Can Rustoleum wood stain bleed through a mounted photograph? On a piece of pine wood, I want to mount a photograph. I stained the wood with Rustoleum cherry stain. It’s dry now and I am ready to mount the photograph. Do I need to put a layer of paper or lacquer down before the photo? It just occurred to me that the stain may bleed through the picture.  I was just going to adhere the picture and lacquer over the whole thing.

Also, would it be better to use Mod Podge or a spray lacquer to protect the wood and picture? It is going to have a bottle opener attached.

Thank you.

Depending on the type of paper (and more importantly the type of glue you use) the stain will probably attack the paper over a long period of time.

Isolating the stain is a good idea, and I can recommend the following approach.

First give it a solvent-based coat of transparent varnish. This will protect the stain from the outside world and because of its similar composition will bond to it rather well. Let dry.
Now give it a water-based coat of transparent varnish, this will enable it to bond with the next two layers. Let dry.
Now use another coat of the water-based varnish and float the photo paper on it. Let dry
Use one last coat of water-based transparent varnish to encapsulate the photo.

A couple words of warning: test the water-based varnish to make sure that it doesn’t damage your photo, watch out for bubbles and always ventilate!


How do I stop my finished pencil picture from smudging? I swear, I have been drawing for years yet i still cant figure this one out. How exactly do i stop my finished pencil picture from smudging? I would appreciate anyone's help or ideas to the situation.

Fixative spray will prevent most smudging. Use a permanent fixative for a finished work that you don't intend to rework at all. For an unfinished work, you can prevent smudging earlier layers by using a workable fixative. Always test on a small area first.
Hairspray is an easy, cheaper fixative alternative. This option is good for students and hobbyists, but is not archival quality and may affect an artwork negatively over time.
Archival art/photo sleeves are good for preventing smudging as a result of rubbing against other artwork in storage or during handling. They are flat, clear bags that come in many sizes and have a resealable flap to keep artwork from sliding out.
Framing artwork behind glass will protect it from smudging even if you do not use any kind of fixative.


What is the "elasticized leather" lacing shown in this photo? I am trying to identify the lacing material on these sandals. The photo is of the original Luna Huarache sandal. They call it an "elasticized leather".

The manufacturer description can be interpreted quite simply. "Elasticized leather" is not some special sort of leather - that phrase is just saying that the straps are made of leather which has had elastic attached to it.

If you do a search for "elasticized leather" you will find this phrase used elsewhere, for example an "elasticized leather waistband" on a jacket, or "elasticized leather panel" on gloves. You can see that this just refers to sections of the article which have had elastic applied.

Looking at the image, there appears to be a zig-zag stitch along the straps. This is how the elastic is held in place here.

To recreate these straps, you would sandwich a elastic between suitably flexible leather. The elastic should be shorter than the leather (otherwise it wouldn't have any effect). Sew through the layers with a zig-zag stitch centered on the elastic, stretching the elastic as you go to match the length of the leather. When you're done, the elastic will snap back to size, resulting in a stretchy ("elasticized") leather strap.


Mostly Off-the-Shelf (or at least quite easily fabricated) Rounded Square Tubing? I'm currently working on making a cosplay prop of a Fallout 4 Laser Rifle. Much of it I'm 3D printing due to easy access and quite frankly a lack of spare time to really handmake much of it. One thing that I'm curious about now is the barrel of the gun itself, a very segment of square tubing with rounded corners, preferably around ~4.5" in width based on how I've modeled the back of the gun so far.

The first thing that came to mind here was some sort of prefab tubing, either like metal ducting or a PVC/plastic pipe. However, these either proved to be prohibitively expensive or nearly nonexistent in the size I needed.

Does anyone have suggestions on where I could get/easily manufacture a square tube like this with rounded corners?

You didn't specify what you considered prohibitively expensive, so I would suggest something like vinyl fence posts. They come in sizes close to what you need, and you get quite a lot with one purchase, giving you room to make mistakes and experiment.

However, finding your exact dimensions is going to be difficult. To do that, I think you'd want to make your own. The cheapest and lightest (since you'll be carrying this around) way I can think to do that is to get some lengths of hobby wood. Balsa is cheap and light, but absorbent so it needs paint primer. Basswood is more expensive and a bit harder to work with, but is far less flimsy. I'd construct the tube out of 4 pieces, and probably glue them to blocks of styrofoam at the ends and middle. The foam will give the wood support and make it easier to glue the edges of the wood together.

Then, I'd just sand down the corners of the "tube". It'd be time consuming, but not too bad, since balsa is so soft (basswood a bit less so).

It's also possible to just use styrofoam, cutting sheets or blocks to size. Affordability of any of this will depend on your supplier.


What can I use to clear coat tempera or acrylic paintings for a strong glossy look? I presume the suggested coating might vary between tempera and acrylic paint? So two different products is fine by me. I just need something to give my paintings an extremely glossy surface. The coating should be as transparent and color-less as possible so the underlying colors show well.

What could I use for this?

Oh, also, I might like to do the same thing for latex paint in the future. Any suggestions on that as well?

You can use glossy acrylic medium. Acrylic medium comes in different bodies (thicknesses) and the heavier the body the deeper the layer will be. There is also acrylic varnish which also offers more UV protection and lets you clean the painting later but will have less body and is potentially more toxic.

Use a soft wide brush when applying and optionally add a leveling agent to help make it smoother and prevent brush marks.

The difference between tempera and acrylic paint is that tempera may remain water soluble after drying in which case it may bleed into anything you coat it with. Test it and if it does bleed you may want to use a fixative before applying the gloss coat as addressed by this question: What can I expect from a fixative? Though with fixatives you run the risk of discoloration and any glossy coating is going to darken (ie. deepen) the colors.


Clear Gesso: Does it produce a translucent foundation layer? I was introduced to clear gesso the other day. I have always used white gesso, added pigment, and applied it to form the foundation layer. If I did the same thing with the clear gesso, will the foundation be more translucent layer of pigment? Will it start streaking?

I've used the clear gesso with pigments to create underpainting. Clear gesso mixed with acrylics can achieve a faux watercolor paint effect. (I found an example YouTube video here.) I personally did this a little differently. I mixed the clear gesso with the paint in a little cup and added a few drops of water. I dipped my brush in the paint and painted over dry gesso. (It had a similar effect, but I had more control.)

To answer your question; It is definitely translucent upon drying and would make it more difficult (but not impossible) to achieve an even-toned background. If that is what you are going for, I would definitely stick to the white gesso. But, give the clear gesso a try. I highly suggest experimenting with it!


How Do I Clean My Characters? I crochet lots of things but they seem to get dirt and stuff on them. I use lots of yarn but mostly the brand Red Heart. I try cleaning it off with water but it doesn't come off. How do I clean yarn characters?

It's been my experience that items made with synthetic yarn and synthetic fiber fill can be washed by hand. If the item has become extremely soiled, it may be worth trying it in the washing machine on a gentle or hand wash cycle. You may want to remove sewed-on items if you feel they are vulnerable. I like drying in a dryer because the item is less likely to get musty, but if you judge your item to be too fragile, drying in the sun should also work. The important thing is not to let it stay damp for any longer than absolutely necessary.

If you have a handheld steam cleaner, you could try that too, especially if you have stubborn stains. I've used mine with vinegar mixed into the water to successfully clean cushions soiled with urine, but I've never used it on a hand-knitted stuffed character. Still, it's another option you could consider experimenting with.


Paint artwork on pressure treated lumber I erected a 4x4 (12 foot long) piece of lumber in our backyard to hang a bird feeder. It needed that long as the house sits much higher than the backyard and we want to see the feeder with ease.

I see the pole and think of it as a canvas on which I could paint artwork. Are there certain/special kinds of paint I should consider? I haven't decided if I want to put a base coat and then paint or simply go to town on it. While it should withstand the weather, I'm not too concerned if it fades in a few years.

There are aspects of the question that relate to paint, the material; painting, as in applying a coating; and painting, as in creating decoration.  I'll try to differentiate these.  In terms of paint, the material, there's a basic difference between a paint and a stain.  I'll use "paint" to refer to a material that coats the surface and dries into a "shell" of material, and "stain" to refer to a colorant that is absorbed into the wood.  That's an over-simplification, but close enough for the purposes of this discussion.

Dealing with pressure treated lumber

Pressure treated lumber stays wet for a long time.  The chemical treatment is forced deep into the wood and it can take over a year for the wood to thoroughly dry out.

Applying a paint-like material to pressure treated lumber isn't recommended, at least during the first year or two.  Covered areas prevent the wood from drying evenly (causing warping and worse splitting).  The more area that is covered, the worse the problem.  So a few tiny decorations would be less bad than applying a base coat to the entire piece.

Paint-like material doesn't adhere well until the wood is dry.  When the surface is dry but moisture is still high internally, you get blisters (domes) in the paint, and other symptoms.

The chemical treatment saturates the wood.  While the wood still feels wet, there isn't much of anything that will stick to it or get absorbed.  Even when the surface feels dry, while there is still high internal moisture, finishes won't go on evenly.  This is especially a problem for stains, and the larger the area, the more noticeable it will be.

Once the wood is dry to a reasonable depth, stain is typically the best type of finish, whether you're talking about covering all or most of the piece, or applying decorations that will be big enough to be visible from a distance.  It is absorbed into the wood instead of forming a surface coat.  There's a broad range of stain colors, and you could do some artwork with it.

Decorating the lumber

In terms of decorating the wood, if you want the decorations visible, you will need to contend with what will be the wood's color as the background.  Once the wood dries and weathers a little, it will be a medium gray when dry and can get dark when wet (and water will absorb into the wood, so it will remain dark for awhile until it dries out again).

