Today I want you to take a look at the Native American Mask that I made out of a gourd using my Proxxon Tools. My Proxxon Tools make it so much easier to complete my gourd projects, and the Plaid Paints that I use make such a difference in how vibrant the projects turn out.
I started out with the basic Proxxon Tools that I use the most frequently, my saw, sander and rotary tool. Did you notice in the picture, the end piece of the rotary tool? That is the end of the flexshaft and I just love it. It's just like holding a pen in your hand but you can do so much with it, depending upon which type of burr you are using in it.
I cut the canteen gourd in half with my Proxxon Jig Saw, cleaned the insides out and then sanded the edges off with my Delta Oscillating Sander. Once the gourd was all prepped and ready to go, I then drew a pattern on the front and wood burned the design into the gourd. I then used my Proxxon Rotary Tool and a round burr to carve out part of the front to make it look like rough and bumpy. I also carved out the mask eye area and the mouth area.When this was finished, I inked the top and bottom of the gourd mask with alcohol ink and heat set it and then sprayed on workable fixative to keep the ink from coming off. Once that was done, I painted the inside of the mask eye area with gold acrylic paint and when it was dry brushed on embossing fluid and sprinkled embossing powder on it and heat set it also. I used Plaid Paints ( Brushed Metals and Color Shifts) in various colors to color in the design on the mask. I also used Stickles paints to make the raised bumps. I used some beads that I had on hand and glued them onto the face of the mask too.
Here's an in progress picture, prior to doing the eyes, nose or mouth.
And here are just a few of the feathers that I had to choose from to put on top of the gourd. I chose carefully and created the top and also tied the porcupine quills together and then glued them to the sides of the masks.
This is a picture of the finished mask before I put it into the frame and after I had mounted it onto the backer board.
Here is the finished project after putting it into the frame. My Proxxon Tools and the Plaid Paints really helped me make an awesome Native American mask. How do you like it? Have you been to www.proxxon.com and checked out all the awesome tools and accessories that they have for them? If not then you sure should because their products are terrific and very easy to use.
Hi everyone Steph Ackerman here today. I'd like to share how I created this decorative sign that I wanted to give as a house warming gift.
I've had this sign in my stash for awhile and knew this was the right time to use it. I began by lightly sanding it with the Delta Sander.
Next, I painted the sign with Plaid Coastal Paint in High Tide. Since it was a little too bright, I added in touches of Plaid Coastal Paint in Sand Dollar and blended the colors together.
Next, I used a Plaid Stencil and Plaid Coastal Paint in Seal Grey. Once dry, I re-sanded the sign.
I knew I wanted to place wood letters spelling HOME, however, I could only find a "Q". So I pulled out my Jig Saw and cut off the little piece, turning the "Q" into an "O". This Jig Saw is light weight and easily cut off that little piece.
How to make a table night light or Christmas decorations using Proxxon Mini tools.
This is a fun project and not too difficult. The Proxxon tools make this an enjoyable project for even newbies with gourds.
First decide on a gourd you want to use. It helps and removes the step of sanding and leveling the gourd, so it sets flat on a table. You are going to create a scene inside the gourd. Topic is your choice, only limited by the size of the gourd. Choose holiday, everyday life, fantasy, your imagination is the only limit for the design.
So lets get started.
Material List
1.Gourd of appropriate size
2.Tools to clean inside of gourd/ can be a scraper a cleaning ball, sandpaper of variable grit,
3.Jigsaw to cut the gourd with. I use my Proxxon.( Makes cutting a breeze)
6.Paint ( I used Plaid Folk Art on this Gourd. It's rich in pigment and provides good coverage.
7.Sealer, matt or fixative I use Krylon spray for outside of gourd. Use after painting and before making scene inside. (prevents damaging paints prior to completing.
8.Whatever material you plan on using to place in the interior of the gourd.
Safety Tips
When working with gourds always use a face mask or a respirator to protect your lungs when cutting or sanding.
Steps to complete this project:
1. Decide what is the front of your gourd and where it sits best. I use a white pencil to draw a axis line down the middle of the gourd. This keeps the opening in line with the front. Then draw a line though the middle of the axis line as to how wide its going to be. Draw the shape for the opening.
2. Ok you're ready to cut. With the Proxxon Jig Saw it is a breeze. This tool is so light and easy to use. Being an older female, it is perfect for me. Drill a small hole inside of the cut out of the opening then you can use your Proxxon Saw to cut out the opening
2. Clean out all of the seeds and skin or fluff on the inside of the gourd. I use a ball sander or any scraper and or sandpaper that will help me loosen and remove the inside mess until it is smoothed to the shell of the gourd..
3. Choose where you are going to place the tea light on your gourd. This gourd made that easy for me as I could place it on the bottom and it still sat perfectly. ( I have had to place them on the side .)
To cut the hole draw a ring around the bottom of light that is the size hole you are going to want. you can cut it with your Proxxon mini jig saw or you can purchase a hole cutter to go on the end of a drill if you don't already have one.
TIP Paint the tea light with the same color as the gourd will make it less intrusive if you are placing it on side or top of gourd.
