From: "Klingelhoefer, Terri Sue" <tklingel-AT-indiana.edu>
To: "puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org" <puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org>
Date: Mon, 25 Feb 2008 09:34:58 -0500
Subject: [Puptcrit] Eyes and polishing


Hi All,

Matthieu I sometimes polish amber by hand, because I like watching television.  When you watch TV, you are getting nothing done and I feel guilty about it, so I hand sew puppets, polish amber, work opals, fold clothes, do the mending, make cookies, etc. Can't use a machine when watching TV, it is too dangerous and too noisy. One of the best substances for polishing amber is white rouge. It is also used in some the racing and vintage car applications for polishing plastic. The technique is to take progressively finer wet sand papers and then to polish with the white rouge. The rouge can be used with a machine, or I use the rouge on denim and do it by hand. You should be able to get it at any lapidary supply place/site. The website below has it for $4.40.

http://www.usatoolsinc.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=19217-

Certain types of car polish is also used to polish amber in some places where the goal is to churn out amber pieces as quickly as possible. Car polish has been known to cloud over the long term and sometimes lead to a crackle finish in later years so many won't use it. I would expect this would be less so where the substance polished is closer to the intended use for the product.

I also use some glass eyes and have found that the Dollar Trees locally have bags of "decorator stones" that are really glass slag that is roughly shaped like stones. Some of the pieces are more useful than others, but if I get two three sets for a dollar I am pleased. Sometime there are a lot more than that.  There is a range of shapes and colors and they are generally larger than standard marbles, have flat backs, and are about the right size for eyes.  I like the black best for natural animal eyes.

I have had some very good luck painting ping pong balls with acrylic paint for those larger than life show girl style eyes. There are two important steps to doing this 1. Don't pant the bottom of the eye where you plan to glue it to the puppet. If you do this the paint pulls off and the eye falls off. 2. Resolve to paint everything with 3 coats.

Oh...if for some perverse reason you are making a sick animal, hot glue makes great eye puss/gooeys.  Otherwise, if you are wanting a healthy creature, check for it and peel it off carefully around the lids.

Best wishes!
Terri Klingelhoefer
Primary Player
Klingel-Engle Puppets
7251 West State Rd 46
Ellettsville IN 47429
tklingel-AT-indiana.edu
812-876-3540 land line
812-325-9326 cell

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