Paint creates a solid surface color, so the visibility of artwork created with it won't be affected by the color of the wood.  However, you would want to wait at least a year before using paint for decorations.  Then you will have a problem of paint having a limited life on pressure treated lumber.  Pressure treated lumber doesn't age well when exposed to the elements, and the wood surface deteriorates under the paint, so the paint shell deteriorates.

Stain is much better suited for pressure treated lumber.  However, plain stain modifies the color of the wood more than creating a specific color.  So just applying stain in a pattern to create artwork won't be nearly as visible as paint.  There are a couple of things you can do to improve the situation.

One is to first apply a background coat of a very light color.  You can either apply it to the entire piece as a protective sealer, or just as a background in the area of each decoration.  Bear in mind that stain works by being absorbed into the wood, and most stains you'll find for outdoor use also seal the wood.  The heavier you apply the base color, the more effective it will be at making the background a light color, but it will also seal the wood more, so the colored stains you apply on top for decoration won't absorb as well.  It's a tradeoff.

One other consideration, plain stain is a very thin liquid, which will be runny, especially working on a vertical surface if you decorate after the post in erected.  It will be even worse if you seal the surface with a base coat.  So you will need to control the amount you apply.  You will have a mess if you try to apply it heavily.

A better solution is to use pigmented stains, often referred to as solid color.  Pigmented stains are a mix of stain and solid particles of color.  The liquid gets absorbed into the wood and the pigment stays at the surface, making the color more intense and opaque.  Pigmented stains are closer in consistency to paint, so easier to control when you apply them.  You wouldn't need a color base coat for pigmented stain, just apply it to create the artwork.

Another potential solution (I haven't personally tried this): use a light color pigmented stain as a base coat, perhaps on the whole piece as a protective sealant.  When it is completely dry, paint the decorations on it with oil base paint.  That might work better in theory than in practice; I have no idea.  You could try it on a scrap piece.


Staining wood blue with chemicals I know about the process of 'ebonizing' wood (using steel wool + vinegar to turn wood black), and I have seen excellent results using this process.

I was wondering if it is possible to use a similar method to stain wood blue instead.

My first thought was copper sulphate, then drying it off and maybe the crystals would form in the wood, making it look blue, but apparently it makes it green instead (understandable based on the green rust of copper).

So does anyone know of any chemicals that can be used to stain wood blue effectively? I would like to avoid using typical dyes or stains, as I find they can be very expensive and not always have good results, when ebonizing has worked wonders.

Methylene blue is a very effective water-soluble blue dye and you can buy it on amazon quite cheaply (the pack at that link is probably enough to dye a table and chairs). That might do the trick. It's also used for treating fish in tanks, so is quite benign.  The question becomes one of whether the water raises the grain too much given that the dyed layer is likely to be quite thin. It's also soluble in alcohols (including isopropanol, so surgical spirit/rubbing alcohol) which wouldn't raise the grain.

I've done a quick test on a bit of scrap softwood using something like a 0.7 mmol/l aqueous solution (0.2 grams per litre of water).  It was brief enough to not raise the grain even where I left it on the longest:

I've adjusted the colours to look about right on my screen. The wood was quite old and yellowed.  It had just about dried when I took the picture.

The left for 1 minute test was meant to simulate dip-coating.  I didn't hold it very steadily, so the unevenness below the "p" in the annotation was casued by the solution running.

It could work nicely, but you would want to make sure the wood is very white to start with, and stays that way, to keep it really blue instead of turning greenish.  This is probably true for any blue dye. This article on bleaching wood implies that you can bleach the original wood with the right wood bleach, then neutralise and rinse and there shouldn't be any bleach left to react. Here's some more discussion on bleaching and coating so it doesn't turn yellow; in summary: use a water-based varnish over the top so the varnish also doesn't turn yellow, though pine will yellow slightly whatever you do.

Of course, test as much as you can on scrap (and the same type of wood) first, in particular if you decide to bleach then dye.


Which glue should I use to attach paper to glass? When making things that go in bottles (primarily beer), I want to add labels to the bottles. I like the look of matte paper labels such as those found on fancy wine bottles, but I'm having difficulty attaching the paper to the glass. Superglue and PVA soak through the paper and somewhat spoil the effect, while glue sticks don't do a good job of adhering to the glass.

Which glue should I use to attach paper to glass?

If at all possible I'd like to avoid the need to rough up the surface of the glass. I could just use sticky labels, but they don't look nearly as nice.

We make beer.

We occasionally make labels for that beer.

The easiest, best cheapest way to attach the labels is... ready for this... you sure???

Milk.

Don't know why, don't ask why. It works. You won't be able to wash the bottles without the label coming off but if you're brewing, by the time you're washing the bottle, you probably want the label to come off.

Because you're getting the entire label wet, it will evenly discolor but I haven't had major issues with the colors running or smearing. There's a helpful guide for it on "OnlineLabels.com". They even have a comparison photo of a sticker label next to a milk-application.

Of course, they want you to buy their labels, so they make it sound onerous to do the application process. We've done a full 5 gallon batch pretty easily, so don't be too concerned about it. And if you try it once and hate it, well... you could switch to sticker paper. Apparently a lot of people use Avery brand sticker labels (the ones you might use for mailing).

Based on their instructions, they have you dip the paper in the milk... we found it was much easier to use a basting brush (or a cheap 1-inch chip brush from the hardware store) than to try to dip the paper.

For other options, see the related/identical question to this on our Homebrewing site - here. This answer, specifically, talks about using milk.


How can I ensure my marker tips don't get destroyed? I work a lot with younger children, and we do a lot of crafts. Of course, after using markers, we always end up with destroyed marker tips, like shown:

Now that's a problem. Not only does everyone no longer get to use the marker, but to have to replace markers eventually gets fairly expensive.

I'm trying to seek a solution to this. Are there any techniques that I, from a teacher perspective, can do or use to help...

Prevent students from destroying the marker tip;
Or to recover a destroyed marker tip.

Of course, in the alternative where there isn't any where to get back my markers, are there any products that offer coloured collections of markers that can win in the marker tip war against children?

(Oh, and I'm looking for coloured markers like this, not dry erase markers like in the picture)

I have seen children grasp markers in a clenched fist and vigorously fill in large swaths of the drawing area with colour. It's the vigour with which the children fill the area that destroys the marker's tip.

If this is what you are seeing then there are a couple of things you can try to help the children learn focus and finesse when making art ... and protect the markers.

Break up large areas into smaller ones

Never have an image which requires to be filled in all with the same colour. Say for example, an all blue table cloth is instead made to have a checker pattern. The smaller checker pattern forces the artist to focus on a smaller area. The strokes become more controlled and the child's hand movement is slowed. You see this being done in the adult colouring books where the image is intricate requiring the grown up to slow down, focus and concentrate in order to stay within the lines.
Teach them to hold the marker like a brush and not a pen ... or ice pick

Teaching the children to hold the marker as a painter would hold a brush will teach them a gentler way of applying colour to a surface. By changing the way the marker is held will reduce the amount of force being applied to the tip.

Another thing you could try is to have the children draw at easels instead of tables. Harder for the child to bear down overtop of the marker and drive it into the drawing surface.
Less abrasive paper

A heavy tooth paper should be avoided as it will abrade the markers foam tip over time. Try finding a paper with a slicker surface. One that will allow the marker to glide freely.


Is there any way to paint with acrylics over oil? Is there any way you can keep on painting on an oil painting using acrylics?

Not start at new painting!

Maybe you can add something to the acrylic paint?

(I know they dont mix well,thats not the question)

As Catija implied, if your oil painting is less than 6 months old you shouldn’t do this. And if the oil paint is impasto (very thick) you should wait up to 18 months before varnishing. A very bad technique that would work is to varnish with a solvent-based varnish, let cure for 72 hours and then overcoat the varnish with a water-based varnish. Then you could theoretically paint with acrylics on top of this, but if your substrate is canvas I can promise you that you will sooner or later see cracking and flaking - especially if the “final” hanging place has humidity swings.

One last reason why this is not a good approach is that conservators will find it pretty much impossible to restore this kind of work. Basically you are dooming the painting to be more temporary than necessary.

Why don’t you just use oils?


In what technique medieval book miniatures were executed and are there materials today for doing this? In what technique were medieval book miniatures executed, and are there materials available today to nurture this branch of art?

I guess those miniatures have two important materials. Vellum is the background material that can be replaced with high quality paper today. But I am not certain what kind of medium was used for painting - my guess that watercolor was the prime medium, because oil color can not be used on paper/vellum and pastels were developed later and tempera is not so resistant.

The drawing of pictures in manuscripts is known as Illumination*

The Wikipedia article on the subject (as mentioned in a previous answer) contains a wealth of information on the subject, including this gif showing the steps:

Image from Wikimedia commons: link

Steps involved (from the image caption):

I. Graphite powder dots create the outline
II. Silverpoint drawings are sketched (you could use pencil instead here)
III. Illustration is retraced with ink
IV. The surface is prepared for the application of gold leaf
V. Gold leaf is laid down
VI. Gold leaf is burnished to make it glossy and reflective
VII. Decorative impressions are made to adhere the leaf
VIII. Base colors are applied
IX. Darker tones are used to give volume
X. Further details are drawn
XI. Lighter colors are used to add particulars
XII. Ink borders are traced to finalize the illumination

This is the technique used in illumination.

As for the materials, despite your misgivings tempera is actually extremely robust and was used for all miniatures, along with ink and gold/silver leaf. Tempera's resistance should be obvious from the fact that we have many surviving tempera paintings that are hundreds or even thousands of years old.

Tempera can't be stored, but it's easy to make yourself with egg, water and pigment.

The Wikipedia article also contains a list of common pigments used in Medieval times - you can try your hand at making these, or use easily available synthetic pigments.

As a final aside, vellum is expensive and relatively rare these days but it is still available.

