People who are bursting with creative ideas are alwaysare amazing. It would seem that they make unique, exclusive things from unnecessary junk. What is an empty juice box for? Or a paper roll core? For ordinary people who do not have a creative streak, the answer is obvious - they can only be recycled. But there is no need to rush. You can try to make clay lamps with your own hands from such unnecessary everyday things, and get a completely incredible thing.
To make lamps from clay you canuse both regular clay and polymer clay. The material for the model is polymer clay, or, as it is also called, plastic. It is a mass that looks like plasticine. Some types need to be "hardened" at home by baking in the oven. But there are also clays that dry naturally. They can be painted in different colors or have a natural base. Clay lamps can be used in rooms with high humidity, which allows you to beautifully decorate a bathroom, sauna and other rooms. Plastic clay was first distributed in the 30s, in Germany. At first, doll heads were made from it, which were completely identical in quality to porcelain. Then the use of clay spread throughout the world. Products made from it amaze the imagination: dolls, Christmas tree decorations, fairy houses, lamps. Completely different things are made from clay, stream production is rarely set. The mass is released in packages as a separate piece or in tubes similar to toothpaste. Such material is convenient to apply with fantasy strokes, and the clay lamp will be unique. In order to create an unusual interior in your home, add romance and coziness to it, handmade clay lamps are perfect. A beautiful chandelier can be successfully replaced. Examples can be seen online, but it is better to create your own.
What will it take to make it?
Clay lamps can be used in rooms with high humidity, which allows you to decorate a bathroom or sauna.
- clay;
- Paper knives for cutting, film to protect against table contamination, stencils patterned, they can be made by yourself, which completely excludes the similarity of copies;
- shape under the future lamp of clay, just fit boxes and sleeves, also good bottles and cans of beverages;
- sandpaper of small size, grinding a lamp from clay is necessary to mirror shine;
- needle, the shoe is perfect.
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Stages of the workflow
You need to start working by warming up the clay with your hands.This is done exactly as with plasticine. The amount of clay depends on the size of the mold. It should be enough to completely wrap the desired caliber. Hands should be moistened with cold water during work, then the clay will not stick to them, and its particles will not remain on the table or oilcloth.
Plastic clay comes in packages.in a separate piece or in tubes similar to toothpaste. Next, roll out the clay dough with an ordinary rolling pin, specially purchased for this purpose. If you use your own kitchen rolling pin, then there will definitely be clay particles in the pies. Roll out the clay to a thickness of no more than 5 mm. The edges can be made thinner so that the wrapping is done without a thick seam. Then try the blank on the template and cut off the excess, which can also be used later. Then lay out the clay sheet on the oilcloth and start creating. Apply the stencil and press it lightly so that the pattern does not imprint on the inside. Stencil templates can be purchased in craft stores, or made from plastic bottle fabric with bent edges. After that, pierce the contours with dots in increments of 5-10 mm. What is this for? When the clay lamp is ready, the light from the lamp inserted inside will pass through the holes, drawing the outline of the ornament. For an interesting combination of lamp colors, holes are made with a needle with a drop of paint at the end. Then mixing colors gives an interesting result. You can experiment endlessly.
The clay begins to harden after just 20 minutes.after heating. After all manipulations with the pattern, the workpiece is wrapped around the mold and the edges are fastened. This is done like this: fingers need to be moistened with water and carefully smeared with seam. The bottom is cut out of a layer of clay of the same thickness using a mold, it is simply outlined and then attached to the workpiece in the same way. Now the clay needs to be allowed to dry. It should be immediately noted that clay hardens quickly, this will begin approximately 20 minutes after the start of work, so you should hurry. The product can be completely dried with a hair dryer. Check for hardness and only then take out the mold. After this, the almost finished clay lamp can be sanded. The clay lamp can be varnished. This looks especially beautiful in combination with lamp light. Also, papier-mâché technique is used for the desired shape, then clay lamps can be made in the form of anything: flowers, patterns, animals, fairy-tale characters and other fantasies. Lace clay lamps are very popular. The work of making them is more painstaking than if you make something that does not require complexity. For this, cardboard patterns of ornaments or even knitted napkins are used. The difference between making lace lamps and simple ones is that the ornament is cut out in the right places with a sharp object, that is, a semblance of a napkin is made from clay, then wrapped around the desired shape and left to dry. Return to contents</a>
Some nuances and tricks of work
If you don’t have a special tool, you can cut out patterns using a scalpel.
Shopping trips in search of the "zest" foryour interior can be postponed if you try to use your own hands and imagination. Exclusive handmade items are expensive, so you can reduce costs by using materials that are freely available from the manufacturer, their cost is low. Let clay lamps become your first creative discovery.</ ul>
