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Clay Pens

So a few posts back I showed how to make some canes and now it is time to put them to use.  One of the easiest things is to make pens. I like to use the basic Bic pens.(that don't have any grips on them.  Start by taking out the ink so you just have the shell.  Then you will cut your can into nice thin slices and start to press them onto the pen gently.
Cover the entire pen! I like to start at the end and work towards the pen tip.
You might have to trim the extra off at the end.
Once it it all covered I like to gently roll it back and forth to make it smooth.  The canes will distort a little bit.  I recommend (if using sculpty or premo) to bake at 250 for 15 minutes.  It is better to go a little cooler so your pen doesn't melt!  Once it is done and cooled, you can sand it a little bit to make it a tad smoother.  I like to use wet/dry sand paper at the highest I can find (usually that is 600).  Once sanded, I use a glaze and cover the entire pen.  It makes it nice and shiny and I think it helps from cracking over time.  Then just put the ink back in and your done!.
I made the leaf pen a long time ago and have been able to change out the ink and use it over and over again.  This can be a good project for young kids to do.  A simpler option for them would be to have them cover the pen in one color clay and then have them wrap a long "snake" around the pen and then roll it smooth.
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