*In the strictest sense illumination refers only to pictures containing gold, but in normal usage it covers all drawings of this type.


Laminating with pouches or plastic under 75 micron I'm trying for my project to create some professional looking covers for handmade books and booklets, so I recently bough an electrical plastificator / laminator machine that support both hot and cold lamination.

My problem is that the pouches sold for hot lamination are not less than 75 micron per side of weight. I tried them with matte finish, they look cool but even if being tons better than 150 micron ones they are still way too thick and heavy compared to the professional products.

Professional laminator machines support rolls (instead of pouches) even of 28-35-40 microns with glossy, matte and soft touch finish both in cold or hot mode. I found that the rolls sold are not less than 500m or 1000m, and about 120 € each in the best case.

Do exists out of there any pouches or sheets both cold or hot that are matte or soft touch with less than 75 micron ? (eg: 35-40)
Do exists professional 35-40 micron rolls that costs 40-50 € even shorter like 100m ? I would like to buy a cheaper one and make some tests with my laminator. Could be a caddy cardboard for feeding the laminator a good idea in order to better support sheets of plastic so thin ?
I'm open to any solution that I could use for laminate both hot or cold in order to achieve professional looking glossy/matte/soft touch covers. I can't buy a 2000-3000 € laminator machine, I'm searching for DIY material or other options.

Thanks

You probably won't be able to get professional-looking results with DIY lamination.

Thermal Lamination

For thermal lamination, the thinnest common thickness is 1.5 mil (38 microns), which a number of companies offer. USI has 1.3 mil film, also. USI once sent me a sample 9"x12" pouch of 1.5 mil film.  It kept curling and rolling up around the adhesive side; it was very hard to get it flat.  Film that thin is probably practical only with a roll laminator.

If it's for a book/booklet cover created from a single folded sheet, thermal lamination would need to be done before the cover is folded.  After lamination, the cover will be hard to fold.  Also be aware that thermal lamination typically relies on a lip of lamination beyond the paper.  If it is trimmed flush with the paper, it will often delaminate with handling, or the film will pull off the top layer of the paper.

Using thin-film pouches with a home laminator, it would be good to have a laminator with a temperature control.  Units without a temperature control will likely be calibrated for 3 mil film.  If you overheat it, the result will tend to be wavy rather than flat.  It is also important to use the cardboard carrier (which is silicone-treated so oozing adhesive doesn't bond with it).

If you want thermal lamination, don't rule out having it done with a roll laminator.  Check locally with places like schools or print shops that might do a volume of thin-film lamination.  You may be able to get a small quantity done "inexpensively".

If you need to use a pouch laminator, it will be hard to make a one-piece cover.  A more practical approach would be to laminate separate front and back covers using standard pouches.

Cold Lamination

Pretty much the same issues will apply to cold lamination

Adhesive Book Cover

You can buy adhesive book cover film by the roll, like this.  It's fairly inexpensive.  You cut off a piece the appropriate size, trim and score it, then peel off backing paper as you apply it.  Here's a tutorial.  This film is really intended as a protective cover.  If you look at the pictures in the tutorial, you'll see that the results don't look all that professional.  There's also a non-adhesive film sold in rolls for this purpose.  It's a crystal clear protective cover, but it is typically taped in place to hold it (again, not a professional look).  Libraries often prolong book life with covers like this.

Durable Plastic Cover

An alternate approach is to not try to laminate or wrap your cover, but use a durable plastic cover.  These are commonly available as either a heavy-duty clear plastic cover that becomes an outer cover, or an opaque plastic cover with a clear window.

Prescoring

Lamination makes a sandwich of plastic film, adhesive, and paper (commercially laminated book covers are typically laminated only on the outside face), and that is thick.  When you fold it, the outside of the fold needs to stretch and/or the inside of the fold needs to compress.  The plastic film doesn't like to do either.  Paper does it by breaking some of the bonds between the fibers.  Whether you laminate the cover flat and then fold it, or apply the lamination to the finished book, the action of either opening or closing the book will break down the paper.

Laminating flat and then prescoring the sandwich spreads the paper damage over a larger, controlled area, and the paper will survive the normal amount of opening and closing.  Prescoring the plastic and then adhering it to the finished book creates a plastic corner that needs to go somewhere when you open the book.  That will either cause faster breakdown of the paper, or delamination (failure of the adhesive or separation of layers of paper fibers).

So prescoring is important for a professional-looking result, and prescoring the flat sandwich will produce the best result.  This can be done with DIY tools, but it may take some experimentation and practice to get it right.

Hot vs. Cold Lamination

In order to get a professional-looking lamination, the film adhesive needs to bond with all of the nooks and crannies of the paper surface, which isn't smooth at a microscopic level.  Otherwise, there will be trapped air that will look cloudy, or even form visible bubbles.  Heat lamination melts the adhesive into a liquid and then pressure rollers force it into all the iregularities in the paper surface.  When the adhesive cools, it's solid and doesn't flow.

Cold lamination adhesives don't change how they flow, or flow to the degree of liquified thermal adhesive in terms of surface irregularities.  But they can be good enough if you apply pressure as the film is being applied, especially if the paper has a very smooth surface.  Because the adhesive doesn't change how it flows, the film can "creep" on the surface, or delaminate at folds, over time if there are dimensional stresses.

To get good results with cold lamination, the pressure applied needs to be appropriate for the specific product.  You need either the equipment designed to work with the product, or something else that mimmicks it.  Trapped air must be squeezed out as the film is applied.  That's normally done with a roll laminator, which applies the necessary pressure across the whole width as the film is being laid down.

You could sort of mimmick that action manually by rolling the film so the adhesive is on the outside.  Then start at one edge of the cover and apply pressure on the film as you unroll it onto and across the cover.  If you have a pouch laminator capable of being run cold, you could run the result through that, or go over it manually with a roller.

However, you need at least the pressure that the adhesive is designed for to force it into the surface iregularities.  Also, once the film is down, whatever air has been trapped has nowhere to go.  So you may have limited ability to improve the result with subsequent pressure.  You may even find that there is temporary improvement, but over time the film looks cloudy due to trapped air and/or the film creeping back to its original configuration.

One other thought: you might want to investigate the longevity of cold lamination.  Thermal lamination lasts "forever".  Cold lamination adhesives might not have "archival" life, which you probably want for a book.  It may well last for years, but not, say, a decade.

DIY Potential

Books are produced commercially with laminated covers, so it can obviously be done.  That process entails commercial-grade equipment and supplies.  On a mass-produced scale, it's even inexpensive.  On a smaller scale, it isn't obscenely cost-prohibitive to do it with the proper equipment.  You've already priced the rolls of film.  Amazon has several roll laminators under $400 USD.  If you amortize the equipment over thousands of laminations, the cost per copy isn't bad.  If your requirement is for dozens or even hundreds of copies, it would be a lot cheaper to have it done commercially.

The question is whether you can replicate a professional-looking result without a roll laminator.  How professional is sufficiently professional?  Is the goal to share decent-looking copies with associates, or results that look commercially-produced for sale?  If it's the latter, that's theoretically possible, but it would be very time consuming and probably entail a lot of experimentation and wastage.

If your total requirement is a few copies and you have the time, skill, and inclination to play with it, give it a try.  The film manufacturers often have small trial amounts for the cost of shipping, or may send you a few feet for free.  If your requirement is a lot of copies, consider how much your time is worth, and how much money you're willing to spend on it.  You can put plastic on a cover easily enough.  Getting it to look like a commercial result without the proper equipment is the problem.  Roll laminators were invented to make this task practical.


What is the name of the rigid plastic cord in this hem? I deconstructed a bag/pack in an attempt to sew one from scratch and the hem had a rigid plastic cord that helped it keep its circular shape:

The best I could find after some time googling is that it looks like "welting cord", but the examples I've found have the same shape but are made out of vinyl.

Is there another name for this type of cord?

Welt cord and piping cord are the correct terms.

They come in different varieties, with the center filling being made of different materials, such as foam or rope or cord.

You can also get them hollow, and then you buy a cord of your choice to thread through it, such as the rigid plastic cord that you'd like.

Instead of buying pre-made piping cord, you can also make your own. Again, you end up filling the "pipe" with a cord of your own choosing.

If you choose a rigid plastic cord, you'll lose some flexibility. Which, in a pack/bag, I imagine is the point, as it will retain its shape better when empty.


Are there tell-tale signs that clay will crack when fired? I understand there are many different kinds of clay, so maybe you could offer advice for clays that will be typical to beginners, or other otherwise buying from common arts stores.

I imagine that red and grey clays are different in this regard, but maybe not?  I know that bubbles are an obvious issue, as is insufficient mixing of add-ins, and large inclusions.

Yes. Look out for "veins" in the clay as it is altered and manipulated from its original resting state.

Veins might also look like threads or mini cracks.


Historical glue from beeswax and stone meal? During my search for a way to mount a metal spearhead (iron) to a wooden shaft (ash) with acceptable historical correctness, I stumbled upon a short note (german only, sorry) speaking of a glue made from beeswax and stone meal, that was (allegedly) designed for this purpose.

I have little means to judge the correctness of this assertion and to conjecture about the exact mixture (which stone type, which volume ratio, etc.), but the source appears to be credible enough to be worth asking for more details, which I couldn't find anywhere.

Any historically motivated craftsmen around here which could provide a bit more info, or an educated guess?

Side node: It seems that glues from animal extracts were far more common and hence, would most likely be historically "more" accurate, but I fear the smell. Of course I could also use birch or pine tar, but I'm curious now about this beeswax-stonemeal-thing.

Skimming the German article you link to, there's another key word -- Ägypter or Egyptians.

