Crafting Secrets

www.mycraftstore.com Christmas is here! Steph makes some fantastic christmas crackers to decorate the table for Christmas dinner. For all the products you need to make this project head to www.mycraftstore.com

www.mycraftstore.com Steph makes a Fimo Clay bracelet, for a full shopping list and everything you need head to www.mycraftstore.com

If your home is anything like mine, you’re constantly picking crayons up off the floor. My son colors everyday, sometimes for hours on end. He loves crayons. We’re always buying more crayons because he either looses them or they’ve been worn down to nubbins and hard to color with. Well, here’s a tip for you on what you can do with the worn out crayons rather than throwing them away. You can recycle the old crayons by making them into candles. You can show your kids how they can take something old and make it into something new and colorful that’s useful too. You’ll want to burn these darling homemade candles yourself and give them as gifts as well.

Use this craft technique as a teaching moment with your kids. Before you start making the candles, talk to your kids about safety. They’ll need to know that the crayons will have to be melted using a very high heat, and they will not be able to do that particular step in the process. Tell them they will have other fun steps in making crayon candles.

Get your supplies together. Along with about six crayons, you’ll need a wax container of some sort such as an empty milk or orange juice wax carton, one pound of paraffin wax, two full ice cube trays, a double boiler, white packing string. If you’re hesitant to use your double boiler to melt the crayons and wax, an old coffee can and saucepan works great.

First, trim the top off of the wax carton, leaving it approximately six inches high. Next, cut the string at least 8 inches long and later cut the wick to fit the holder. Braid the three string pieces together to make a wick that burns easier. Melt the paraffin wax in the double boiler or coffee can. To help it melt faster, cut it into small chunks. Usually you’ll need to allow about 20 minutes for the melting process to complete.

Get your kids involved with the crayon candle making fun by letting them remove the crayon wrappers from the crayons while the wax is melting. Be creative by mixing and matching the crayon colors to create your own pretty candle.

Most folks find that they get the best results if they wait and add the crayons to the wax after it’s totally melted. Use a pair of scissors and dip the string into the paraffin. Dipping the string will make sure it’s coated with paraffin because the ice cubes may make it hard for the wax to stick to the string. Hold the string so that it is in the middle of the carton and fill the carton with ice cubes. Pour wax mixture over the ice cubes. You can even add a touch of scent to your crayon candle by adding a little cinnamon or vanilla to the hot wax.

Once you have poured your candle, make sure your kids know the importance of leaving it alone to harden. The candle will usually set in about half an hour, but leave it alone for a couple of hours and until the ice is melted. Put the candle in an area that is safe and where it will not be bothered. Be sure the little ones know they could be burned if they touch the hot wax before it’s cooled. The wax can stay hot for hours after pouring and can be a potential hazard to kids and animals. When you’re ready, all you have to do then is pour off the melted water and then peel off the wax carton.

If you’re looking for a new and easy craft project to do with your kids or with a small group of kids, then making crayon candles is great idea. You can spend a fun afternoon with your children and make a useful candle for your home or as a gift for grandparents and friends.

If you’re going to be a wood carver and not just a whittler, you’ll need to select a number of tools. There’s just no way around it. So what are the right tools for wood carving?

Tools for Sharpening. Before the carving tools, it seems appropriate that tools for sharpening them should come first. After all, first we sharpen and then we carve.

At the very minimum, you should have a sharpening stone and a strop. The sharpening stone is used to get your edges to sharpness. Many sharpening stones come in different shapes and in different sizes. Some are very accommodating to the typically short blade lengths of wood carving blade edges. Diamond coated slipstones are very nice. Some sharpening stones can even be found on a key chain or be as small as a credit card. So very convenient.

A strop is meant to remove the burr and all micro-bits still clinging to your well-sharpened blade edge. This is very important in wood carving. Anything added to the edge will only slow your progress. You’ve got to get everything off. If you prefer, you could use a honing compound or a honing board to smooth out your edges.

If you’re really serious about becoming a wood carver, it is highly recommended that you learn how to sharpen and strop a knife. Once you’ve learned that, you’ll also be able to sharpen most other carving edges. The need for smooth sharp edges is a constant in wood carving. Knowing how to achieve them will put you way ahead of the game.

