Jewellery waterproofing brigade

Hello All,

After being swamped with questions about what waterproofing aids I use, here is the image of all my waterproofing sprays and varnishes. And pleeeeeease, there is NO cut and dried answer for which one to use for which kind of jewellery. It all depends on your preference, the kind of elements in the jewellery, the finish required etc. So a judicious judgment has to be made according to the situation encountered. 

I apologize in advance but I shall no longer answer the question "How to waterproof quilling jewellery?". The image is here (of the material), the process is already public information through this post and the end results are seen through the quilling jewellery photos I've posted often...........

(L to R) Winsor & Newton Charcoal spray, available in Pune, priced at Rs. 970, recommended for matte finish

Asian Paints Touchwood Varnish, priced at Rs. 120 or so, available in any hardware store, not recommended for white jewellery

Asian Paints Clear Synthetic Varnish, more viscous than Touchwood but easier to use on white jewellery, still lends a slight yellowness on whites

Schjerning Krystal Fixative (from Panduro Hobby, Sweden), recommended heavily for quick waterproofing (dries much faster than Winsor Newton spray), priced at 159 SEK (~ Rs. 1600), it is not available in India at all

All of them are good for waterproofing and provide strength but varnishes (after a few coats) lend almost a plastic like finish + strength. I am personally not a fan of it and lean on the matte side, but it is a personal preference. You need to experiment with these yourself and find what works for you..........

Happy Quilling

Pritesh

PS: If my posts inspire you to create something on similar lines, I feel highly flattered. But please, do respect the effort I take in conceptualizing and executing, please give a direct link to my work when you are inspired by mine. Thanks for understanding........:-)

Quilling - Bengali style

Hello All,

A quick post to show you my experiments with mixed media - Quilling and Beads :)

For anyone who has doubts about strength of quilled jewellery, this piece was swung around by my son before it made it to the place where it was photographed. I have to thank Sumi for getting me into trying this, so that I experimented with very Bengali colour combinations :)

Some more stuff will be up soon........:)

Happy Quilling Pritesh PS: If my posts inspire you to create something on similar lines, I feel highly flattered. But please, do respect the effort I take in conceptualizing and executing, please give a direct link to my work when you are inspired by mine. Thanks for understanding........:-)

Making paper quilled/punch jewellery water resistant

Dear All,

I get so many queries about water-proofing paper jewellery (in spite of posting a detailed procedure in Indian Quilling Guild) that I decided to write this post. I would've loved to post a video/photo tutorial but it may have to wait a while.

For quillers in India specially, things like Diamond Glaze are not easy to come by. So, here goes the process (specific to materials available in India, I'm sure quillers in other countries will be able to find analogues easily).

Step 1: Making the jewellery itself. It is an important step for making jewellery sturdy. You'll need to use your judgement in gauging whether the piece is sturdy. I am hopelessly obsessed with the jewellery being able to withstand stress (like my son pulling at my earrings). Make the piece "sturdy" before you think of water-proofing.

Step 2: Give a coating of a "water-soluble glue". It should at least be water soluble when wet. You can use Fevi-Gum (available for Rs. 5 in ANY stationery shop). Make sure you coat all crevices etc properly. Synthetic bristle brush works best, camel hair brush is a little difficult to handle due to variable length of the hair. Allow this to dry properly. I am biased towards Fevicryl Hobby Ideas Fabric Glue. It's more expensive but I prefer its consistency compared to Fevi-Gum (which I find more runny). But it's purely a personal preference.

Only glue coating is not likely to make the jewellery water-resistant as PVA (poly vinyl acetate) glue "swells" when in contact with water. It looks ugly to say the least, and the jewellery will be disfigured forever. Fevicryl Hobby Idea Fabric Glue however, is OK by itself. It still remains "sticky", so I won't recommend glue layer alone (unless you want all your paper jewellery to become ONE single lump, all earrings mating with each other! :D

Step 3: This is a crucial step and takes most time (not for coating, but for drying). Use a good lacquer varnish. My recommendation is Asian Paints Touch Wood. But practically any varnish should do. Again, use a synthetic brush to coat the jewellery. You WILL see some discolouration but don't worry, if you've done the glue coating properly, this discolouration usually vanishes after drying. Varnish needs overnight drying, so plan properly. If you are enthusiastic about a glossy finish, you can put 3-4 layers (which means coating them for 3-4 days). It lends a pretty (not my personal favourite still) glossy finish that is harder as well.

Please prepare properly for handling varnish (gloves if you are particular about not getting your hands smelly, I personally don't care). Work in a well ventilated (preferably with an exhaust fan) fan place. Use some organic solvent to clean the brush (kerosene works fine for me). Keep a scented hand-cream handy, you'll need it to get rid of the strong smell varnish will give to your hands. Try tying a wet cloth over your nose, organic solvents, when inhaled, are BAD for women of reproductive age (please take my word for it, I'm a PhD in Chemistry and I specifically know the side effects)......

I hope this is comprehensive enough. So, if you know someone who wants to how to make the jewellery water-resistant, please share this link. It is very difficult for me to write individually to people who ask. I end up feeling bad not replying........

For those who want images and details of the waterproofing material, here is the link

Happy jewellery making :)

Pritesh

PS: If my posts inspire you to create something on similar lines, I feel highly flattered. But please, do respect the effort I take in conceptualizing and executing, please give a direct link to my work when you are inspired by mine. Thanks for understanding........:-)

Standing up for paper jewellery

Hello All,

I have been fielding these questions about "how to water-proof paper jewellery" for a long time. Yes, we crafters try our best to make them as "resistant" to water but "proof" amounts to someone wanting to dunk the earrings/bracelet/pendant etc into water and expecting it to stay intact. And HERE is my answer to all those who look for water-proofing of paper jewellery:

Happy Quilling

Pritesh

PS: If my posts inspire you to create something on similar lines, I feel highly flattered. But please, do respect the effort I take in conceptualizing and executing, please give a direct link to my work when you are inspired by mine. Thanks for understanding........:-)