In that context a search for "egyptian beeswax stone glue" is instructive.  Lap Shear and Impact Testing of Ochre and Beeswax in Experimental Middle Stone Age Compound Adhesives,  P. R. B. Kozowyk et al., PLOS one, Mar 2016 tests some pine rosin + beeswax + ochre glues.  It's open access so free to read. The references may also be of interest.  While they test a number of formulations, all used rosin (pitch) as a base ingredient.  This is very similar to Cutler's resin which is still used, and in which beeswax is used to make it more flexible (this link says that ancient Egyptians used pine pitch glue in trapping birds, implying that they knew about pitch).

This Reuters article also mentions in passing the use of beeswax to soften pitch.

The German word Pech -- pitch -- appears in your original article (in the compounds Erdpech -- asphalt -- and Birkenpech -- birch pitch or more common birch tar) but in a European rather than Egyptian context.


What is the best way to apply felt to wood? I have multiple projects I am working on that are mounted on pieces of wood. I was planning on putting felt on the back of the wood so that they do not scratch the wall when they are hung or mounted to the wall.

What is the best adhesive to apply felt to wood?

I was thinking of using either tacky glue or a hot glue gun. Are either of these not suitable for any reason? Is there another adhesive I should consider?

Spray adhesive is a good match for this application. If you used the lower strength type, you might even have a decent chance of getting the felt back off later if you needed to for some reason.

Using spray allows you to get an even coat over the entire felt surface, avoiding lumps and/or hard-spots in the finished surface. The hard spots can arise where a glob or line of liquid glue is absorbed by the felt.

Spray adhesive generally has two modes of use, join surfaces while adhesive is wet, or apply to both sides and join surfaces after a drying period. I would go with the former in this case as the wet glue would allow you just a short period to work out any wrinkles. Also, it may reduce the holding strength, which will be much greater than needed anyway. That way if you ever need to remove the felt, you might be able to do it without shredding it.

Scotch-brand 77 is a common choice (pretty high strength though), and even mentions felt on the label: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00114RCP0/


What Do You Call Textured Envelope Seals? I went to a spa the other day and purchased a gift card.  The gift card came in an small envelope that had a seal on the back.  The seal felt like it was made out of plastic and had a Chinese character on it.  The lines of the Chinese character was textured so that it extended above the rest of the seal.

The seal was not made out of wax and it was a sticker.  What do you call this kind of seal?

It sounds like you are describing an embossed sticker.
There are a lot of services that can custom emboss stickers for you so you can get your own personal 'seals' as you referred to them, to close envelopes or put on certificates and things.

These are common for companies and individuals to use when they want to make something look fancy. Papyrus includes an embossed sticker with every card they sell to give them a more expensive feel.


Polishing a scratched Ruby A friend of mine has scratched her Ruby with another of the same gemstone. The scratch is little, and just on the surface. Is there any way to restore the polish? The ruby is smooth, similar to the one in the picture, and blood red.

If the scratch is small enough but has discolored edges (like a scratched or chipped glass) then you could rub some vaseline or silicone oil over it to even out the light refraction.

If the scratch is deeper, I'm afraid there's not much you can do but grind the stone down and polish it again. Filling the scratch with things like clear nail polish, spray varnish or epoxy resign will most likely end up with an unnatural look. And you would have to treat the undamaged stone as well or their color and gloss will differ.

I strongly advise against using any abrasive material on the stone yourself. In the best case you end up dulling the gloss, worst case you just add more scratches. If you decide to repolish the stone, let a professional do it.


Planes of the head (Loomis Method) I have been reading Loomis' book "Drawing the head and hands" and practising Loomis' method of head construction. But while reading the book, I discovered that to put the features correctly on the head and to render them perfectly, I will have to know the anatomy and planes of the head.
For anatomy, I have anatomy reference such as images of the skull. But to draw planes of the head, Loomis shows the planes of the head in an unclear way; I couldn't understand the process of how to draw the planes of the head from a specific angle.
Could you please help me out?

Page No 29, 30

The "planes of the head" are the simplification of the constant curving of the head into areas that share a similar orientation. Meaning, take the curved surfaces of the head and flatten those surfaces to get the fewest flat areas while preserving the basic volume of the head. Think of the forehead, it is basically one big area that faces in a certain direction. The tops of the cheeks another area that generally faces in one direction, the temples another. Identify and outline these areas to get your "planes of the head".

Loomis is suggesting that there is a formulaic approach you can take to do this that results in the same general set of flat areas that to together make up a angular, flat paneled version of a human head. Then you have simplified shapes that will be easier to put into perspective and serve as the under-drawing for a smoother final version.

You need to be able to draw an arbitrary flat plane shape (a polygon) from different perspectives. If you can draw a given triangle or trapezoid from different points of view then to draw a head you would use the same technique with the collection of arbitrary flat plane shapes that you have extracted from the head and memorized according to Loomis.


How can I convert a V-neck shirt to a square neck? My daughter needs to dress as Anne Boleyn for a school history report. We're basing her costume off this portrait:

We found a cheap long sleeve black shirt to modify with a lace/pearl edging to emulate Anne's dress. However, it's a v-neck shirt, deep enough that it is inappropriate to wear to school (or really anywhere) if I simply cut a rectangle down to that length.

How can I modify the shirt to pull the point of the V higher and make a rectangle neck that matches the desired look?

I recommend that you ignore the depth of the V in your v-neck shirt and cut the square where you want it to be (allowing for seams, obviously). Then, using the cut-out material, you can use it as a modesty panel to fill in the space where the tip of the V is to make a full square neck.

What you do with this notch is up to you. You can try to make it blend in by stitching it flat or you can use some of your embellishments to make it an accent to the center of the square.

The final result would be something similar to the neckline here:

Though, I'm guessing the V left over is going to be shallower than this one.

The obvious benefit here is that you don't have to muck with how the shirt fits. It's not been recut. All you've changed is the neckline.


Is a blanket stitch doable for first-time knitters? I have a fair amount of crocheting experience but no knitting experience whatsoever; I want to make something for my cousin’s new baby in time for Christmas, and I think a nice, simple baby blanket would make a good first knitting project. After doing research, I purchased some supplies, and I found some good knitting tutorials online—the latter of which brings me to my question.

Obviously, common sense dictates that a stitch called the “blanket stitch” would probably be ideal for making a blanket, so that’s not really much of a question. My question is whether or not the blanket stitch is a suitable technique for beginners; should I go ahead and attempt it, or should I do some additional research and find a more appropriate stitch for my experience level? My cousin (the baby’s mother) is very dear to me, and I really want to do something special for her first child—any advice that could be offered would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much in advance!

As mentioned in 111's answer, a blanket stitch is not a knitting technique to create blankets.

The biggest risk in your plan is time. Babies often decide they want to see the world before doctors decide it's time for their birth. You should finish the blanket at least 2 - 3 weeks before the scheduled date.

If you are quick and comfortable learning knitting, you can use any stitch or technique you'd like. I found Youtube videos extremely helpful and did learn complicated patterns that I wouldn't have understood otherwise. But you should experiement and create small test pieces of your blanket before knitting the whole thing and then realizing that the corners roll up and it's impossible to actually use it as a baby blanket.

And that's where the time requirement comes in: If you don't have experience with how certain knitting pattern react, you need more time to experiment. You can knit an entire blanket with just stockinette stitch, but it will roll up at the sides and won't lay flat. You could knit it with a ribbing stitch (usually found in knit cuffs, because it prevents rolling), but you'll need to knit it wider than intended because the finished piece contracts some and is narrower than it was on the needle. There are very beautiful and easy cable patterns, but if you cannot "read" the stitches on your needle it's very easy to make mistakes.

Additional hint: the "continental" knitting style is faster than the "english" style, but they both produce exactly the same patterns by the exact same needle movements. I highly recommend learning contonental style from the beginning.

If you fear you won't be able to finish a knit blanket in time, crochet it instead.


Trying to turn a vintage wash basin into a vessel sink. How can I get rid of this standing water? First off I screwed up where I drilled the hole for the drain. The middle of the bowl is actually raised so the water pools in a circle around the drain:

I'm curious what my options are now... Is there any way I can salvage this? There's about 3-4mm of standing water in a ring around the bowl.

Could I put another smaller drain in back of the bowl? I'm wondering if I could even plug the hole I drilled and not have it look awful.

If you don't object to a transparent substance in the bottom of the basin, you can use acrylic casting resin, aiming for a product which specifically advertises itself as clear, as some of the available casting resins are not.

Mixing the product per directions and pouring it into the basin with a bowl under the drain will allow you to place the exact amount, while the excess runs into the bowl. Ensure that the basin is perfectly level prior to the pour for what I hope is an obvious reason.

It's typical to subject casting resin to a pressure pot to remove bubbles, but that's not necessarily practical in this situation. A heat gun (preferred) or hair dryer will help to clear bubbles.

As a possible bonus, you can mix a small amount of glitter or similar decoration if you wish to add a different touch, although that's not consistent with the flower motif currently in place.

This may not be suited if you intend to use abrasive cleansers on the surface, but they can be polished out with appropriate abrasives and plenty of labor.


What do you incorporate into a stuffed animal so that it doesn't permanently deform? I have a concern with designing a stuffed toy which is that over time, if stuffing gets displaced from a particular region like an arm or a torso, it will be permanently deformed since the only way to move the stuffing back precisely would be to physically cut it and resew it which I wouldn't be around to do.
How do I make sure stuffing always stays in place? Or otherwise what other material options are there besides fabric and stuffing?

Compartmentalization

One way to prevent displacement is by making sure the stuffing cannot move anywhere. If all basic shapes (limbs, head, torso, &c.) are separated from the others by an internal wall or membrane, you will prevent the filling from moving outside their limited volume.

