose to use less pressure.
When you're confident the stamp isn't going to lift from the FP, place the piece in a cold water bath to solidify the FP.
After a few moments remove the piece and carefully lift the stamp from the FP. The edges might be a little jagged, as you can see here.
Place a nonstick craft sheet (I use Ranger's) on a griddle and heat the griddle to 275. Lightly touch/drag the edges to melt/smooth them. Once cool, add your preferred glaze/sealer (I like Triple Thick by DecoArt) and a bail. Thread on a cord or chain and you're set! 
Linda Peterson is compensated and endorsed by AMACO. The guests features may or may not have any affiliation with AMACO.
Posted in di-did-it, Free project sheets, Friendly Plastic, Friendly Plastic Jewelry, friendly plastic project sheets, Friendly Plastic tutorial, How-to project, Jewelry, Plastic Industry News, rubberstamping | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 10th, 2010
A man on trial for the Jan. 30, 2009, murder of Athens, Tenn., injection molding company owner Jeff Beene has pleaded guilty to second degree murder. According to local news reports, the prosecution was about halfway through its case against...
Posted in Plastic Industry News | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 10th, 2010
Change is coming to McCormick Place. Crain's Chicago Business and the Chicago Tribune are reporting that officials from Chicago's convention and tourism bureau plan to Feb. 17 with trade show clients to present their plan for reorganizing McCormick Place's troubled...
Posted in Materials, NPE, Plastic Industry News | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 10th, 2010
UN Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie said yesterday it will take years to rebuild Haiti from the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake. Some involved in the relief effort are saying it will be a 10-year-long effort. That seems like an awfully long...
Posted in Plastic Industry News | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 9th, 2010
Is your head spinning with ideas for the
Rings and Things contest? What/!?!?!?! You don't know if you should enter???? WHY NOT!?!?! What have you got to lose? Check out this email below from one of the past winners:
Hi Linda,
I visit the Friendly Plastic blog each day. I enjoy seeing new techniques and other artists work. On todays blog I noticed you mentioned the Rings and Things contest. I entered this contest in 2008 and won Polly's pick, Alternative Materials category. A picture of my friendly plastic pin "Shopper Girl" is featured on the friendly plastic page 361 in the 2009 catalog. I have attached a copy of my pin in case you don't have their catalog.
Sincerely,
Sherry McGilvray
Sherry was also one of the 2010 Design Challenge Winners! But....as she knows....you can't win if you don't enter! So get those entries in...then
email me and let me know too!
Congratulations to Sherry! Next time...will I be congratulating you??
Friendly Plastic can be purchased at
Rings N Things.
Linda Peterson is compensated and endorsed by AMACO. The guests features may or may not have any affiliation with AMACO.
Posted in Amaco, Challenge Winner, Friendly Plastic, friendly plastic artists, friendly plastic contest, Friendly Plastic Jewelry, jewelry contest, Plastic Industry News, sherry mcgilvray | No Comments »
Monday, February 8th, 2010
GOOGLE ALERTS ROCK!! Look what it brought me in my inbox? This contest is sponsored by Rings N Things...and the best part?!?!? THERE IS A CATEGORY FOR FRIENDLY PLASTIC!! How awesome is that?
Here is an excellent chance to get some exposure and win some wonderful prizes! Details to the contest are below. If you do happen to enter...please email me and let me know! See the details below:
This contest is open until
28 February 2010. That means you have approximately
18 days remaining to attend. Read on to find out more details about how you can enter.
This is a free contest, which means that you can enter for free and without the need of paying an entry fee.
Winners announcement expected:
beginning of June 2010.
Note: Contest Watchers uses Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). All calculations are approximate and based on UTC.
Rings & Things invites you to show your favorite handmade designs. Designs don’t have to be jewelry – they can be anything! Winning entries (with credit to the designer) could be featured in Rings & Things catalog & promotions – that’s exposure to more than a million people a year, worldwide!
You can turn around and use this for “as seen in†promotions of your own.
