A light-hearted look at seven polymer claying items that cost me good money but now just clutter up my craft room. Some are perfectly usable but maybe not by me...
I LOVE my Dremmel! In fact, mine finally crapped out and I'm in need of a new one. I use it on lots of things (I even trim my dog's nails with it!), but my favorite thing is to gather rocks and carve them. We have a group here in my town that decorates rocks and hides them along the walking trails for the kids to find. It helps to get the kids out and active and I do enjoy it so!
My granddaughter absolutely LOVES finding painted stones! It's a brilliant idea and the kiddies get so excited when they find them. Thank you for being one of those wonderful people who put them out there for the kiddies. You are wonderful!
I have many of these purchases myself, including your number one item of the rubber tools. I also didn't pay attention to the size. I started putting all the neat things I saw in my wish list, but wait a month at least before looking at it again. Half of the list is then deleted since I can not remember what I wanted it for...
I love my Dremel and yes You hang it up. They have a metal clamp with a piece that goes straight up and has a hook to hold the larger part up and out of the way. Keep working with it. It's very handy.
I found myself laughing once more. Oh how I could kiss you for the joy and sheer fun you bring to all your videos. I actually cried with laughter at the plaster bandages and will now likely dream of you saving the world (well broken bones at least) during an apocalypse! Seriously, I counted two items the same as yours that I too don't use. Worse still, I am so new to this, and so frightened of failing, I have made 4 simple, and truth be known, pretty pathetic things in around two and a half months. In my head, I am an artist, but the hands say noooooo!! As for my storage unit, it proclaims my shameful addiction to Amazon etc !! 🤔I had asked hubby for a Dremel for Christmas - that will definitely not be happening now! Did it arrive on a low loader? 😲 Sending love and light from a Scottish clay faffer. I think I will leave other nationalities to frown over that last word, before they resort to (as we all do) talking to Uncle Google 😂😂😘 x
Haha! Aw bless you! Don't be frightened of failing, go for it! Failing is the way to learn... So I should be close to getting an art degree by now LOL. xx
Unruly Housewife Once again, your self deprecating humour has me laughing at my own self - a very good thing indeed! I promise to keep faffing about if you carry on forwards to your Masters Degree! Haha! xx
lisa grabill I know exactly what you mean. I am lucky in that I will get a chance to meet the wonderful Val next month at the British Polymer Clay Guild's 20th Anniversary weekend event. At least I hope I do, but suspect she will be very busy and also very popular! 😊 x
Oh god I'm the exact same way!! I've bought ounces and ounces of clay and some tools here and there (along with a pasta machine) and haven't made anything yet! I'm absolutely paralyzed when it comes to making something!! I watch youtube videos all day long of /other people/ making amazing stuff! I really struggle with anxiety, it's so frustrating! I'm so terrified of things looking bad that I don't even start!! I see your comment was from 3 years ago, that's when I started collecting all of claying tools!! I hope you've been able to get to it and make really beautiful things in that time!
I have a much smaller Dremel, and it's great! It doesn't have a cord attached to it so it's much more maneuverable than that big one would be I think. The thing I bought for polymer clay that I don't use very much is a set of 22 tools ( that seemed like a great idea, and very cheap at the time ), but I had just started in polymer clay and have never used 95% of the tools since receiving them. Now they just sit in a cup on my desk taking up space :(
I am so happy I came across your video! I thought I was the only one who has bought stuff for crafting only to learn I didn't use it. Thanks so much! You gave me some needed laughter!
I bought two Dremels.. Don't ask me why!! .. I was under a spell or something.. They are way too fast and destroy the clay when polishing.. And My Cat hates them, she starts attacking objects around the house when she hears the Dremel. At Least that part is funny watching her attack totally unrelated items..
Mark Cunningham you should be able to adjust the speed. Mine has a roller type switch to turn the speed up or down as I need it. I use it to sanding, cutting & shaping glass for mosaics sometimes; drilling glass & stone to make beads; sanding & polishing polymer clay etc. Then my son & husband nick it for random other jobs when they can't be bothered going to the shed for the "real" drill.0
I am loving using the Pebeo fantasy paints with my home made polymer clay bezels. The finish is like enamel - gorgeous colours. Please don't give up on them.
