DIY Cheap Tools

Quick Tools for the maker in you.

 I can’t tell you how many times I go to my wonderful selection of art tools, etc. and I somehow can’t find the right one, most likely I just didn’t put them away properly but oh well here we are. I found this clay several years ago and it truly should be in everyone’s home just like school glue and Duck Tape. What makes this clay so special and perfect for creating art and tools is that it is a cure on demand Clay. QuickCure Clay stays soft until it cured with a heat tool, or a hot plate and it cures in seconds, not hours and definitely not days. Rock hard and Machinable if needed. Use it to make thumb drills, sculpting tools, stamps, sanding blocks, wire twisters, mini hammers or grips for other tools,etc.

Well, enough with my gibberish let’s just get to making.

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• Tile to work on
• QuickCure Clay from Ranger Ink ( QuickCure Clay)
• Gloves
• Heat tool (embossing heat tool) you can use other items to heat as long as it can heat to 300°F and is only used for art projects not for your grilled cheese.
• Some corn starch or marble powder to prevent sticking
• Heat pad to set hot pieces on to cool
• You can incorporate broken tool pieces or components that need handles or Extensions if desired.
• Optional (sanding or paint)

Step one: what tool is needed?

We will just make some simple clay tools for the clay. Isn’t that a hoot? The maker makes with the make for the make.

The clay becomes the tool to model itself with!

I will also share my little hammer and my wire twisters.

Take a small piece of clay in your gloved hands begin to form to your desired shape. I wanted a pointed tool and a knife shape. One a cone shape the other a cone shape without a point and just press down on the end to flatten into a knife shape. Use cornstarch to keep from sticking to the tile.

  That’s it, now hold the heat tool just above and keeping your face back watch it cure. Before your eyes. Now do not pick up with bare hands it is very very hot. Let cool on the tile or move with tweezers to hot pad to cool. After they are cooled you can leave them as they are or you can refine your tools by hand sanding or take to a grinder or power sander. You can paint if you like.

Next, let’s take a boutonniere pin and turn it into a needle tool. Not much to do here, I did say these are quick tools. Roll out a little sausage or a ball and press and form over the existing pinhead and cure. Moving on.  I had an old handle, but you could make your own for a hammer. Yep a hammer.

 If you like working with thin copper or aluminum, even clay small hammers are a must so let’s make them. Sometimes I put pieces of scrap steel or little ball bearings into my clay and then form my shape add the handle or make one.  For this hammer it has been just a cone and a ball formed on an old needle tool. It’s then cured, and good for hammering lightweight materials, t let me tell you these hammers are very strong and the fact that you can sand and grind you can easily add texture buttons on the head and then put a screw into the clay so the heads can be changed out.

Aluminum foil is great for creating voids in the clay if a solid form is not needed.  

 This clay is so tough, you're just going to have to take my word for it until you try it.

Ok, this next item is something that I get requests to make quite often. I love wire and twisting it. Yes, I have all the big tools and I do use my drill, but sometimes you need just a little something to help twist those little wires and this does the trick. I take jewelry lobster clasps and lobster keychain clips and with a little bit of Quick Cure Clay it’s formed around the eyelet end with enough clay that you have a handle. Cure them! Yes, you will want 2 of them and no you really need QuickCure Clay, trust me, I have used and tried other things and when you go to twist it has to hold up to the movement and tension. Make sure you can open and close the claw. See the video.

The claw makes removing the twisted wire a breeze.

Well the time is at its end and I truly hope this gets you inspired and thinking of tools you can create and so many other things like horns, claws, armor for Cosplay and beyond.

PS. I have used a mini torch to cure when I didn’t have access to power.

Thank you for your time! The JuliArt