Tools for Shaping. Each type of carving tool that is meant to shape wood has a specific function. At the very minimum, you should have carving knives, wood chisels, wood gouges, wood rasps and rifflers, a mallet and maybe even a power drill.

◦ Carving knives. This is your most basic of all carving tools and there are many kinds. There are straight-edged knives, skewed knives, bent knives, chip knives, detail knives, special pocket knives modified for carving and folding knives with lockable blades. And these aren’t all of them. There are even micro-knives or micro-tool kits, if you’d like.

It’s a matter of functionality. Each edge is target specific. When you’ve learned what each type of knife can do, and you’ve considered the carving project ahead of you, then you’ll know which knives are best for that job. The best knives used for one specific task may not be the same knives that are best for another. That’s why you’ve got choices.

◦ Wood chisels. Most chisels are ground on both sides but it is possible to find them with a bevel on only one side. The head may be slanted or square in shape. They may even be bent forward or backward. You’ll have quite a selection.

◦ Wood gouges. This is one of the most used tools in wood carving. There are many shapes and sizes. Some are very short and stout while others extend for a few inches with an extended blade edge. You’ll probably end up with several kinds. That’s not a problem. Surely, you’ll use each one at some time or another.

◦ Wood Rasps or Riffler files. Shopping for these tools could be a bit confusing. Really. Some stores call it a rasp, others will call it a riffler. And yet another will call it a rasp riffler. How to know, how to know. Well, the majority of merchants appear to agree that a rasp is a very coarse, straight file. The tool itself may be thick and rectangular like a sharpening file but don’t be surprised to find those that are slender with a curving head, looking just like a riffler.

Rifflers, on the other hand, are usually slender with a curved head. Many times these curved heads can be found on both ends of the riffler. You can even find kits that offer you different shaped heads and at different sizes.

◦ Mallets. These little hammers are invaluable in the right circumstance. They are a must for chip carving, relief carving and intaglio carving. (What am I saying?) Mallets are a must for all wood carving. You may need just a few millimeters off of here and no more, maybe add a little notch there, an indent over here, maybe create a shadow. It really is such a valuable tool.

◦ Power tools. There are some pretty nice power tools for wood carving. There are power drills, rotor saw burrs, power chisels and mini grinders. You can even find power carving kits. There’s even a wood carver’s kit that offers its own selection of power grinders.

These tools are quite extraordinary in how much time and labor they can save wood carvers. Many consider them only for life-size or extremely large carvings. It’s all up to the carver. Hey, how about a carving created entirely by power tools? (Wonder how big that’d be.)

Tools for Sanding and Smoothing. When all the wood carving and shaping is done, you’ll want to sand and smooth all surfaces. This is an important step that precedes any painting or varnishing. In doing so, you’ll remove any remains from any previous finishing process and you’ll also prepare the wood to bond with any non-penetrating chemicals. Sanding can be done using sand paper, sanding clothes or sanding sticks.

◦ Sanding is often accomplished using sand paper. There are many grades, from very, very coarse to very, very fine. There’s quite a selection. Something very similar to this is the defuzzing pad. It does as it sounds. It removes all fuzz still clinging to the wood surface.

◦ There are sanding clothes that come in a roll and are available in varying grit sizes. Sections may be cut from the roll and rolled or folded as you wish. Best thing is, you don’t have to worry about it cracking or falling apart on you.

◦ Sanding sticks may also be found in varying grit sizes. You can also find sanding stick kits or sanding detail kits that can remove glue or minute remains of your finishing products. Mini-belt sanding sticks or sanding belts may be used for large sanding jobs.

Wood carving is an amazing craft to develop. You could use just a handful of tools and work with small projects. Or you could use a bunch of tools, including power tools, to work on really large projects. Either way, it’s very relaxing, oftentimes exhilarating and extremely satisfying. Have fun!

My Craft Store TV is a inspirational channel giving you great ideas on how to use your craftyness! In this episode Steph creates a felt bib necklace. Very on trend!! For more information and all you need to make this project head to www.mycraftstore.co.uk