I got a smaller Dremel, and I too was overwhelmed about what piece went where! Lucky for me, RU-vid showed me videos that got me over my fears! I now love mine and wonder how I lived without it! I use it for jewelry making, Clay, wood, leather, tons of stuff!!! Yours is actually way more expensive but it will do more than mine. But if it is too much, sell it and get a small one! Don't give up, they are not as intimidating as they look! 😉
When you learn to use that dremel, you will love it. That size is actually easier to use than holding the actual drill hub without the attachment drill. I love mine.
I love my dremel! well it's a cheaper version but. I use it to buff/polish my pieces of clay with. I cut some felt in circles and use it. you can also use it for refurbishing things. they are great! :)
I love this video almost as much or more than your Sparks Joy videos! The plaster of Paris bandages will be great use for currency in the zombie apocalypse!! Save that and the Dremel and you'll have your own gang!! 😂
I just discovered your channel and can’t stop watching you. You are just what the doctor ordered. I regretted purchasing a Dremel, several years ago. I seldom used it as I couldn’t figure out how. Then a couple of months ago I began doing polymer clay. I love my Dremel now. Mine is hand held and doesn’t have all those intimidating attachments. Love your channel and your style.
What the bead roller advertisements never mention is that there is quite a learning curve to getting perfect results. For people who do a lot of jewellery making and want to make loads of identically shaped beads (say 200+ per session), though, getting well made bead rollers really does speed things up appreciably. I prefer the bead rollers that are made with a pair of holes at one end that you poke a short wire through and have it perfectly centred automatically. You leave the wire in the bead for baking, which means no messing about with poly-fil or whatever, just use the wires to put the beads in baking racks (aka foil baking pans, which my local grocery sells for $1 USD/3 pans). Particularly handy if I'm varnishing the beads! As for Dremels, I've got... um, four? I think. One was dedicated to my dogs so I could use the large coarse sanding drum to keep their claws perfectly manicured for dog showing (and keep my service dogs' claws looking trim at all times, due to the high degree of critical scrutiny people with disabilities who use service dogs get in the US). The other three are for crafts. I've a Dremel drill press that I leave permanently set up and use it a lot for various things. Three of my Dremels are in-hand models (one battery operated, two plug ins) and one is a flex shaft model similar to the one you got. I think because I started out using an in-hand Dremel for my dogs I find the in-hand models easier to use but the flex shaft one is useful for situations where the in-hand ones are a bit clumsy. The thing to remember with Dremels is that they are not like manual drills in that rather than relying on applying pressure to make the cutting/grinding heads work, you rely on revolutions per minute (RPMs). You just rest the head lightly against whatever surface you are working on and let the thousands of RPMs do the work. I make my own buffing wheels out of cotton sweatshirt material. I cut 5 to 10 1 inch/2.5 cm squares and then stack them in an offset pattern (looks like a pointed star from above). I use a screw topped mandrel bit and can get higher shine on polymer clay, even after using all my micro mesh grits first. I do hang my flex shaft Dremel up. I use my old dog grooming table and hang the motor from the grooming arm. I think it could probably be used without hanging it up but keep an eye on the ventilation areas because if those are blocked, the motor will overheat.
The Dremel is really handy for wood crafts. You can seperate the smaller piece from the larger one. You need to search RU-vid for videos on using it. It is one of my favorite tools
@@UnrulyHousewife - see if you can get the "Dremel" Workstation :) There you can "hang" the BIG Dremel and it's easier to manage the stylus attachment! I love mine!!
I use the silicon clay shapers as small spatulas. They work nicely to mix up small amounts of resin! The special effects paint makes great eyes for fantasy creatures!!
Oh I have a strange obssession with buying glass to decorate and I never get round to doing anything with it lol I have a huge box of glass just sat there all lonely and without purpose lol xx
Thank you so much for sharing. I am looking into making crafts with polymer clay and didn't know what to get or what I shouldn't get. And lol about the plaster zombie apocalypse.
I have a snall Dremel which is perfect for crafting. How about you sell your industrial sized one on eBay and treat yourself to a more suitably sized one?