Use pre-shaped filling

You can alternatively adapt the stuffing to the final shape of the volume it will occupy.
You will probably have to adjust your technique a little, since this requires adapting the shell fabric around the stuffing, and sewing it in place.
This will have consequences for the tactile qualities of the stuffed toy.


How to make tree leaves suitable for origami? I enjoy making origami models out of paper, but the idea of using more natural materials is also an appealing one. Tree leaves, being flat and foldable, seem to be an obvious choice, but the nature of the material is such that it never seems quite right for making models out of, in my experience so far.

When fresh, the leaves are too moist: they either bend without forming a fold line and then immediately bend back, or they form a fold line which oozes liquid.
After having been left to dry, the leaves are too brittle: they break in half when folded.

Is there a way of treating leaves, or a particular kind of tree to take them from, so that they fold easily?

They need to be able to fold without either breaking or springing back into place, and to be supple enough to perform the contortions that paper can in the process of making an origami model. I'm also only interested in tree leaves I can find locally (in a temperate climate, specifically northwestern Europe), so palm leaves are out.

Try a sewing store.  Ask for lightweight fusible interfacing.  This is a lightweight nonwoven textile generally used to,provide body between two layers of fabric (like in a shirt collar).  Iron it onto a leaf and see what happens. Buy enough to experiment and make some mistakes.

I've fused silk onto the back of patterned origami paper with good results, but the leaf will be tricky as it dries out.


Calligraphy pens not laying ink evenly I have a few calligraphy kits, with an assortment of some 20 nibs among them. I believe most are Manuscript brand. They all take the cartridges, and are not dip pens.

Out of the box, none of them are laying down ink evenly for the full width of the nib. They also stop and stutter often.

I've tried new inks, different types of paper, cleaning the nibs, and even attempting to bend the tips of my duplicate nibs.

How do I troubleshoot why the nibs don't work, and go about fixing the problem?

As requested, here are some examples.

Before cleaning. I did some "flow" techniques I read.

This is after cleaning. Cleaning took a considerable amount of time. I finished with an acetone bath/scrub. The paper here is different, but the results were the same on all paper.

I have more success with perfect verticals, applying an even but firm pressure and keeping the nib perfectly level. But, even then I'll have swaths where there's 0 ink flow.

I haven't found a single nib yet that's working proper, and most are completely unused due to frustration.

If I set the pen down for a few minutes, it stops working completely until I spend a minute doing the flow techniques again.

Have you removed the protective (oil) coating of your nibs? Some people burn their nibs (over a candle, for example), but doing this they also re-temper the metal of the nib. (Don't do this if your nib is attached to plastic, of course.) I'd recommend to remove the coating with a Q-tip soaked in nail polish remover (acetone) (you can even try lemon/lime juice).

Some reviews of Manuscript calligraphy kits are pretty bad. If nothing works, maybe try a better nib (e.g. Brause dip nibs with Indian ink).


How to hang a painting on plywood on the wall? I have a painting that was done on plywood. The wood is a quarter inch thick and 3 by 4 feet in size. It is not framed, and I don’t want to frame it. I’m hanging it in my living room on a plaster wall.

I plan to put anchors in the wall, but I’m not sure how to secure the painting to the wall.

I’m thinking about clips that would go on the top and bottom, and attaching wires to those clips. I want the hardware to be as minimal as possible to not interfere with the painting’s image.

Are there any suggestions for hardware?

If you have some power tools, you can make a very thin French cleat.  The image below shows one designed to hold a heavy cabinet.  The two mating pieces are cut at an angle, typically 45°, and the piece on the wall captures the piece on the back of what's to be mounted.  The item just slides on top and is held by gravity (easy on and off; no tough aligning of anchors or capturing wire).

Image by Tenbergen, courtesy Wikipedia

Your painting isn't very heavy, and the cleat would be long (you can make it almost full length, so it looks like the painting is floating a tiny distance from the wall).  It would be attached to the wall at many spots, so the load will be very spread out.  The cleat attached to the painting can be held with glue; it's a large surface area and not much weight.

Even 1/4" material would work for your painting if you have the means to work with something that thin; 3/8" material might be easier to work with.

The cleat goes near the top of the painting.  Glue a narrow strip of the same material near the bottom of the painting, or a few scraps near the bottom corners, to act as a spacer so the painting hangs a uniform distance from the wall.


What are other techniques to draw a circle besides using or mimicking a compass tool? I would like to draw circles and ellipses more accurately without relying on a compass (or spinning my paper around). This seems like a simple google-searchable question, but most of the results are flooded with click-bait "amazing circle drawing trick!" results.

How do you draw a near-perfect circle without using or mimicking a compass?

I do not know whether you see a pin and a bit of string as a compass mimicking method, it is likely a very old alternative.

You can do elipses by using two pins and a bit of string.

Or you an use circular items and draw a line around it, just like you draw a straight line along a ruler.
There are special tools which have a series of circular holes to allow to make quickly draw several sizes of circles, if you search on -circle template ruler- you will see several different options. (Here is a link to a commercial site which shows one.)

The best method without any tools is training.
The more you do it, the better you will become.
Sit with a piece of paper in front of you and draw as many circles as you can, look critical and try to improve.

There are several methods of drawing which may work for you.
One is one flowing line, no options to improve once started but a very strong result when done right.
A second one is to build up the circle from tiny fragments. Like for a circle with 10 cm/4" diameter you draw little lines about 1 cm/ 1/2" long and overlap them at least one third, maybe two thirds. With this method you can stop and consider, re-adjust and change the shape while working on it. Even in the best outcome it will not show as strong as the single line approach but I find it an easier way to get near the perfect circle. (I never really get it right out of hand, I prefer the computer to make perfect circles for me.)
Maybe it will help you to have a perfect circle of about the right size near while training yourself to draw one. This can be any simple item which is circular. Samples include coins, saucers, tops or bottoms of glasses or even the rings left by a wet glas and so on.

An other training exercise might be that you use a circle made by one of the mechanical ways (compass tool or drawn around an object, or again the ring left by a glass) and draw your training circle around or inside (or both and several on each 'side'.)

Some people will be able to draw almost perfect circles by hand, without much training, others will never learn it. You have to try to find out how good you are.


Layout Foot length Jacket Cape How can I make the lower part of a jacket behave like a cape? The real thing might not be as dramatic as the image. An exoskeleton might be needed to make the costume behave exactly like the animated version. Heck, even the animated version is coded specifically to be stiff at standstill. However I am only asking for the fabric layout, though an exoskeleton design guide could be helpful.

How should I lay out the bottom part of a jacket to make it spread out at the bottom?

This is what is available right now but I believe it can be improved somehow to make the cape effect more dramatic.

I'm assuming from your question that you're looking to have the cape flared out around and behind you while you are standing still, as the cape will naturally take that shape when you're in motion. My best recommendations to accomplish that appearance would be to use plastic ("boning" for corsets) or wire (strong but flexible, ie. aluminum armature wire) that can be used to shape the cape. These would be run down the sides where the black trim is located, starting at waist height or higher, as well as across the bottom hem.

I will not offer these suggestions without the following warnings, however:

The cape will likely look unnatural both at rest and in motion. You may be able to skillfully shape it to look more natural at rest, but it will still look stiff when you're moving
You will likely become annoyed very quickly while wearing it. If you're planning to wear it to a convention, they are generally crowded, with a lot of narrow passages, and a stiff cape like this may interfere with your moving around. You'll also become annoyed trying to pack or store it because of the stiffness. And on top of those issues, you also won't be able to sit down while wearing it (and likely would become unwelcome in panel spaces due to the size anyway).
If you are wearing it at a convention, you will quickly become other attendee's least favorite person. You will likely have a reduced awareness of where the back of your cape is, and you will hit people's legs, belongings, and props, as well as potentially knocking over displays in vendor areas, and taking up a lot of space in crowded areas.
If you are wearing it at a convention, you may be in violation of costume policies for that convention. Many will have rules such as the "Six Inch Rule," where no part of your costume may protrude more than 6" from your body, and the shaped cape would easily fall outside that limit. You may be asked to remove the piece from your costume or leave certain areas if convention staff determines you to be in violation of rules or a hazard to other attendees.

In light of those problems, I would recommend you do not focus on making a stiff cape. Rather, you should evaluate fabrics that will move and drape in the proper manner, to get the right look in motion, and to make the entire costume much simpler to wear.

I will also take a brief moment to address the solutions offered by abbie, which won't work as well as expected. Fabric stiffeners are meant for very lightweight fabrics; unless you're making the cape out of chiffon or cheesecloth, you aren't going to get any noticeable stiffening. I have used various stiffeners on thicker fabrics; they do not harden as you would expect, and form "break points" that fold severely and look quite bad. Starch definitely won't work, as it's meant to keep wrinkles out but keep fabric still wearable. In these cases, you're going to end up with a rigid cape that hangs straight down and doesn't move at all when you move.

Interfacing may work, but only if you use the heaviest form (often sold as "craft interfacing") and line the entire back of the cape with it. I frequently use heavy interfacing in my own costumes, and it is still quite flexible and would not be able to support the weight of the costume at that size. At best, you will likely get a stiff cape hanging rigidly around your legs; at worst, it will partially flare before giving in to your own weight, leaving you looking like you are wearing a bustle, which I assume is not the look you are after. Lighter interfacing will not stiffen the fabric at all.

Crinoline may work, but at the size it would need to be, it will be highly visible, and no more effective than directly wiring or boning the cape itself. Tinfoil will obviously not work, as it's designed to be very pliant, and chicken wire is likely to damage the costume pieces and your body.


Milling an additional slot in an arbor press table plate? I need to add a slot to the table plate of my Harbor Freight (Central Machinery) ½ ton arbor press.

It's obviously cast iron, but the surface is polished, so I'm not sure of its exact composition or if the surface is tough and it has a softer interior.

