GISI Pen making - step one print 3d container and fill with resin

Its been a while - and I have been busy at work as well but having a ball

I got a 3d printer for christmas (gift to self) and loving it - wanted to make  pens again but with resin so started printing the molds to pour the resins in and then when it gets warm I can turn them on my lathe

these are called GISI style pens - you fill the compartments with colored resin 

then I will turn them on the lathe to make a pen 

Acrylic Pouring

I have been accumulating all kinds of goodies for Acrylic pouring  and came across a class in Peterborough to take - was a few hours but we did a hands on canvas and a couple of other things - cant wait to pick them up end of the week

this is what I did in the canvas - using  regular dollar store acrylics a touch of water and the Floetrol (which is soooooo much cheaper than the pouring mediums you get at either Michaels or Curry's )

I'll have more details on set up and mixing shortly but it was fund and  less waste than I thought there would be to take the over flow and make  bookmarks and  jeweley from

but here is my first small canvas - I used the  silicone oil in this one

This weeks steel etching

allmy etchings for this week - extremely pleased

next step run some copper samples 

Another Etched Steel plate

almost done for the night - just one more batch after this one - really like the swirls

Yet More ! Etched steel

fresh out of etch tonight - I have some prepped and working on tonight to get etched

More etched steel

Loving how it etches - so easy -  the hard part is weeding the vinyl and  then taking it off the etched pieces  takes the most time

and prepping some more 

Etching Steel

First - thank you Leslie Kail Villarreal for her inspiring video on how to etch  steel

I did use 3" x 6"  (.125) Hot rolled steel - you just have to clean the scale off with some elbow grease and  steel wool (although I could have used muriatic acid to clean it as well )  - I cut a pattern with my scan n cut machine using 651 oracle vinyl (going to try pnp another time )  and used both the negative and positive image and used both sides just to see how it etches.

I bought the glass vase at the dollar store  and used a metal cake pan for underneath.  I had an aquarium pump from my pysanky eggs and just cut a piece of the tubing to use to bubble and clipped it to the edge with a plastic clip - from the dollar store .  I also got a plastic pitcher to mix the water, copper sulfate and salt  then put my piece in  and poured the mixture in - 2L is enough to fill this vase to the top.  2L is  1 cup of copper sulphate   and 1 cup of salt (I used the pickling salt - no additives ) and then filled the container up to top (2l mark) mixed and mixed till disolved.

So it was soooo green and bubbling - after 1/2 hour took out and used a soft toothbrush to brush off some of the copper build up then put back in.

once finished just brush more and clean off - the hardest was puling off the vinyl with tweezers

cant wait to try it out in my rolling mill 

My notes : 

Next phase is to test out using my PNP blue which is easier to use - and can do more details as well - and I want to go revisit my steel washers  for pendants if you remember 

I used pnp blue for the pattern but the etch was really for copper and not strong enough - this formula gives a really good etch  so will try it this weekend - go here to find washers 

https://deborahreadcom.blogspot.com/search?q=washers