I had a small one but the charging time drove me crazy so my husband surprised me one Christmas with a larger one. I don't remember where the little one went I preferred the large one so much
I brought a small rechargeable which I thought was awesome, but the battery charger died within a month. Now it is useless. I have my old Dremel, but I find it much too bulky to use on polymer clay.
I didn't know they made Dremel's that big. I have a small electrically operated old Dremel that I love. I mostly use it for drilling holes in beads (with many sizes of drill bits) and pendants. I find that bead holes come out much cleaner when using the Dremel on a hard bead. It is good for making and opening in a larger pendant that requires a large bail. It also has a small sanding attachment that is great for intricate pieces. Also, the buffing attachment can be useful for polishing high gloss items. I think your Dremel must be some industrial model.
I was going to suggest the same thing.i have the dremel 3000. I think it's the perfect size and comes with a lot of attachments. I don't need the long attachments for anything I make.
It happens to the most of us! We Excitedly await a purchase, then you realize you should have read the specifications and/or write the seller to verify what you'll be getting. Alas, it's going to happen until we learn not to trust your first look at the item.whats bad is that it would probably cost more to send it back than the refund you would get. We live, we learn. Perhaps you could put them up for sale on eBay and maybe get some of your money back. I actually love the large dremel , not exactly sure what I'll use for but I like a good challenge. But I know that was too pricey for me. Love your videos! Thanks for sharing!
I remember using the calipers on actual clay when using a wheel to measure the mouths of pieces so you could make a lid that matched. The silicon tools look like print maker size tools for mark making or scraffito into paint, I have the exact same set, but they are way smaller, tbh I don't use them either! Thankfully I bought an off brand Dremel like thing to see if I liked it.. nope me either 😊 I love your videos, thank you for sharing
You are fabulous! I love that you can laugh at yourself. I find it’s so important to laugh with myself to not take things too seriously. I’m new to polymer clay and hope to have fun with it. I’m glad I found your channel.
Aw thanks! It's best not to be overly serious when you are learning, because you have to have the courage to be bad at something, before you can get good at it. I made a video recently about scrap clay and how to avoid it all being brown, or grey... As you're new it might be worth checking that out. xx
🤣🤣🤣 I had just taken a mouthful of coffee when those callipers appeared! Haven’t laughed that hard for ages, sorry and thanks! I’ve probably thought of buying all the rest though! Off to watch your favourite things now!
Hahaha!!! What a joy you are to watch - even though this video was just a pair of hands. Thanks for all the tips and advice. 👌 Really appreciate your videos.
I saw those bigass silicone brush thingies that I also have and thought exactly the same - I needed a tool like that but way, way smaller :D This was an awesome video, I love the light-hearted and humorous way you told your experience with these tools! Thank you!
Oh that was sooo funny!! Hilarious! With you on the pebeo, bead roller, and as for my dremel ..... haven't the heart to tell my husband I can't use it, seeing as he bought if for me! 😂
This made me chuckle so much. I have only been working with polymer clay for a few weeks and I already have an item or two that I regret buying. LOL My husband has a smaller version dremel that I used to turn a large plastic storage bin into a very nifty cat litter box enclosure - was super easy and loved how it turned out.
I love my Dremel tool. I have a cordless and a corded Dremel tool. It's especially useful for buffing out fingerprints and polishing up clay cabachons. I don't need it for every project, but it is so nice to have. If you need to use your new Dremel (so jealous of your Dremel btw lol) I would recommend putting a planter hook in the wall near your workspace. Protect the wall behind where the dremel motor hangs with a thick piece (or multiple layers) of felt tacked with thumbtacks. For your needs, however, it sounds like you would be happier with a much smaller cordless Dremel tool ;-) happy playing!
Just found your channel and have subscribed on the strength of this amusing and honest video. How brave of you to publicly admit your retail mistakes! I should have to hide it from my OH who despairs of my swelling craft materials (sewing, papercraft, crochet to name but a few) despite having his own 'man cave' in the garage. Look forward to now watching your other videos.