I don't have any carbide end mills, but I have some surplus HSS mills I don't mind destroying in this process.

Any ideas or suggestions?

Thanks!

My experience with cast iron in the process of milling and lathe turning (minimal, but valid reference) is that cast iron will cut nicely with ordinary HSS tools. The swarf will be granular, not long streams of ribbon and the surface will be moderately smooth, depending on your feed and speed.

A few references on the 'net suggest that it is "self-cooling" due to graphite in the iron. Another few references also suggest that use of coolant will create abrasive mud which will dull the tools.

You won't be destroying your tools.


Sketching paper for amateur artist What is the cheapest paper for sketching, but is also really good for erasing?

I sketch in my free time and it's getting harder and harder for me to find a good type of paper to use. I currently am using canson XL but I'm looking for other mediums to use as well.

For sketching newsprint is the art school standard because it's cheap and it has a bit of tooth. Printer paper is very smooth, which makes it less suitable for drawing with graphite or charcoal. The tooth is what holds the graphite and charcoal in place.

A number 2 pencil is very hard, so you have to press firmly to make a darker mark. You should treat yourself to a range of graphite pencils; they are not very expensive. I use a 3B, a 5B, and an 8B most of the time.

I'm guessing that the eraser you're using is not a grey gum eraser. Get one. They are cheap, and they are worth it. You should knead it a bit before use to soften it. These can be shaped, so they are great for erasing weird tiny bits.

Because this is very common, I'm going to venture that, if not you, at least a few people who read this are artists who try to save time by turning a sketch into a finished drawing. No doubt a sketch can be very beautiful, but it's better to use your sketches as visual references for a finished drawing. If you buy semi-expensive paper, you may become worried about wasting it, and that can prevent you from sketching regularly. On the other hand, sketch pad paper doesn't look very good and is not archival.

Many people, myself included, don't even bother erasing everything in a sketch. I only erase something if it's visually confusing enough to keep me from finishing the sketch.

I often hear people bring up Caravaggio at this point. They will point out that he did not do drawings first, and preferred to work everything out on the canvas. For those reading who had this thought, I ask that you consider the difference in the mediums -- it is easy to paint over a mistake in oils, but graphite drawings are more delicate.

The best drawing paper for using an eraser would be something high quality, archival, and fairly thick. As I mentioned above, a graphite drawing is a fragile work of art. You don't want to be going nuts with your eraser directly on the expensive paper because too much will start to show up. But little bits here and there you can erase with a soft gum eraser, then gently sand with fine grit sandpaper.

Part of the beauty of a gallery-ready graphite drawing on paper is the illusion of there only being perfect marks on otherwise pristine paper. (Depending on your style, of course. Since you use #2 and mechanical pencils, and you want to use an eraser, it seems like a fair bet you're going for work with a clean and precise look.) And there you have the reason why artists will work it out on newsprint before hand -- unless you're some kind of a savant it's impossible to get this look in the first drawing.

Depending on the type of drawing you're doing, you might even want to experiment with cartooning a sketch onto archival paper. (Tape tracing paper to the drawing, trace it. Flip the tracing paper over to the other side, place it on a light-colored surface, and trace it again in a soft charcoal. Gently place the tracing paper in place on the archival paper, charcoal side down, and trace it again. The pressure will transfer the charcoal drawing onto the new surface.)

I hope this helped! Have fun drawing. :)


What are the general guidelines for cutting glass with straight lines? When it comes to cutting glass, the simplest thing is cutting straight lines and - arguably - it should be one of the first things to learn. I want to take some glass and cut it into a different size for a custom frame I made.

When it comes to tools what are my options? When it comes to techniques, with those tools, what should I keep in mind?

This approach will focus on using handheld glass cutters. Much of what is covered here applies to curves as well, however, I will only focus on cutting straight lines. This is one such cutter:

Image from Amazon.com

The most basic and versatile tool for cutting glass is the glass cutter. There are different styles and features, but all will have a cutting wheel. There are different grips, ones with multiple rotating cutters and many have a ball or similar on the opposite end of the tool (Which is used for tapping the glass)

Prepping your work surface

You should, in general, be cutting glass on a hard surface that is clean of debris. While you might be tempted to cut on carpet or softer surface, this would be counter productive. The pressure you exert with the tool on the glass is the most important factor, so you don't want the glass to move at all unless by your own hand.

The tool, when used properly, will come into contact with this surface so if you have something hard like a metal top, then you might want to put something down like thin cardboard or a self healing mat so as to not damage your cutter prematurely.

Clean glass debris between your breaks. It does not take much to scratch.

Scoring the glass

Glass cutting with hand tools relies on scoring the glass. You are placing a shallow cut/fissure into the glass to guide the eventual break. Getting the perfect score can be difficult to get perfect, but following some basic guidelines, it can be done. If your tool is not self lubricating then you should make sure you lubricate the wheel. This will prevent it from getting locked up with glass shards and binding.

You want the score to be deep enough that it cuts into the glass but not so deep that it starts throwing off chips. The sound the glass is making while your a cutting is important. It should sound like a light zipper and the sound should be continuous from the start to the finish of the cut. Always start and end the score off the glass and avoid hesitation.

Break the glass

Once you have a good score line you should be able to break the glass with ease. These are general approaches

Score away from the edge of the glass: Most cuts you should be able to do with your hand as long as there is room. Place your thumbs close on both sides of the score line. Start applying leverage like you want to bend it in half. Much in the same way you break a chocolate bar.
Score near the edge: If you are having issues getting a hold with your hand then you can use glass pliers or running pliers. Basically pliers with curved jaws with a rubber-like covering to protect the glass. The curved jaws work the glass the same as your hands, using the score line like a fulcrum.

Image from freepatternsforstainedglass.com

Other variations of hand and tool positions exist. It's a matter of applying pressure close to the score line to encourage a break.

If you are having issues getting the break to start you might not have a good score line, the glass might be thick, or you might need to exert more pressure to start the break.

You can use the ball of the cutter to tap near the score line on the other side. Run the ball at the edge of the glass and follow the score line along. You likely can see the glass start to break when it gets easier to see. Once that is done you can come back to hands or pliers and try to break again.

If your score is weak do not try to score on the same line again. It can damage the tool and will create an unpredictable breaking score line. Instead try scoring again on the other side of the glass. While this still could have problems, it is a better 2nd chance approach.

One of several good videos that covers this and similar topic

Video

You can also listen to the sound the glass makes when scoring properly.


What is that dial on top of my sewing machine? What purpose does it serve? I have a Brother CS6000i sewing machine. I noticed that on the top of the machine, there is a dial that goes in slow increments, between 1 and 5.
I've tried turning the dial, and it doesn't seem to affect the operation of the machine in any way (the speed control is a completely different slider on the front). However, I've noticed that when I turn it to different extremes, my stitches seem to come out incorrectly (with loops on the front or back). I've set it to 4, which seems to provide an accurate stitch on the fabrics I've used it on.
What exactly does that dial do, and in what cases should I turn it to a different setting?

That's a tension dial, for adjusting how taut the upper thread is held while sewing; the adjustments run from 1 (least tension) to 5 (greatest tension), and allow you to adjust the pull of the upper thread against the thread coming from the bobbin. You've already observed this, by noting the loops migrating to the top (too high) or bottom (too low).
Different fabrics will often need different tensions, but there aren't really hard-and-fast rules for this. The typical process instead is to sew a test seam using the same fabrics and check your tension, adjusting up or down as needed until the two threads are balanced. That said, if you're machine basting or stitching a gathering seam, throwing the tension wildly off can make the basting much easier to pull and remove later, as one side will be very loose and easy to break (or pull through the loops of the other side, in the case of a gather).
Note that, while you can also adjust the bobbin tension in front-loading machines, this is rarely necessary and typically only done if something has gone wrong in the bobbin case. Most top-loading machines don't have a way to adjust the bobbin tension. Ordinarily, you'll only ever need to adjust the top thread tension.
Threads Magazine has a good illustrated write-up with information on factors other than the tension dial that may throw off your tension and necessitate additional adjustments.


How to achieve a smooth finish in oils? I admire the glass-like smoothness of some classical paints.

I know to polish the gesso until it's smooth like eggshells, not to leave brush marks by mixing stroke directions, and using thin paint and glazes extensively.

Are there other ways to achieve that glass effect?

Thin out the paint layers and add a little more linseed oil to the paint.

The thinner you apply the layers the less likely you will leave brushstrokes. The paint will however take longer to dry, some of the colour might yellow over time, and it may need more layers applied to the piece.

My suggestion is to play around. See what gets you that effect best!


Waterproof paint for rubber I need a waterproof paint (preferably a spray) to draw on my rubber diving fins. It can't be petroleum based as it reacts with rubber. Most divers use permanent markers, but my art skills are very low so I want something to spray or paint on stencil template.

You'll need something that's highly durable and flexible, but won't decrease the performance of your fins too much.
It seems you're best off with a rubber(izing) paint or rubber coating/liquid rubber, which is "heat, chemical, weather, and impact resistant, as well as being flexible". Last but not least, according to the linked page, since they are "water based and VOC free, these products will not harm you or the water table".
They are a little hard to find as coloured paints, though.
Be sure to test your coating or paint on (similar) rubber before applying it to your fins, and to clean the fins (using water and soap) for improved adherence (I suppose sanding the rubber is out of the question).
You can read through this thread on scubaboard.com, as it has a few good tips and alternative approaches, or this thread on whitearmor.net (a site aimed at stormtrooper cosplay enthousiasts), where they talk about painting rubber boots.
Looking into cosplay forums can generally provide good alternative ideas.
I suggest using your favourite search engine to look for a proper product if the ones mentioned on the linked websites or in the linked threads aren't to your liking.
A good candidate might be Plasti-Dip, as it is available in multiple colours, but I'm not sure if the peelable nature of it means it will slowly peel off of its own accord. Fusion All-in-one from Krylon also seems to work.
Alternatively, you can use stencils to decorate your fins using the permanent markers.


