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shan Posts: 1

bear_sad How different in between wood discs and fiberboard discs? And which one is better???? :doh:

Winney Winneybears and Friends
White City, Oregon
Posts: 1,103

Hmmm, I don't see any diference except if you make wood ones yourself they may be a bit rough around the edges ?

I order the fiber board ones in bulk , saves a lot of time ....and time is money in terms of labor.... Winney

Shelli SHELLI MAKES
Chico, California
Posts: 9,939
Website

Shelli Retired Help Advisor, Banner Sponsor

Hi Shan.

Ultimately the choice of disk is up to the artist.  I can't find any difference between them at all, in terms of functionality.  Intercal sells hardboard disks -- they're dark brown and made of something like particle board, a pressed sawdust product -- and fiberboard disks -- which are dark grey and are made of something much more akin to common "paper" or "cardboard."

I think they both perform admirably and simply because I like the sawdust-y smell of them when they shift around in their storage basket, I buy the hardboard ones!  How's THAT for a silly reason?

I think the most important thing to consider about disks is how they will fit inside your limb pieces.  In almost every case, you will want a disk that fills as much of the shoulder (arm) or upper thigh (leg) area as possible.  Otherwise, with a too-small disk, those areas of your bear's limbs will stuff "fat" and look... not quite right.

When I was starting out I looked and looked for some solution locally, but as far as I can tell the only place to get disks like this is from a supplier.  Lots of other stuff -- bolts, nuts, thread -- has multiple purposes and you can find it at hardware stores, fabric stores, craft stores, etc.  But not disks!

My recommendation would be to bite the bullet and order some in the smallest amount in the size you think you need.  You can refine that over time and like most of us, will end up buying huge bulk packages of them in no time!

Hope this helps!

rkr4cds Creative Design Studio (RKR4CDS)
suburban Chicago
Posts: 2,044

Otherwise, with a too-small disk, those areas of your bear's limbs will stuff "fat" and look... not quite right.

Thx Shelli - I've never heard anyone else address this before - anywhere -  and it needs talking up! Nothing looks more amateurish than to have too small a set of disks used: fat and fitting onto (rather than into) the body like some kind of weird growth instead of an integrated part of the body as a whole - smooth continuous lines over the neck and limbs joints.

It takes some dexterity and experience to stuff that narrow space between disk and fabric smoothly, (like your Heavenly Pig) as well as make a nice smooth closing over them.

Shelli SHELLI MAKES
Chico, California
Posts: 9,939
Website

Shelli Retired Help Advisor, Banner Sponsor

Well, thanks for the notice, Bobbie, and for the nice words about my piggy girl!

I think the too-small-disk thing is a rookie mistake we ALL made when we started out.  In fact, I have quite a few bears with ridiculously fat shoulders (can you say '1980 power suit'?!?) and extremely oddly shaped, stuck-on, thighs.

It is hard to stuff that tiny space, you're right, and sometimes even now I estimate sizing incorrectly and have to punt with a smaller disk.  But that's the process, eh?

Hope you're having a nice Easter/weekend/whatever. bear_original

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