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toadbriar May 25, 2006

I know I can't be the only one who doesn't use stuff for
the purpose it was intended - art supplies don't just come
from the art store, by any means. Any of us who've weighted
a bear with BBs or steel shot knows this! So what's your weird
tool or material of choice?

Mine is an old toothbrush. I dip the bristles into a paint
wash (usually dye na flow) & comb the color through the
fur. The brush spreads it pretty evenly & can scrub the color
into wool or velvet paw pads if I want a grungy sort of effect.

& whoever suggested the use of the tiny alligator clips from
Radio Shack is my new hero. They work GREAT for holding
arm pieces together for hand sewing, & my foot pads are better
& easier because of the clips holding them in place as I sew.

I age my bears down with a mix of brown waterproof india inks,
dye na flow fabric paint, & water, in a spritz bottle. Misted on &
combed through it gives a nice effect & dries with no texture
affecting the feel of the mohair. It's subtle once dry but an essential
part of the process for me now.

So what have you got? 

BrozZ BearZ May 25, 2006

I bet most people use a chopstick for stuffing. I can't do without my chopstick because if I want to stuff a small space, I can just use the finer end but when I want to stuff something larger, I would just use the bigger end. 

Eileen May 25, 2006

Kim, great topic!

I agree about the toothbrushes for painting. I've got a whole pot of them, new and old, some clipped to just a few clumps of bristles for finer effects.

I've got two stuffing tools, an upholsterer's (me) tack remover with a metal dovetail end, and the exotic device I find I use most often--the eraser end of an unsharpened pencil. The eraser end is great for gripping and twisting and generally manoevering the stuffing into place without stressing the fabric.

Eileen

WildThyme May 25, 2006

Most of the tools I use for bear making are not all that bizare.... but I do have an especially odd tool that I use for polymer clay sculpting.... I found it in the pediatrician's office when I was in one day having my little boy's ears checked after a particularly nasty ear infection.  It's a pediatric ear wax sampler!  EWWWWW!!!!!  It is a plastic instrument with a itty bitty little miniature spoon shaped thing at the bottom.  The back of the little bowl shaped thing makes perfect indentations for eye sockets, the hollow of the ankle.... etc... 
The doctor was kind enough to just give me a whole box of them!  NEW ones, of course!!!!!     

Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

jenny May 25, 2006

I have a barbers comb, hairdressing scissors, a beauticians eyebrow and eyelash brush, make-up brushes....a wooden spoon...a potato masher.....(that's for turning things that won't turn)...the masher goes on my tummy and the handle in the leg or arm...that was a stroke of genius that came out of sheer desperation!!!

Judi May 25, 2006

Weird stuff...hhhmmm 

I use a childs medicine dropper for adding water to my paint cup while airbrushing.  I couldn't be with out this.

I have used alligator clips for 6 years.  These are so much better than pins hands down!

I use a cotter key wrench for stuffing hard to reach places and when I want to pack it down hard.  I use a flat screw driver for stuffing aoruns loc-line armature.

Like Jenny, I use hair cutting scissors.  They are wonderful for precise trimming.  Especailly with real fur.

That's all I can think of for now.

Winney May 25, 2006

I asked my dentist for his old tools...and he agve me a bunch of all different shapes...some sharpe and some look like pallet knifes for painting...I use them for sculpting or when I have a problem I take a  look  to see if one of these tools may work...Winney

kbonsall May 25, 2006

Hmmm... let me think.. I use a eyelash brush to brush sometimes... I love love love my hemostats!  For stuffing I use either a "T" stuffing stick or tweezers (depending on bear size)...

plushkinbear May 25, 2006

I use all thing you guys mentioned..
But since I don't have prisma colors with the sharp end...I use a toothpick. Just dip the sharp end in oils and then color under eyelids. I use my daughter's tiny child's toothbrush to spread the colors evenly. Works great for me.

Hugs, Julia :hug:

edie May 26, 2006

Well, in addition to a number of things already mentioned,(like the alligator clips - couldn't be without them!), I use bamboo skewers for stuffing my mini bears. (Mini chopsticks! - I snip off the pointy end to make one thinner end and one thicker)  I also use some with the pointy ends too as they come in handy if I need to poke a hole to put in an eye. And I use these sticks to do most of my turning of tiny pieces - works like a charm!
Bear hugs, Edie

millie May 26, 2006

My favorite turning tool is a pencil with a good eraser on it.  The eraser gives traction on the fabric.  Needless to say, I do have to replace pencils when the eraser is worn.  So around here we have a lot of new pencils with no eraser.  I also use my daughter's hair stick when working with miniatures.

kbonsall May 26, 2006

I also forgot, I love my awl!!!! I use it to make holes for eyes and also to help pull fur out of seams!

ylc May 28, 2006

I think this is a great topic.
I love my curved thin hemostats and I have some thin metal rods that I got at a hobby store. They come in different sizes - You can use them to push stuffing into tiny spots and also use to turn small pieces.

Yvette