How to mix paint given a hex color code? I want to replicate a color scheme that is given in Hex codes (RGB, equivalently) - example here.
Given that I have red, yellow, blue, white and black paint, how am I supposed to systematically reproduce these colors? How can I determine the exact proportions of red, yellow, blue, white and black paint I should mix in order to get the colors shown? (Or any Hex-coded color for that matter.)
In any case I want to avoid mixing things "by eye".

RGB (Red Green Blue), is the common system for representing primary colors for emitted light.  That's the color system used for computer monitors.  The hex codes are a way of specifying the RGB values.  Each two-digit pair in the sequence represents a value between 0 and 255 (in hexadecimal, so only two characters are needed for each value), for red, green and blue light.  That allows over 16 million possible colors, which is roughly the limit the human eye can distinguish.
CMY (Cyan Magenta Yellow), is a common system for representing primary colors of reflected light.  It's typically the color system used for print colors.  Additional colors are often added to the pallet because CMY can't represent the full range of colors detectable by the eye, and it is difficult to produce intense RGB primary colors by mixing CMY colors.  So printers typically add black, and high-end photo printers often add one or more of the RGB primary colors.
To create precise mixed colors, you need to start with precise primary colors.  For example, a nice, intense blue may not by an optically "pure" blue primary color, so any colors mixed from that will be off.
With paint, there is also the effect of how concentrated the pigment is in the paint.  If you mix a color from two paints that are optically perfect primary colors but have different concentrations of pigment, the resulting color will be off in the direction of the paint containing a higher ratio of pigment.  You create the color by mixing controlled amounts of pigment, not controlled amounts of paint.
Companies that sell mixed paint colors use precisely known colorants, in terms of both the color and the concentration of pigment.  Their equipment is calibrated based on those standard source colorants.
You're starting with paint whose precise color and pigment concentration are unknown, so there is no basis for mixing colors from those without calibration equipment (other than by eye).  You have the further problem that you aren't starting with a pallet that is primary colors for reflected light.  You can approximate a CMY pallet by mixing the colors you have, but you have no way to produce accurate primary colors as a mixing starting point without calibration equipment.
So unfortunately, you can't get there from here.  You may be able to do it if you buy a color calibration sensor.  There are some relatively inexpensive ones for calibrating monitors.  You may even be able to create something crude with a cellphone camera, a standard color target, and some calibration software.  Once you have a calibrated color sensor, you could precisely mix some colors and measure how far off they are from theoretical.  That will indicate differences in pigment concentration, and you could adjust for that.
The reality, though, is that you will invest more time, effort, and money in trying to use your existing paints in this way than buying paints (or paint-like printer's inks) designed to be used in the way you want to use them.


Machine shear for cardboard? Is there a special kind of cutter for cardboard? I know I could use a laser cutter, but I don't want to spend thousands.
I need an automatic shear of some kind, ideally with an adjustable kerf, so that I can control the width of the material removed.
Fabric shears are not heavy duty enough to cut large amounts of cardboard.
In the machining world there are devices called nibblers for nibbling sheet metal. The look like this:

I could use this, but it is really for sheet metal. I am looking for something more for cardboard with an adjustable cutter. Does that exist?

For just about any shape of cut-out, one could use a router bit in a router, but they are typically quite heavy and more powerful than you need for cardboard. More appropriate would be a tool commonly called a Dremel tool. These are rotary multi-feature tools for which one can purchase different attachments and cutting bits.

A router head for such a tool is going to be smaller than a full size router. Cutting bits are typically around the 1/8"/3 mm size. There are larger diameters but not as much variety as with a full size router.

The tools are often variable speed and some are cordless, offering even more flexibility for use.

For cutting straight lines, one would want to have a guiding device such as a flat board clamped or taped to the cutting surface. For curves and holes, it's going to be mostly eyeball guidance.

If you are cutting only straight lines, there is available what amounts to a small scale hand-held circular saw, but that loses the ability to change kerf sizes.

The one shown is again by Dremel, but other manufacturers have similar products.

Last on the list would be an oscillating cutter.

Many manufacturers, corded and cordless, with multiple tool selections. No kerf adjustment, generally speaking, more easily controlled than a circular cutter but slower.

I did not suggest a hobby level CNC cutter as they are expensive and limited to the bed size, which limits your work piece size as well.


How can I build and attach new plaster hands for a statue? I have a religious statue made of plaster. Unfortunately, its hands are missing. I need to build new ones, but I am not sure where to begin. I thought I would make new hands out of clay, then cast them in plaster, but I wanted to check with others who might have better ideas. I know how to sculpt, but I have never cast before, nor repaired such a large statue before.
Additionally, the statue has been in storage in a VERY damp basement, and the wooden base under the statue's feet has rotted, making her feet crumble badly. I will post a separate question about replacing the wood.

The statue is approx. 49 inches (125 cm) high, and base is approx. 15" (38 cm) wide x 10" (25 cm) deep. She weighs about 20 lbs (9 kg) (est.).

Your intention to salvage the statue is well placed. However, as already stated in a comment, your biggest enemy here is the fact that the structural integrity of the statue is affected, and therefore not reliable.

Before fixing the details, you should make sure that the statue can survive the repairs, instead of completely collapsing together with said repairs.

To verify the extent of the structural damage, you should carefully remove everything that can be removed - as in "disassemble the statue". You will understand better the skeleton it was built on (I see some wood "stick" inside the arm). Make lots of pictures, number the fragments...

Be sure to have good glue, compatible with the material of the statue.

And I would fix the base, before anything else. Otherwise, the base will allow the entire statue to be destroyed at some time later. Even a small accident will render all previous work useless, while trying to fix the base.

Bottom line: this appears to be a not-so-easy task. Even if it is not worth hiring a professional to do all the work, you may still contact a local professional for some advice - he will be able to see what cannot be seen in a picture.

Disassembling should not scare you too much - the statue needs a new layer of paint anyway - at least after de-molding and removal of exfoliated paint.


How can I attach a large satin applique to a skirt? I'm making a skirt, and I'd like to attach an applique of a thin satiny fabric to the thicker base fabric. It's going to be in the shape of a city skyline, with the satiny stuff as the buildings. It's a circle skirt, like this:

except the buildings will go all the way around. I'm going to use a bias tape for the bottom hem of the skirt, and I have the waist all figured out too. but I don't know how to attach the top, cut-out edge of the black satin.

It won't be able to take much heat from ironing, and will probably need to be hemmed to keep fraying apart. If I try to glue it on, the glue will probably show through.

My original plan was to cut the black as one big round and jagged piece, fold over a hem along the top and sew it on with a sewing machine. I'm abandoning this idea due to not having really used a sewing machine in years and because of all the turning and narrow bits and detail required. The project is also too big to be able to keep flat and even in a sewing machine. Furthermore, I'm not sure if I can make a crisp hem with limited ability to iron the fabric.

Alternative ideas have been some kind of iron-on stuff to stick them together, or some kind of spray-on sticky stuff, but I don't have any experience with that kind of thing, so I don't know what to choose. Plus, they may require heats greater than what this fabric can stand.

The technique that would probably look best would be to hand sew the entire thing with a small blanket stitch, but that'd be a LOT of sewing- and I only have 2 weeks to finish it.

Finally, a last case idea was to abandon the satin altogether and use fabric markers or paint to make the buildings, but I would prefer the look of the fabric.

The "iron-on stuff to stick them together" that you'd heard about is called fusible interfacing. For satin, you will be looking for a "lightweight" or "feather" interfacing that has heat-activated adhesive.

It only needs a second or less of contact with an iron to melt to fabric, and  will not bleed through like glue. I recently used it to attach lace to satin, and it performed beatifully. Satin to a thicker base fabric should be similarly successful. Just make sure your iron isn't on the hottest setting -- neither the fabric nor the interfacing need that much heat :)


How to best attach EL wire to clothing mostly-permanantly? I have some EL wire I used once to make a cool glow suit that ended up looking like buzz lightyear, but now I want to move onto a different project. I've already removed it from the first set, but this other project I have in mind I want to keep for a while so I would like to find a way to attach the EL wire in a more permanent way. In the first version, I used clothes pins and threaded the wire through the little holes on one end and then capped it after it was finished, and that worked well for the short time I needed it. However, I need to make it a bit longer lasting this time around. I plan to attach the EL wire to a quick-dry shirt, and maybe a little on some pants but not much.
I will be moving around a bit, so hopefully this option will allow for some movement, and I would also like to do some sharper corners for a sort of 'cracks' pattern when I mount it so that might narrow it down some.
Any ideas?

The obvious solution seems like the best here. Sew it on by hand. This requires basically no sewing experience; if you can sew on a button you can do this.
Don't put the needle through the wire. Rather, put the needle through the fabric from behind, wrap it over the wire, and put it back through the fabric on the other side. This makes a loop of thread over the wire. Repeat several times in the same location until you have a sturdy loop around the wire. Tie off your thread. Repeat in another location.
Using a thicker thread will make the process faster, because you won't need as many loops in each spot. Suitable threads include: a double thickness of normal sewing thread, embroidery thread, crochet cotton, even twine if you find the appearance and texture acceptable. Remember that the knot on the inside will be thicker than the thread itself, so consider how the knot will feel when the garment is worn.
If you like, you can make the knot and the loose ends part of the design. Use a thicker yarn or string, and tie the knot on the outside. Leave the ends an inch or two, or as long as you want the fringe.
You will need to experiment to figure out the best spacing of the attachment points.


How to cut a stitched leather belt without it unraveling? I am talking about the belts with stitches along its edges. I read that if I cut it to shorten it at the buckle end, the threads will come loose. What do I do to prevent this?

