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Posts: 89Plastic beans, steel shot, glass beads, what are the pros and cons of each? I've never weighted anything but pattern tests, which I used rice for.
I am pretty new to this and would love to hear the answers too!
What I currently use is the only thing I could find in my area. And it is aquarium gravel (100% dust free kind). My husband suggested it and it works pretty well. I make a little pouch for it, so it would stay in place.
Cheers, Anna
I think that everything you mentioned works fine, especially once you enclose it in a pouch. Mini-makers might have other suggestions (e.g. Mineral granulate or tiny steel shot) since they need the weighting material to go down into tiny feet, etc.
In addition, different kinds of filling have different degrees of weightiness (e.g heavy polyfill whose fibers haven't been "exploded" and rubber "baby fat" pellets). I hope this is helpful!
Becky
Posts: 89Ooh, aquarium gravel is a good idea.
Thank you! I'm leaning towards steel shot, I like the feel best. I like making minis the most, so I'll need really tiny shot. Any mini makers out there able to advise me on size? I was thinking 2mm, that seems to be the smallest I can find.
Just be aware that if you intend to sell bears, whatever you weight with must be some thing which is not going to rot the fabric , work its way through the fabric etc. Steel shot unless it's stainless steel can be quite messy so you need to make bags to put them in. Also consider that if you intend to export bears that you must comply with customs ....I've heard of people adding organic matter to stuff bears and this just gets turned away at customs ....for example I have heard of people using bags of sand etc. which might eventually work through the fabric since it's very fine, and also would cause a problem with customs.
I use stainless steel ball bearings....they aren't cheap but they give a nice weight and they are safe to use.
Posts: 89Yeah, I was going to make sure to get either stainless or zinc coated steel shot to prevent rust. Thanks for the tip about customs!
I think buying steel shot from sports or ballistics supply will be a lot cheaper than buying it from craft supply places. You can get a 10 lb bag of 2mm, anti-rust steel shot for like 20 bucks. Unfortunately 10 lbs is way more than I could possibly need, haha.
I thought about sand, but I couldn't figure out how to make em leakproof. I had some toy lizards filled with sand as a kid that always leaked everywhere. Not a fun time.
I've read that some people make a little nest of stuffing at the bottom of a foot then just pour the weighting material in. I would worry that they'd get displaced with time. Am I just paranoid?
desertmountainbearI use zinc coated bbs. I buy them at Walmart. I have done tests on them to see if they would discolor or rust. I have soaked them, let the dry then put them in a plastic bag for months, no rust, no color change. I have also done the same thing with crushed garnet. I have soaked them wrapped them wet in paper towel and put them in a plastic bag. I have left them for months to see if they discolored, they have not. The crushed garnet is good for mini bears, it is heavier than glass beads.
I do not put my bbs in a pouch. I mix them into the polyester and the soft pellets inside the body. I personally do not like the crunchy feeling that I get when they are all together in a pouch. I like not to feel them at all. They are large enough that they do not work their way out. I always put a layer of stuffing around the inside of the body, and then start adding the pellets, bbs, and the rest of the polyfill. Then I mush it all together.
Posts: 89I use zinc coated bbs. I buy them at Walmart. I have done tests on them to see if they would discolor or rust. I have soaked them, let the dry then put them in a plastic bag for months, no rust, no color change. I have also done the same thing with crushed garnet. I have soaked them wrapped them wet in paper towel and put them in a plastic bag. I have left them for months to see if they discolored, they have not. The crushed garnet is good for mini bears, it is heavier than glass beads.
I do not put my bbs in a pouch. I mix them into the polyester and the soft pellets inside the body. I personally do not like the crunchy feeling that I get when they are all together in a pouch. I like not to feel them at all. They are large enough that they do not work their way out. I always put a layer of stuffing around the inside of the body, and then start adding the pellets, bbs, and the rest of the polyfill. Then I mush it all together.
What is the benefit of crushed garnet vs regular sand? Where does one acquire crushed garnet?
Thank you, that's exactly what I wanted to know!
desertmountainbearGarnet is not like sand. It is crushed rock, it is granules, larger than sand. It is about the same size as steel shot. I don't know how easy it is to get in the US, you would look at places that sell New Age products. I got mine from Singapore artist Wayne Lim. (Wayneston's Bears) He is a member here, I am sure he has a lot more info on garnet.
I also have steel shot that I bought from Sassy. I like that too, very much.
Like Joanne, I use the zinc coated bb's from Walmart and the tiny "micro shot" from Sassy's for my mini's. Sassy's can run out of the micro shot so when she has it in stock I order a good amount.