I have watched this twice and laughed even more the second time..lol When you laugh at yourself it cracks me up I have ordered so many things just like this that I will never use
I agree with you on everything but the Dremel. I love my Dremel, but I can honestly say I don't use it much for polymer clay. I do metal working also, and use it a lot for that. Comes in very handy. Love your work by the way.
I love love love my dremel! I have the drill press attachment that has a hanging thingy to keep it out of the way. And I always start on a slowest setting so it's not too scary. And I've sanded my fingers so many times and not injured myself. Give it another go. For sanding and buffing they are so handy!
omg you are so funny! I'm shaking with laughter! the plaster bandages are something I would buy and not use too! I have bins full of stuff I'll never use. I love this!💜
This made me laugh, and not eel bad about the things i buy! That will be sending back... and teach myself to be easy and see if i like the clay and creating this way since i work in so many creative genres... thank you for making this for us!
It's fabulous when you get it set up, don't be terrified!!! I have even moved on to a Fordom jewelers foot controlled machine!!! . Biggest waste for me was a little wire twister thingy. Oh, and water color paints.
My rotary tool (like a dremel) came with a stand that clamps to my work bench so the large body of the tool can hang up. I use it for sanding, buffing, drilling - not just for crafts, either. My son & husband often "borrow" it. I also use various pebeo paints - some like you showed & some that bake in the oven as well. The ones you showed works really well to add a different look to a pendant or earrings - ones designed to perhaps take a cabochon, after the clay is baked, drip a few drops of maybe three different colours in & watch them react with each other. So cool. I've only ever seen someone use the round thing that comes with the bead maker to cut clay from a sheet so that you make sure to get uniform sized beads. I've never been told that you must only use the amount of clay that fits in it. I think fire mountain gems did a tutorial recently on the tri-bead roller. Might be worth checking it out. I have that same silicon sheet of omg-wtf-is-it shapes. But mine came in a box with a bunch of more useful moulds as well :) The calipers can be handy if you're trying, for example, to make a lid to precisely fit a bowl - set the measurement once, tighten the screw, and use it to compare your lid size as you work on it - save you having to keep going back to the other piece. As for the rubber ended tools... yeah, but mine are bloody tiny & fiddly as f*ck to use! ;)
I have to say this video is by far one of the funniest polymer clay related videos I’ve seen. Maybe I’m easily amused but I can relate as a new polymer clay freak. Nice video and am looking forward to seeing the rest of your videos👍🏽
I have had my Dremel tool for many years now, it is just the basic handheld one without the extensions that yours has, but I have found it so useful for so many things I wouldn't part with it for the world. When I moved to South Africa from the UK one of the things I found most difficult was finding attachments for it. Look on youtube for vids on Dremel projects and I'm sure you will be inspired. My only problem at the moment is finding the extensions that you have to make it easier to work on smaller projects, don't give up on it, it's a great little tool.
I really enjoyed this video it made me laugh I think we've all been there and bought things we really didn't need. It's funny to hear you giggle at yourself LOL
I have a small Dremel with a million little attachments in a separate case. I love it! You recharge the battery, it fits well in your hand. Nothing monstrous like yours! I've bought a drawer full of those silicone molds for practically nothing on eBay, for decorating boxes and shrines. Yours does look a bit deep, even for those kinds of projects. I have tons of craft paints that I haven't even opened, so I surely sympathize with you on that. The metal caliper is hilarious. Thanks for being so entertaining!
Val, you never cease to amaze! You always make me laugh out loud and brighten my day. Thank you for that. Here's a thought for dealing with items you do not use, no longer want or haven't ever utilized. Post a Destash video including a price you are comfortable with and try selling them. In order to maintain sanity you might want to post on RU-vid, give the sale a 5 to 7 day run then shut down the sale. Post remaining items on Facebook or some other site, working with a similar timeframe. If you happen to know anyone that does or teaches sculpting that might be a market for the silicone tipped tools. (Maybe an art school. They might also be interested in the huge calipers you included. Massive size!) I was gifted a few of those large silicone shapers. I used my craft knife to reshape the silicone and my Dremell to smooth the edges. (And I still have all fingers attached!) And if you use balloons and your plaster bandages to create faces you could use one of those large silicone shapers to help create features. Of course we must see a video of the process. I do believe it would be quite entertaining. I forgot to mention if you decide to do a Destash video you might want to research approximate shipping fees and determine if shipping to other countries is worthwhile for you. The additional paperwork and such might be a deterrent, plus the additional cost for potential buyers. Or if a local clay group ever has a meet-up maybe a Destash Day could be something to mention.
