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Daphne Back Road Bears
Laconia, NH USA
Posts: 6,568

Can I use wax on a felted nose to give it a shine like you would on an embroidered nose? I have yet to try waxing at all so wasn't sure.

If this has been discussed maybe you can just point me in the right direction. Me and the SEARCH thing don't get along (operator related of course! It's a great feature to the board, I just can't seem to type in the key words to bring up the results I want. This sort of thing keeps me off eBay a lot of the time which is a good thing!) and I absolutely HATE trying to find things. So, I'm sorry to be a pain!  bear_innocent

SueAnn Past Time Bears
Double Oak, Texas
Posts: 21,684

SueAnn Help Advisor, Banner Sponsor

Have you tried the "Reference Library"?

gotobedbears Posts: 3,177

try it out on an odd bit of needle felt Daph - i can't see why it won't work to be honest
:dance:

Penny x

Daphne Back Road Bears
Laconia, NH USA
Posts: 6,568
SueAnn wrote:

Have you tried the "Reference Library"?

The following tidbit about me just makes your lives harder when I want to know something already discussed but:

I'm allergic to research!!!! Yup, if I have to look anything up on the computer, in the library (I'm totally allergic to libraries.... break out in hives and everything!) or even have to look through my own books I just panic and run the other way! Needless to say my grades were awful in school and I dropped out of college! There..... now you really know my deepest secret!!!   :redface:   :doh: 



Did I just post that on the world wide web????

Donna Donna's Duin Bruins
Burbank, CA
Posts: 900

Daphne,
I'm just thinking out loud here, since I haven't done this before.  Would the felting hold up to the friction of rubbing the cold wax onto it?  I would try the method where you melt the wax and brush it on.  Again, I would worry about it holding up to the buffing action.  My guess is that as long as you were not real heavy handed in the buffing, it should work.
Donna

Judi Luxembears
Luxemburg, Wisconsin
Posts: 7,379

Ha1 Daphne you are so funny!  I get allergic to research too!

I am trying to picture waxing a felted nose.  hhhmmmm I wonder if that would hold up.  WHat would concern me is the rubbing that wax requires.  It may mess up and loosen the fibers....then again....you could try it on a separate felted peice just to be sure. ( Ah, I see this has been said already...but I agree).

I can tell you that I sealed some needle felting using Aleene's Instant Decoupage.  This is a water based glue, sealer and matt finish.  I used it on the feet of Luna, my most recent needle felted bear.    It goes on milky but dries to a clear matt...kind-of hard finish.  I have not posted anything about this yet because I am not sure if I really like the results.  I'll show you a picture.

Daphne Back Road Bears
Laconia, NH USA
Posts: 6,568

Judi - I wanna see!

kbonsall Kim-Bee Bears
Pennsylvania
Posts: 5,645

I am not a waxer but I would think it could work if you do the paintbrush thing and if you felted hard enough... bear_original  Like was already said, I would do a test run on first whatever you do decide to try bear_original

Dilu Posts: 8,574

I don't see why not either....except you wouldn't want to et too vigorus ad knock of the wee one's little nose.....Needle felting can break of sometimes.....scary..



dilu

Shelli SHELLI MAKES
Chico, California
Posts: 9,939
Website

Shelli Retired Help Advisor, Banner Sponsor

Daphne, I will do your research for you.  I love internet research, especially.  Just let me know when life next asks you to write a paper and I will be your R.A.

PS  People thought Einstein was retarded for much of his early childhood, and I believe one or both of the founders of Apple Computers -- or was it Bill Gates himself? -- are high school dropouts.  Education is not the ONLY thing; it's just the easiest way to open life's career-related doors, for most people.  Don't sweat it.

Daphne Back Road Bears
Laconia, NH USA
Posts: 6,568

Thanks Shelli 'cause I was thinking about going back to college and I'll have a lot of research to do while I study to be a physicist.

Not!!!

Judi Luxembears
Luxemburg, Wisconsin
Posts: 7,379

LUNA_NEW-RESZ10.jpgHi.  Here is Luna, after sealing her paws withthe Aleens sealer I mentioned above.  It doesn't change the appearance of the needle felting but the way it feels is sorf-of hard and rough.  Since the fibers of the wool are not completely smooth, even with firm felting, it makes the dried surface not feel as nice.

