red clover

Description

Video #385: How to make alcohol ink for using with your polymer clay and other mixed media projects. By Cindy Lietz, Polymer Clay Tutor: http://www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/?p=17068 Topics Covered In This Video: - Commercial alcohol inks such as the Adirondack line from Ranger, have been used with polymer clay for a long time. - Here are links to a couple of examples of my previous PcT tutorials that use the Adirondack Inks... (1) Glow in the Dark Jelly Roll Cane (the earrings I show in the video)... http://www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/jellyroll-cane-psychedelic-glow-in-the-dark/8609/ (2) Red Clover Flower Beads, but there are many more... http://www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/red-clover-flower-beads-polymer-clay-tutorial/15155/ - Some people find commercial alcohol inks to be expensive and want to learn to make their own. - Homemade alcohol ink is very cheap when you look at the amount you can make with each box of dye. - Homemade Alcohol Ink Recipe: 1 part Rit Dye (powdered or liquid. I used 1/2 teaspoon for my 1 part) 6 parts 99% Isopropyl Alcohol (Rubbing Alcohol) 2 parts Water (for liquid dye only) - Stir until mixed (the powdered dye will still have salts in the bottom and the liquid dye will still have some clumps of unmixed dye.) - Use a clean unused coffee filter to filter out solids if desired. - Use your homemade alcohol inks like you would use any other commercially made alcohol inks. - Homemade alcohol inks aren't as concentrated as commercial brands. - Colors are not as vibrant in/on polymer clay as they are on paper. - Color is stable when baked in polymer clay. - Although the homemade version is much cheaper by volume, it will cost you about the same on a per color basis if you only use small quantities. - I prefer the commercial brands of alcohol inks such as Ranger's Adirondack Alcohol Ink, because... the colors are more concentrated and vibrant on polymer clay... there are more colors... making homemade inks yourself, is a messy job... and since the bottles last "forever," I don't mind if they are a little more expensive than the homemade version. - The homemade alcohol ink may be a good choice for schools or guilds because the price is much cheaper by volume. - One of the most shared articles from our blog onto Pinterest, is an old article called, Alcohol Ink Techniques and Recipes for Polymer Clay Artists. It contains lots of information about making alcohol inks using fabric dyes... http://www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/alcohol-ink-techniques-recipes/95/ - If you enjoyed this video, please do click the LIKE button. Subscribe too... for lots more entertaining and educational videos every week!