Just hearing your laugh made me laugh.....I also do that type of stuff. I think we would all be surprised to see just how many of us get carried away with our craft purchases...lol
I'm getting ready for work and this video brightened my morning. I couldn't quit laughing bc I probably would have purchased everything you did in fact I did purchase the dremel and completely agree with you. Excuse my punctuation and grammar, I'm running late, but I've really enjoyed this video and got a lot out of it including laughs! Ty
aaaaaHHHHAAAA. I LOVE this. You're SO cool. oh yeah.. those expensive bead rollers... when our own hands are FREE!!! hilarious... thank you for the fun.
the drem has got me scared too,I don't sand anyway.the purple mold you can use the back of when you want to put something textured down & not get it flattenend too much:)I kept going back & looking at bead rollers but decided to go handmade too.Thanks for the headsup
Ok, I just spit my coffee all over my tablet...that metal, measuring contraption put me over the edge. 🤣 however, I would LOVE to have that dremel! Thanks for the laughs.
I'm with you on the bead roller, it's collecting dust. I have the Pebeo paints and don't like them with clay but have used them on other craft projects. That metal thing, well I don't know what you were thinking with that. I love my Dremel. I have the work station accessory and it makes it into a drill press, and can rotate to the side. Another great video Val.
I get carried away when I watch tutorials so I'm happy to say I'm not the only one. I have a dremel and I love it. The one thing I do not do is shop on line a lot. I go to a store so I can look at what I'm buying and return easily if I need to. My dremel is smaller than yours and the pieces and attachments are smaller. I've even bought teeny tiny drill bits. I hope you learn to use yours. I think you'll like it😊
I am more used to it now, thanks. I started working with copper and it came in handy. I still think it's a clunky piece of equipment but I do appreciate it has some benefits. x
That's a pretty little green bowl with the mushrooms. Thanks for the tips. I am sculpting a small head with sculpy and it is flaking and crumbling...lots of wrinkles and things and it's now almost a disaster because of this. Lots of time in already..any saves you know of? Thanks for your time.
Ohhhh I love my dremel ! ,I'm a lady too , hang your dremel up by its hook ,you'll love it I promise ! You can do so much with it , your moulds , use calking in them ,use a scraper to level it off then give it a couple of days dry time ,they are fab :)
Brilliant. We all have a list like this. Unfortunately Dremmel stopped making the really lovely cordless Dremmel Stylus which was/is magic. I still have mine but one day it's battery will give out. Thanks for the lovely review of my first book. XXXs
I had that problem with buying molds when I first started using polymer clay. My wife bought for me all these Christmas molds to use and were really really small. There was this Grinch one I loved so she got it off Amazon. When it came the Grinch head was about the size of my pinky fingernail lol. So now we only buy a mold if I see the size listed first and figure out how I'll use it lol
Dremel is a great finishing toll for acrylic like resin. When I got mine I immediately realised it is the burs and attachments are very similar to those used in dentistry. I use it where I need to take off a lot of material in one spot or , surprise, to make a hole. They save soo much sanding.
My dremmel was originally for nails and nail crafts.... like those used by nail techs when they create acrylic nails from powder and polymer... with lots of gadgetty-attachments for fine tuning. Yours looks like for wood burning, which isn't half bad, but you're right, it's HUGE! I have a full-grown cat that's smaller! 🤣 And ..this video may have been done quite a bit ago.... but it was just what I needed today. Thank you! ❤️ Hope you're well!