I am still going to experinment with other sealers.  Or perhaps trying a second layer of this sealer.

Judi Luxembears
Luxemburg, Wisconsin
Posts: 7,379

aaaaahhh...you really can't tell anything by the picture I just posted.  All right, that's it..everyone come over and well just have to have a big bear party :dance:

rufnut Rufnut Teddy's
Victoria Australia
Posts: 2,725

I have not tried wax on a felted nose, but I have tried clear nail polish and nose shine neither works too well.

Judi Luxembears
Luxemburg, Wisconsin
Posts: 7,379

Well, I guess it is good to experiment with different products to see what does and doesn't work.

Daphne, did you try what Donna suggested?  Heating up some wax.  I don't even have wax or that is something I would try.

If anyone does try this, please post what you think of the results.  I would be very interested to know. bear_original

Daphne Back Road Bears
Laconia, NH USA
Posts: 6,568

As I spend way too much time on TT (see "Is Shelli Addicted" on the general forum) I have yet to get around to trying this. I do have a felted bear in progress but he's of mohair and a real challenge as that stuff takes forever to felt. I don't want to then ruin him so not sure if I'll try it on him or not.

I have to make a dog and I always needle felt dog noses. I'd love to give it a wet look so had wondered how to do that. The dog is next on my schedule so I'll let you know how it goes. Yeah, I'll practice on something first.

Judi Luxembears
Luxemburg, Wisconsin
Posts: 7,379

Just another thought, Daphne.  What might help the end result, of waxing or appling a sealer, would be to trim all the little fibers very close to the nose first ,to have as smooth a surface as possible before adding anything. bear_original

kbonsall Kim-Bee Bears
Pennsylvania
Posts: 5,645
Judi wrote:

All right, that's it..everyone come over and well just have to have a big bear party :dance:

I'll be there in two days bear_original LMAO

Eileen Baird'sBears
Toronto
Posts: 3,873

bear_original  I'm so glad I found this thread! I was wondering about waxing felted noses myself.

Has anyone tried it yet?

If you're sealing a felted nose with a hard finish, especially a water-based hard finish, wetting the fibers probably causes some of them to rise up and fuzz. This happens in woodworking, too, when the teeny-weeny wood fibers that you've sanded till you're blue rise up again and make your surface rough. I'd try sanding the first coat with a very, very fine sandpaper, 220 grit or higher, garnet or possibly the black stuff (name escapes me), even a fine emery board. Then wipe it off clean and have another go.

Sorry if this is incoherent. I just managed to close the small toe of my right foot in the door, and I'm sitting here with a bag of frozen peas on my foot  bear_cry

Eileen

matilda Matilda Huggington-beare
WA
Posts: 5,551

I've tried Judis way with the glue. Kittys needle felting was sealed this way. Maybe if you seal it first with the glue. Several layers with several days between each coat and then waxed and or used nose shine.????????
The several days between coats I find is necessary because the glue changes as time goes by and becomes water proof.Its not an instant reaction. 

Matilda bear_thumb

Eileen Baird'sBears
Toronto
Posts: 3,873

bear_original Very true of glue, Matilda! Especially if it's soaked into the nose fibers.

I think I'd be inclined to do a few security stitches to make sure the nose is held firmly to the muzzle, then apply several coats of hot melted wax. Once it's thoroughly dry,  it should be very firm and shinable. The only time I've had a problem with a waxed nose was when I tried to shine it up too soon . . . what a mess.

Eileen

Eileen Baird'sBears
Toronto
Posts: 3,873

bear_original Come to think of it, why wouldn't hot wax work on needlefelted toes?

Eileen

Judi Luxembears
Luxemburg, Wisconsin
Posts: 7,379

Eileen,

I think the best thing you can do is just try the hot wax on a sample piece of felting.  I can tell you that the sealed toes I did on my bear were rough to the touch.  I really don't like it.  I do think, though, that I will try it again with a different sealer.  There are so many different one's out there that I think it may just be a matter of trial and error.  What I would like to find is something that will sink into the fibers.

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