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Any ideas on attaching claws that's easier than the last way I did it which took forever and looked..in my opinion..very clumsy?
I did it the same way I put eyes in..ie made a hole in the fimo and then just sewed 'em in...they seemed a bit wobblier than I'd have liked and I wasn't happy.
Any ideas about how to make nice neat little claws that doesn't take an hour per claw would be fab too.....
I hope I get another 'duh' :doh: moment as one of you probably has the perfect common sense and totally logical way that is escaping me at 9.30am this cold sub-zero Thursday morning!!
Kim-Bee BearsJudi has explained it... 
but I dont know if I could find her post... She is the claw expert LOL 
Hi...I did think there was a post but I couldn't find it!!!!!
Kim-Bee BearsMaybe this is where it was? http://www.teddy-talk.com/viewtopic.php?id=3657
Sunnie BearsJenny,
I am not sure how you have done it before, but I can tell you how I did them. After sewing the arm turn it rightside out. Mark the positions on the paw where you will want the claws. Use an awl to poke a hole into the mohair at each spot where the claw will come out of. Then turn the arm inside out again. One at a time, insert the claws into the hole, taking care to assure that the end of the claw is pointing towards the paw pad. Now, I use artificial sinew to sew the claw into place. Stitch the claw to the seam allowance on the inside of the arm. Then, as a last step, I use a small amount of fabri-tac glue to secure the claw to the seam allowance, being careful to keep the glue only on the claw and the seam and trying to keep it off of the inside of the pad or the mohair. After it is dry, turn it right side out and there you go! I haven't had any come loose and once you stuff the arm, they are nice and secure no matter how much they are touched or played with. Hope this helps.
Sonya
A-ha...must've missed that one!!!! I think I get it...I have some very fine hair pins which could be used to make loops that could be pre-sewn into to the paw...they are finer than regular pins and are plastic coated and very flexible so a loop could be made.......My brain is cranking into gear......thanks to Judi for that one!!!!
Kiprie BearsHi Jenny and all !
I was so curious for " how to attaching claws". 
Thanks for posting .
Sonya, thanks for sharing your idea !
since I have no idea at all, I'll try yours! 
Kim, thanks for finding the post !!!
Oh boy, I saw that one before but , again, what a gorgeous
Judi's bear. 
Bear Hugs/Marie
Kim-Bee BearsI wouldn't have remembered that it was through Showcase either... I did a search and found it
No problem Marie! :hug:
LuxembearsHi.
Sonya, thanks for sharing your idea. I think that would work very well. It just goes to show how many different ways there are to do something.
Kimmy, thanks for posting the thread.
The resin claws are quite involved and complicated and messy. Worth the effort if you feel so inclined. I do have another way of attaching claws that is much easier and uses a less messy product.
Polymer claw can be used. When I use this method I hand sculpt each claw and before baking I add a sequin pin. which is a very tiny metal pin. What this does is stablizes the claws so they will stay put where they are attatched. One thing I notice with many bears with claws is that they are too large. I have done that myself too. The good thing
is you can always sand them down.
After the claws are baked, I position them where I want them and then trim the base with an exacto knife so it sits flush with the paw pad. This usually takes several attempts to get it just right. Then I glue them in place with either exopy glue or E6000. You have to hold it and apply pressure for several minutes. It takes quite a while to "install" a set of nice bear claws.
Another thing to be aware of is to make sure the claws are positioned so they look natural. I have seen bears where they look as if they have Rhumetoid Arthritis with the claws going in various directions. A bears paw is much like the human hand. . I start with the center claw and work outward giving each claw a very slight inward direction. This will look more natural. If you're not sure how they are supposed to look , look at photos of real bears.
If anyone else has any ideas to add, this will be a topic I will add to the reference library.
Winneybears and FriendsThis is great Judi...do you happen to have a close up photo ? I did see in one ted magazine a photo of a nice realistic bear with claws and they actually appear to growing out of the top part of his paw...probably just above the seam...looked just so nice and natural...
I attended a show in Lincoln City along the Oregon coast and one bear artist who is well known for her Polar bears...her name eludes me right now....she picked up one of her bears and showed me how her claws when pressed on...actually were flexiable and popped up a little... much the same as a cats claws does...really amazed me.
I have made some claws but have not used them yet...thanks for sharing here with us.....Winney
Winneybears and FriendsOOPs...spoke too soon..I took a look at your post link above and there he is, claws and all! Supercalafragilisticexpidaliousoustupendous bear ! He is just a real charmer....what a wonderful bear Judi you have made !
Oh I do remember one good tip that the artist gave me that adds to the realisim of the claws...
that is she did not paint them but instead ...for a polar bear...she used half off white or Ivory and half transparant Fimo for the basic claw color then worked in just a itty bitty brown that ended up looking like streaks thru out the claw....If you want the claws to look yellowed just add a tad of that.Experiment !
So dont work the brown too much as you don't want it to blend....These claws looked very natural. the transparant helps it to look like real nail material ...and the streaks make them look a little dirty like he'd been pulling over stumps or looking for grubs.When done you can apply some acrylic brown paint inside the back curve of the claw...dirt!
What fun we have here ...Winney