As for the plaster wrap, if you have a bowling ball or anything round like a ball you can cover it with the plaster first then mosaic it to make a decorative garden ball
You hit on one of my biggest pet peeves, with myself!!! I never look at the sizes of things!! So I order stuff and it's usually either too small or too big. Bottom line, I'm always surprised and then pissed at myself. And I still do it!!! I also have those exact same Pebeo paints and like you, I've only used them once, and I wasn't that happy with the outcome then. And as you know, they weren't exactly cheap. I have tons of craft stuff that I've bought over the years and never used, or in some cases, never even opened. I can't let myself think about it because that's money I could have put towards more polymer clay! :-))) Maybe I'll have a sale some day. :-))) I also have a Dremel and I love it! However, it just has one long cord to plug in; I don't know what that thing is yours is attached to! It's really good for working on small things though. Some of those things in your little box are sanders and they are perfect for getting in small places. It is kind of hard to figure out how to attach them though... Anyway, loved your video, as usual! XXX
Hi! New to your channel and I am really enjoying it. I laughed at your list - I can relate! I also have a giant tool ( hemostat for stuffing dolls, etc) cause I didn't pay attention to what sizes they were.. I told hubby I could now assist in surgery on battle trolls. Hehe. I also have a stack of plaster wrap I'll never use - tried it once and went back to old school newspaper and glue and paper clay. And the best - I too have a very stand-off'ish relationship with my Dremmel that I used once and found trying to sort the bits exhausting. But hand drilling and sanding is not. Go figure. Lol!! Thanks for the laughs. Subscribed and looking forward to browsing your videos 😃
You are my kindred spirit! LOL I BELLY laughed with you through this whole video! Other than the Dremal (Which I have been craving for years now!), I have a similar pile!
Love my rotary tool and my jooltool I have come up with ideas for how to use the rotary tool for sanding and buffing when I can't buy stuff for the jooltool
Thanks for the tips! You again have me crying lol I know where to go if I break something during a zombie apocalypse! have to tell you thought I use Pebeo Fantasy Moon and fantasy prisms paints They are fantastic!! One turns the paint into tiny honeycomb effects and the other very beautiful pearlescent and opalescent effects I discovered them by accident on a clearance shelf fell in love and had to have them I use them in a lot of mixed media and I am hoping to use them in my polymers
I love my Dremel. I got the flex shaft and the little stand so I could set it up once and now I only have to change out the bits on the flex shaft. I use it to drill holes in my beads, for engraving, for polishing.
Oh my, I have to tell you my boyfriend had to come check on me to see if I was ok because I was laughing so hard when you brought out the calipers and bandages he thought I was crying! Then that huge Dremel. Thank you for the laughs.
Thank you for sharing your experience. LOL! I love that you're so candid about your impulse items. We all have those. Please. I go through my stuff every two or three years and ask that question repeatedly. Or, worse, remember the unfulfilled intention with regret. Just remember to get rid of those items because they won't make you feel any better, sitting there, reminding you of your mistakes. And, if you haven't used it by now, you probably never will. It's inevitable that we waste some money with misplaced ideas. It's all a part of the learning process. Just remember, part of experience means learning from mistakes. ;) Just don't dwell on the mistakes. BTW, as for the caliper (that's what the rounded metal, pointy thing is), which CAN be used to measure bumps on the head, is actually for measuring any round object, especially objects that are otherwise hard to measure. I only know because my late ex-husband was a nurseryman and he used one for measuring the diameter of trees. It's an old fashioned one; if you look up 'caliper' you'll see modern ones, which are most often used in car repair. I have no idea why.
I guess they might be able to be adapted. I enjoy making jewellery but I would rather make other things. I like to make small decorative bowls, covered jars/tins/boxes, hollow eggs, fairy doors, journal covers, miniature food etc. I guess the thing is they are all still small lol. I'm not saying these tools are utterly useless - but I haven't found them useful myself.
Hey now, I'm a bit of a craft supply hoarder lol! It's a relatively harmless guilty pleasure, as long as it doesn't get too big or expensive. One thing on your list that I totally agree with is, never over do it with special paints, liquids and such as those dry out. The rest you might find a new interest in sometime later.
Ms. Unruly... can I come over next time you do one of these videos? What a BLAST thank you for the head's up on the Pebeo.. I thought I really wanted them... yikes. you saved me. this is so fun. thankkkkkkkssss
Nice video, but I think you and I work a bit differently. I love my dremel and I like my bead roller too. You are entertaining to watch. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