The following is a picture of the belt:

Without seeing the belt - but having an idea of what it might look like - here's an idea that might work:

I assume the buckle end of the belt is pulled through the lower part of the buckle and folded back onto itself and sewn across the edge to hold it in place.

To remove the buckle, carefully cut that stitching open and pull the belt through to the length you want and trim it so that the new edge hits the back of the belt at about the same place as before.
Sew across to hold the belt in place.
The cut threads along the edge of the belt will now be on the underneath side of the belt.  If you don't fix them in place, they will unravel and eventually show on the outside of the belt. You can use Fray Check (fabric glue found in craft or fabric stores) or superglue to glue the cut threads to the underside of the belt so they won't unravel.

You can also take the belt to a shoe repair place to resew the cut edge, unless you have an awl (sharp hole-maker) to make new holes in the new belt edge that you can hand-sew through to fix the folded-over part to the back of the belt.  Then glue the cut thread as above.

If the sewn edge of your belt is a thin leather ("boondoggle") and not thread, you can try gluing the cut stitches, but you can also have a shoe repair place sew them down when they sew across the new edge.

Good luck!  Good for you for trying to fix the belt you like instead of just tossing it.


How do I choose which adhesive or material to repair action figures? I have several types of action figures that need minor repairs (small details broken off) and major repairs (limbs broken).

Some of these parts are soft, flexible plastic, some hard, and some are right on pressure/articulation points.

How do I go about deciding which type of adhesive, bonding agent or sculpting material would be best suited for repairs?

It depends what you want out of the repairs.

If you're looking for longevity and quality of repair, an epoxy (resin) is your best bet. They tend to create the best seams and are difficult to break. The downside of these is that you get one shot - getting it wrong quite often either gets the parts stuck in the wrong place, or you very messy. Some epoxy glues also require mixing of two ingredients, which is definitely messy.

For quick-and-dirty repairs, it can be better to use superglue (acrylate-based glues). This takes longer to set, in general, and won't last as long, but can be useful for repairs that won't see much stress or that don't matter too much. Be aware that you can't use superglue on all materials - notably, acrylic won't take well to it.

Information from my own knowledge, supplemented by the information available here.


Quality ranking of oil paint brands Is there a standard quality ranking for oil paints?
How do specific oils relate to the quality of oil paints?
Can anyone provide a top five or top ten of brands?

There is no standard quality ranking for artist oil paints, however, generally, they are sold as Professional, Artist or Student grade with different brands having their own names. Price also is usually an indicator.

I think it is more useful to think of paint in terms of purity rather than quality.

The top end manufacturers are pigment makers firstly, the rarer the material and the more complex the manufacturing process the more expensive the pigment and thus the paint. (See Lapis lazuli, rose madder, mummy brown for examples). The most expensive paint contains one expensive pigment with oil added. A cheaper paint in the same range will be exactly the same quality only with a pigment that is easier to produce.

Budget paints will have two or more cheap pigments (and possibly filler) mixed together to resemble a single pigment.

The oil is basically a medium to get the pigment from the tube to the canvas, cure, harden and then leave the pigments in as pure a condition as possible. Different oils are used, the most common is heat-treated linseed, I have also used walnut oil and safflower oil. The different oils have different effects on drying time, consistency, and finish, but this is a good thing as it provides flexibility and creativity which in my opinion is the essence of oil painting.

I have read that safflower oil separates in the tube and that linseed oil goes hard over time. I would say that that is just a common problem that relates to ageing or poor storage.

You can find a list of popular brands looking online, if you are a student you could start with something like Monte Mart, Maries, or if you had a bit more money to spend you could look at the Winsor and Newton Winton range.

If you are serious and want to keep going you will probably be able to answer your own question by that time and discover brands like: Blockx, Michael Harding, M.Graham, Sennelier... I use M.Graham and Art Spectrum.


Money clip rubber cement/hot glue? The current project in my sewing group is making a money clip.
My question is whether I should use rubber cement or hot glue to attach the magnets that hold the clip onto the money.
If it helps, the magnets are basically metal and the rest the clip is basically leather. The thread is waxed sewing thread and the needle is (I believe) a plastic needle as the holes are pre-punched. It’s a money clip do-it-yourself kit. If it’s hot glue then obviously I’ll be needing some help as I don’t trust myself with the hot glue applicator.
I just started the money clip:

Just finished it!:

I've glued strong magnets to various other things in an industrial context, and even fairly rigid substrates have a tendency to peal off the magnets.

Hot glue is good if it sticks well to both surfaces, and it often doesn't stick very well to things like metal.  It's easy to use too -- try it out on scrap materials and you'll be fine.

A much better option is to use a magnet with a hole in (searching on "magnet with hole" will find you many sizes), and fasten through the hole, whether by sewing or some other kind of fastener.  Alternatively sewing the magnet into a pocket can work well, but it doesn't sound like you've got much chance to modify the design.  This option does require strong magnets as you're putting material in between them.


Plastic eraser vs Rubber eraser This is a plastic eraser and this is a rubber eraser.
What are the differences between the two and which one should be preferred for which kind of drawing?
Why is there such a huge price difference between the two?
Says plastic eraser can tear paper:

Vinyl erasers, also called plastic erasers, are the toughest erasers on this list. If not used carefully, they can easily tear through paper.

The "rubber" eraser you linked to actually looks like a plastic eraser.  "Rubber erasers" typically refer to the type on the end of a wooden pencil or a block like the Pink Pearl eraser.  There are many other types of erasers; I'll focus on just the two in the question.
Just an interesting historical aside, the first erasers were made of rubber but the "rubber" in "rubber eraser" comes from the fact that when erasers were invented by accident in the late 1700's, the term "rubber" was in common use for any object used for rubbing[1].
Rubber erasers aren't usually made from natural rubber any more.  They're a rubbery plastic or synthetic rubber that contains a lot of plasticizer and some abrasive filler material, the amount of which varies.  Rubber erasers are generally good for pencil lines, although the surface can get saturated with graphite and then start smearing it around.  Decades ago, ink erasers were rubber erasers with more abrasive.  They were harder and erased the ink by sanding away the paper surface.
Plastic erasers are a soft, rubbery plastic, often vinyl, with no abrasive filler.  They are generally better than rubber erasers for most purposes.  They erase pencil marks more effectively and with less tendency to smear.  They can sometimes remove ink marks without tearing up the paper surface.
I've come across articles like the quote added to the question, that claim plastic erasers are hard, or they more easily tear the paper.  I've used them for probably decades and have no idea where those claims come from.  Plastic erasers are more effective and require less pressure and rubbing.  The paper is more likely to be damaged by using a rubber eraser that smears the pencil marks, then requires more aggressive rubbing to clean it up.
The plastic erasers tend to be more expensive than the rubber erasers.  It's possible that they are more expensive to produce, but I suspect pricing is based on what the market will bear and the size of each market.  Rubber erasers are adequate for school and a lot of general office and personal use.  Plastic erasers are more in demand for more critical applications like art and drafting, where users will spend more for better performance.
Buying single erasers often carries a huge price markup that has little to do with the manufacturing cost of the eraser.  If you buy packages of three or more, or especially, a bulk box of 10 or 12, you can often get a lot of erasers for what you would spend on a couple of individual erasers.  Even if it takes you a long time to go through them, the initial purchase won't break the bank.
I'm not sure of the monetary conversions for the prices in your links.  Looking at prices in the US market, you can easily find packages of two or three rubber erasers at around $0.50 per eraser.  In-store at a retailer like Walmart, you can get a package of two for less than $0.50.  For the plastic erasers, you can find bulk packages of 10 or 12 at $0.50 per eraser, like these brand name erasers through Amazon.


What paints could I use on nylon fabric? What are good paints for painting on (thin) nylon fabrics?

The goal is to paint an umbrella so there are some additional constraints. The paint should:

be waterproof.
keep the flexibility of the nylon fabric (i.e. it should at least still be possible to close the umbrella).

I don't have specific experience painting nylon fabric, but as a starting place for you, Dharma Trading Company has a tutorial for painting and/or dying silk that may apply to your project. They sell several lines of fabric paints and dyes. Dick Blick has silk/fabric paints and dyes. There are videos on YouTube for painting fabrics. Go to the manufacturer's home pages to check for compatibility with nylon and don't hesitate to ask for their suggestions. Be aware that many fabric paints require being setting with heat, like an iron.

As an alternative, consider going that retro route and using painted and/or dyed silk. It can be exquisitely beautiful. Waxed or oiled silk, lacquered papers, leather, feathers, and palm leaves have all been used by various cultures over time for their umbrellas.


The term for someone pointing at an object to attract attention to the object In paintings, you often see people pointing at things. This is sometimes the painter's way of attracting the audience's attention to whatever is being pointed at. Is there a name for this way of guiding attention to objects in a painting?

In painting, this figure is called a festaiuolo:

[Artists of late medieval and Renaissance Europe] relied on festiauolo - figures who attract our attention by glance or gesture, point us in the appropriate direction, and indicate how we should respond or behave. The concept of the festaiuolo was taken by artists from the Italian theatrical and celebratory conventions. On stage, he or she was usually a secondary character who served as an intermediary between the audience and the main action, explaining, commenting, and modeling the appropriate response. The meaning of the word itself, literally "feast-maker", suggests the role of master or mistress of ceremonies, who would perform introductions and direct guests, and so the festaiuolo functioned in a work of art.
Scholarship and Christian faith: Enlarging the Conversation; Douglas Jacobsen, Rhonda Hustedt Jacobsen; 2004. p. 144

This pointing can be to something or someone inside the painting, as well as outside of it, in which case it usually is a concept, like God or Fate (here is a related thread on History.SE).