Bag of Bones and a Color Question

Can they be sanded down?

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I would think so, though I’m not sure if I have the proper tools (maybe a dremel?). They’re fairly thin to begin with - ranging from about 3-5 mm - so that could pose some sanding challenges as well.

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That’s what I kept thinking… I bet that stunk! I struggle with leather!

Love seeing all this experiment! I would say for sure get a Dremel with the tiny diamond bits. I find it so incredibly relaxing to do this kid of detail work. You could possibly (this is what I would love to do) lighten up your line work and use it as a guide… If you don’t like how the details look you can freestyle your own and sand it at the end erasing the guide. You could feel confident saying it was hand done or provide DIY scrimshaw necklaces for others to finish :slight_smile:

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Crud. I forgot. I make my own alcohol ink! It’s so simple and you can mix and make whatever colors you want. I just use 91% alcohol, buy a big set of sharpies you like the shades of, bust open the sharpies and put the sponge part inside into about half a cup of alcohol and leave it to pull it all out… Add more alcohol as needed to lighten :slight_smile: this is a board I did with them. :slight_smile:

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That is a great tip. The two colors that you made are the two colors that I want to stain my “fish boxes” .

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Great idea, thanks! Is the blue ink in the tub what created the more greenish finish on the board, or was that being used on a different project?

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Awesome, thanks for the tip!

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Oh, that’s a gorgeous watercolor effect on the wood. I love it! Thanks for the tip … wish I’d read it before I went out and spent $11 for 3 teeny weenie (.5 oz) vials of alcohol ink :wink:

Will definitely try your sharpie trick in the future though.

It also occurred to me - once again, after I’d spent the $$ - that I have some alcohol based leather dyes that could probably be diluted and used to the same end.

There’s a dremel floating around here somewhere, but the bits were lost/misplaced when we moved so it hasn’t seen much action in a while.

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And FWIW, the Copics worked beautifully. Exactly the effect that I wanted. Do you know if there’s a way to seal them? I’m wondering if some sort of wax would do the trick.

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Hmmmm. You could try Renaissance wax maybe. I’d try it for you but I’m just about out the door. Remind me tomorrow!

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Wow!

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Adventure in materials! Very cool! :+1:

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Very glad to see this is working well. The pieces look really nice. I’ve been sitting on a few pieces of antique ivory as well waiting for a good project to use them in :slight_smile: This gives me hope that they have a lot of potential!

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I AM LOVING THESE!! Sorry for “all caps.” I really wanted to get my point across. :slight_smile:

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Looking at it, I am not sure if that side is the one I did with that teal you see in the dish… I experimented with both sides. One was more green and one was more teal… I typically go all mad scientist… the colors are true to what your ink appears so either it is different or it is just the lighting… it is hard to get a true color picture of.

You can always do what I do with other things. Buy primary color Sharpies and then mix your own to get the exact color you want. :slight_smile:

BTW I did laser this board after I painted it with the alcohol ink… can’t seem to find the pictures of it… gah.

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Rule I use with alcohol based stains (copics are pretty much the same thing… just less liquid) is use a water based sealer if you think it really needs it…some sealers will reactivate the ink and ruin your beautiful work. Nice thing is, especially on bone it doesn’t need a sealer but it will pop your colors more and give it some more depth. Looking forward to seeing what you came up with with copics… they would be perfect for this and are so fun to play with!

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they’re all beautiful, but there’s something really special about a skeletal arm engraved in bone :thumbsup:

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I plan to wire wrap that one (like a briolette) in oxidized sterling, with a little gemstone accent across the cap. If it pans out as I envision it, the skelly arm will appear to be reaching up for a small garnet/moonstone/whatever that’s just out of reach :slight_smile:

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Okay, tried the Renaissance wax and it seems to be fine, no smearing, over Copic markers. I tried it on wood and also on a sanded ceramic domino. YMMV but I think it’s a valid option.

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