Objective
Your main concern is creating beautiful jewelry in the following categories:
- Glass & Crystal: Designs focused around glass, seed beads, E-beads, fiber optics, Cosmic Crystal™ and/or CRYSTALLIZED™ – Swarovski Elements.
- Gemstones: Designs focused around gemstone and/or pearl beads and pendants. Stones can be natural, enhanced or manmade.
- Mostly Metal: Designs focused around chain, wirework, chainmaille, metal beads, charms, filigrees, cloisonné and/or findings.
- Metal Clay: Designs focused around Art Clayâ„¢ Silver and/or Art Clay Gold.
- Found Objects & Miscellaneous: Designs focused around natural materials, ceramics, recycled parts, trade beads, resin, cording (like leather or rubber) & Friendly Plastic®.
Prizes
Winners will be contacted individually by email (or postal mail) approximately the first week of June.
- Grand Prize: $750 R&T gift certificate
- Category First-Place Prizes: $250 R&T gift certificates
- Honorable Mentions: $75 R&T gift certificates
Grand-prize winner will be selected from first-place category winners.
Rules
- Entry must be an original work for which you retain all rights, and which you have the legal right to submit to us.
- Entry must be a newly-made creation (made since March, 2009).
- Piece may not be currently entered in another competition or have won any contest in the past.
- Entry must be primarily made from items purchased or available from Rings & Things, with the exception of found objects and parts you have made (handmade glass or ceramic parts, wood carvings, etc.). See Your Designs Rock! frequently asked questions if you’re unsure about what materials you can use or which category you should enter.
- 2009 winners may not enter a category in which they won first place during 2009. You are, however, encouraged to move out of your “comfort zone,†expand your creativity and enter a different category in 2010!
- Entrants under 18 years of age must provide a parent or legal guardian co-signature on a print version of their entry form, ensuring that all guidelines have been read and agreed upon.
- Limit three entries per person or design team.
- Incomplete entries and entries that do not follow these guidelines and our image requirements will be disqualified from judging and disqualified from our Early Bird drawing and New Entrant drawing.
- Rings & Things employees are not eligible for “Your Designs Rock!â€
How to enter?
You can enter using our
online entry form or you can complete and mail-in our
printable entry form on the following address:
Mail to:
Rings & Things
Attn: YOUR DESIGNS ROCK!
P.O. Box 450
Spokane WA 99210-0450Ship to:
Rings & Things
Attn: YOUR DESIGNS ROCK!
304 E. 2nd Avenue
Spokane WA 99202
Entry fee
There is no entry fee for this contest
For more information go the
official website.
Linda Peterson is compensated and endorsed by AMACO. The guests features may or may not have any affiliation with AMACO.
Posted in Beginner Friendly Plastic, friendly plastic contest, Plastic Industry News, rings n things | No Comments »
Sunday, February 7th, 2010
The Feb. 8 issue of Plastics News includes an editorial against legislative bans and taxes on plastic bags. [I'm the author, the column is headlined "Do you need a bag? Yeah, make it plastic." And, as usual, the cartoon from...
Posted in Materials, Packaging, Plastic Industry News, Sustainability | No Comments »
Place it in the mould cavity foil side down.
Heat it with the heat gun until it turn glossy......
....and begins to slump down into the mould.
Dip your finger tips from both hands into water - it's amazing how often you accidentally touch the Friendly Plastic with your non-moulding hand and it sticks to you. Press the Friendly Plastic down in the mould making sure you push it into all the nooks and crannies. 
Place the mould and Friendly Plastic into the bowl of cool water and leave it to set (usually about 30 seconds).
Once it's cooled, remove it from the water and you'll find the Friendly Plastic cast will just lift out of the mould. Here's the finished cast. 
If you were adding this to a papercraft project you could leave it as a rectangle so that you have something to attach it to your page or card with. Pritt Power Gel or strong double sided tape should do the trick. If you prefer to trim the excess away, then look for silicone adhesive to fill the back of the mould (my favourite is Helmar) but if you need something archival then choose Scrap Dots (also by Helmar).
