Monday, April 11, 2011

Sharing Secrets-Renaissance Wax

I have learned so much from blog hopping.  I have to thank  Lori Anderson for getting me started on this journey.  It has been so much fun meeting all of you out there in blogland!  I really appreciate how willing everyone is to share what they are doing and how they are doing it!


My newest find from reading your blogs is using Renaissance Wax for polymer beads.  I sometimes prefer a shiny or glossy finish on my polymer beads and have found that the sealant products don't seem to stay on the beads all of the time.  Especially the beads that are on a bracelet or beads that get handled more.

I came accross a blog by Diva Designs that explained how and why she uses Renaissance Wax to polish polymer clay beads.  You can purchase the wax from her Etsy shop PC Diva


The bead on the left was sanded but not polished yet and the bead on the right was polished with the wax. I had a time getting a picture to show the difference... but this one does a little bit.  It is better than this looks... really!  The finish is softer and more natural looking with the wax polish than the finish from a sealant.  I find that the more I polish the beads the shinier they get.  I use a piece of denim from some old jeans as a polishing cloth.  It works really well. 

Hope this helps you as much as it helped me! Thanks Lori and Lynda!

Yours truly,
M

8 comments:

  1. I'm with you Marian. I have truly enjoyed all the lovely new friends I've made here in blogland. And all the yummy things to buy now. (like I didn't have enough already). Thanks for the great tip. I don't do polymer, but my 10 yr old daughter is a whiz at it. I'll show her the post.

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  2. I had no idea Renaissance Wax would go on polymer, learn something new every day from blog friends, that is what is fantastic about blogging, 'meeting' , sharing and learning from new friends. Great tip, thank you.
    Jenni

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  3. This sounds like a really cool technique. I love the beads! ~Val

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  4. I recently came across this on Carol Simmons blog who referred to a post done by Lindly Hunanai. I find this has been a sort of "hidden secret" for some time and is now coming to surface. When I checked the glassattic for information it didn't say much in there on using waxes except where it said it wasn't recommended. Seems like it could use an update.

    Cindy Lietz also mentioned on her blog about using the Minwax paste. We picked some up the other day at Home Depot to try and works beautifully. It is much easier to find and is in a huge can but for a fraction of the cost!

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  5. Oooo! I've been wondering about this stuff; I think you may have mentioned it in a comment on my blog. Anyway, I REALLY appreciate that you did this product review here. I like that you showed the picture of the two beads side by side so we could get a sense of its effects. I just may have to pick some of this stuff up!

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  7. It's not often I find the need to coat/varnish my polymer clay pieces. I do prefer to sand and buff most times. Via sanding and maybe buffing, I have a range of finishes from matte to satin to high shine.

    I sand and tumble buff when I want that soft satiny sheen. And since I do both via a tumbler, there's so little labor involved.

    Renaissance wax is not only pricey, it's another manual, time consuming step.

    So I wonder, what's the difference between the finish of a sanded and tumble buffed surface vs a sanded and Renaissance waxed surface.

    One day, I may try waxing so I can compare the finish with a tumble buffed surface, But if anyone has done both, I'd love to hear what you think.

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  8. Desiree I tried to email you but could not find a link. I have a tumbler but what do you use to tumble the clay with? I would like to try it and see if it is different. Some of the beads I do wouldn't work in a tumbler but some would.

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Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me!