Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Casting a zinc belt buckle.

UPDATE: I have improved this technique and a much better example is on this post:
Make your own fish trilobite or turtle belt buckle.

This is the shape of the Twin Cities with the neck of the dinosaur approximating the path of the Mississippi.
diy brontosaurus belt buckle

I used:
a small porcelain dish like a evaporation dish or crucible to heat the zinc
UPDATE: This is much easier with a small can like one that veggies come in. Plus it is esentially free instead of $5.
a source of scrap zinc
clay
plaster
a candle
an item you would like to cast
a place to have a fire
a coat hanger
tongs
Sandpaper or a Dremel tool.

To start I pushed the dino into the clay creating a negative. Then fill the hole with wax. This wax will be a positive of the eventual cast.




Next I placed the wax in the bottom of a milk carton and pour plaster over it.

Once the plaster was set I melted the wax out of the plaster by holding in over the fire.

Now the fun begins.
dish with the zinc and waiting for it to melt.
then I pour into the plaster cast


I Bent the coat hanger to attach to the belt as shown below.




diy brontosaurus belt buckle


diy brontosaurus belt buckle

Saturday, September 20, 2008

DIY: Screen printing a hat the cheapest way.



You will need:
Screen printing ink (i used superball that cost about $5 at a local shop but you can probs get it online), a paint brush, a nylon, krazy glue, push pins, a hat (preferably a free hat you don't like.... yet) and some sort of frame. Of course all this can be done on a t-shirt as well.

Also props to craftgrrl for the concept of using nylons.


Start with a hat that needs re-purposing like this cooperate gecko hat:
I don't show this but I blacked out the gecko with black screen printing ink.


Draw your image on a 3x5" note card.


Stretch the Nylon around a frame and tape it down:


Trace the image onto the nylon with a black pen:


Take the card away and cover the lines with Krazy Glue:


Once the glue has dried test the screen on a piece of paper:


If you are satisfied with the image cut out the section of the screen:


Pin the screen to the hat and paint it:



Remove the screen and touch up the design:

Wash the screen let it dry and repeat.