I chose a nativity for this lamp's story, and am going to paint the inside and outside to convey the lamps story.
4. I paint the inside and outside of the gourd. For this gourd I am using a very dark blue both inside and out. I used Ink spot 2925 for the blue base and all over the entire gourd. I then use a fixative or matte spray to protect the paints while I work on the next steps.
5. Free hand or put pattern for wise men on gourd.
6. Then using Plaid Folk art paints on the outside I painted three wise men traveling to visit the newborn Jesus. I used Plaid Steal Gray2561 on the wise men for shadow figures on the back of the gourd. Looks great on the dark background.
7. You are now ready to place the scene inside of the gourd I either use WelBond or Gorilla glue (white or brown depending on outside color of gourd.) You don't want the glue to distract from the gourd. Place the scene on top of the glue you have placed in the gourd where you want the scene to sit. Let dry good to make sure the item is good and secure.
I used white Gorilla glue.
One thing about this lamp is you can replace the batteries, and the light does not get hot.
When this dried I added some straw to cover the glue.
I really don't know what I did without my Proxxon Tools , oh yes I do, I didn't create as many things!
I have had two very old four pane windows in my possession for around 25 years and when we made our recent move they came to the new house with me. I had the thought the other day that it was time for me to do something with one of them as a project.
This was the window prior to starting this project, filthy, with very old paint on it. Now chances are this window was first painted prior to 1976 and therefore more than likely had lead paint used on it. (I wore a respirator for this project) That's just an FYI, if you go removing paint from something that is
older than 1976 it will have lead paint on it and you definitely need to wear a respirator and of course protective clothing. I started out by scraping off all of the paint that I could with a putty knife and then smoothing out the rest with the Proxxon Delta Sander .
Once everything was cleaned and then sanded to my satisfaction, I proceeded to paint the window with the Plaid Outdoor Paint "Cabana".
I then taped the Plaid Stencils down and proceeded to pounce Plaid Coastal Paint "Sand Dollar" on the stencils. As each stencil got fairly dry I peeled off the tape and put my stencils in some warm water and washed them off. Good to use another day!
This is the finished project. I put black poster board behind it so that you could see how pretty the stencils turned out. I'm not sure if I'm going to hang this without a backer or use this one or another. I love the Plaid Paints and all of my wonderful Proxxon Tools. Maybe it's time you stepped outside your box and tried something different. If so, please check out the tools at www.proxxon.com and the paints and other products at www.plaidonline.com.
Hi everyone Steph Ackerman here today. Having just returned from a cruise, I wanted to create something that was cruise inspired!
I began by drawing an anchor on a sheet of plywood. Then I cut it out using the Scroll Saw. I first cut off the excess plywood.
Next, I began carefully cutting around the anchor. Love how easy the Scroll Saw cuts even the rounded areas. I just need to practice to get those finer edges!
For some trickier areas, I used the Jig Saw to help improve my cuts.
Since my cuts were a little rough, I used the Delta Sander to sand down the rough edges.
Next, I painted the anchor with Plaid Coastal Paint in Plaid Coastal Paint in Sand Dollar and High TIde.
I added a third layer with Seal Grey and while still wet, I gently removed some of the paint to give the anchor an aged appearance.
Nest, I used a Plaid Stencil and the Sand Dollar Coastal Paint to add designs about the anchor.
Once dry, I wrapped twine around the anchor and added some gauze.
To finish, I created an assortment of clay elements using Makin's Clay and the Sea Shell Push Mold and adhered them about the anchor. Finally I sprayed several colors of Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist to add a little shimmer.
While Proxxon carries great electric detail sanders (Pen Sander PS13 and Belt Sander BS/E), sometimes a woodworker still needs to use manual sanding. That's why I made these detail sanding pens for fine woodworking. They are wonderful for those tiny, hard-to-access areas, like in fretwork. The original pattern for these detail sanding pens can be found on the Scrollsaw Workshop blog.
Supplies and Equipment for Making the Detail Sanding Pens
Print the patterns and adhere to the wood. Cover the surface of the wood with painter's tape. Next, spray the back of the pattern with spray adhesive, and put that on top of the painter's tape. The spray adhesive holds the pattern in place, and the painter's tape makes for easy removal.
Cut the outline shapes of both the large and small sanding pen and kerfs on the large sanding pen on the band saw.
Cut the notch on the small sanding pen on the scroll saw. (See note below.)
Using the professional rotary tool and drill stand, drill a 1/16" hole in the large sanding pen for the tack that will secure the sandpaper in place.
Realign the rotary tool and add a sanding disc to sand the pieces.
Insert the tack into the drilled hole. If it extends beyond the pen piece, trim with wire cutters.
Cut lengths on fine grit sandpaper to wrap around the sanding pens, and secure with the tacks.
Enjoy your completed detail sanding pens!!
Note: I was not pleased with the notch arrangement for securing the sandpaper on the small sanding pen, so I modified the pattern as show below. I eliminated the notch and used a tack to secure the sandpaper.
Used along with the Proxxon detail sanders, these will do the job for fine woodworking.
