"Say Cheese" Mouse Tutorial

[whimzicalities]

"Say Cheese!" After many revisions, it's finally done and uploaded to my Etsy store, available through the link in my banner beneath my signature.

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My partner, Kay tested this over the weekend and says if she can do it, any one can do it. Here is her very first mouse:

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I hope you all enjoy this tutorial!

[zen-mom]

uh oh... I couldn't resist :)

[Nicker]

WOOHOOOO!!!!! Thanks for doing this Maria!! Got mine!

[loco]

Maria, Can we buy these direct from you so you can save the Etsy fees? I know it all adds up and times are tight for everyone!

[Bruna]

*whimper* I want this!!!
as soon as I can, I'llhave my copy! promise!

[whimzicalities]

Thank you guy all so much! I finally have them listed in my LE Classifieds, too...
and since they're digital, they won't "run out"!

You can always send $15 to me at lostmarbles(*at*)live.com and it will go out in the order that the payment comes in.

[rosebud101]

Yipeeeeeeee! Got mine!

[pipyr]

It looks wonderful Maria!!

[Beadbug]

I am your mad stalker LOL. Off to Etsy to get my very own copy!

[wendbill]

It looks great.

I having trouble with the quality of the print out though. I print in monotone on a laser printer, and most of the photos have lost their detail - all the tones have dropped out (ie black and white images with all the detail lost). Figure 4 and the "Say Cheese" shot on page 25 are the only images that printed out ok. The text is all fine.

On screen all the pics look fine.

Other pdf tutorials I have printed haven't had this problem with the pictures.

Any thoughts on what is causing this? My best guess is that it may have something to do with the frames...

[whimzicalities]

Hi Wendy,

Thanks for letting me know that you're having a problem. Let me see what I can do to get it fixed. If anyone else is having trouble, please let me know. I want to make sure everyone gets a decent copy.

[loco]

I printed it on an old HP in black & white in draft. It looked good to me, I could see what Maria's fingers were doing and everything else.

Great job Maria, thank you so so much!

[Beadbug]

I just read through the tutorial and have to say it sparkles. The process has been spelled out extremely well with photos that are big enough to get the point across but not so big that they take a ton of ink. The last page feels like a sweet bonus, a big THANKS for that I can't wait to start.

[StOrM]

I am trying to buy it in paypal and it is making me pay for shipping....$1 or $2.....how do i bybass this....?

[whimzicalities]

Hey Storm,

Sorry about that...I'll fix that and will refund anyone who has paid shipping. Thanks for letting me know!

[playswithfire104]

Well this tut ho just ordered hers!

[StOrM]

I think it was good this time.....Thanks i can't wait to try it!!

[squid]

I got one too - adorable! Love the cheat sheet thing you did at the end too :)

[whimzicalities]

You all are too much!! Thank you for everything!

I have to order pizza, since I've been too busy to cook...gotta keep the family happy!

I'll send more out in just a few minutes.

[playswithfire104]

Mine is taking forever to download. Is that normal?

[whimzicalities]

Nancy,

I guess it depends on your connection...its 4.13 Mb and only takes a minute or so for the upload with my broadband connection. Are you on a wireless, or directly connected?

[whimzicalities]

I had some trouble earlier with a file from school that was around 5 Mb. It turned out that my machine was trying to do updates at the same time...I waited until it was finished and tried it again and it worked ok.

Let me know if you're still having trouble...

[Reenie]

Ah another must have!!!

[playswithfire104]

I have a cable modem and it has been like 40 minutes so far and only 21% so far.

[whimzicalities]

That's terrible, Nancy! I'll send you more compressed version, if you'd like, and can send you a backup disk with the "full strength" version, if we don't get it straightened out tonight

[playswithfire104]

Well I've been kicked off a few times now. I'm ready for bed. I'll give it another try tomorrow and go from there. No worries - I'm sure we'll get it worked out one way or another.

[whimzicalities]

Hey Nancy, I sent you another version this morning, let me know how it goes! *fingers crossed*

[wendbill]

I think I've worked out what is causing the my printing problems with the images.

Where the pictures are 100% in the pdf they will print out correctly. Where the images are scaled, they turn into tone drop outs - and the detail won't print.

If I copy a scaled image into Word, it will resize back up to 100% and it will print out enabling me to see all the detail in the picture.

[whimzicalities]

Thank you for letting me know this. I wrote it in Word, but scaled the photos as needed during the process. It prints out just fine in gray scale on my printer, so I'm still not sure why scaling the images caused a problem for you. I'm going to check with my photography instructor and see if she has a suggestion.

Also, I'm going to send you another version that you could try...it's about half as big size-wise and is a "simple PDF" as opposed to a fully operable version with bookmarks, etc. Let me know if it works for you.

[wendbill]

Thanks Maria. The reduced file version prints out properly for me.

Apologies for the confusion with the Wendy's!

[Blair]

OK, I'm NOT a tutorial ho, but being a fan of all the whimzicalities creatures for a few years now (I have 2 aliens standing guard in my studio), I just HAD to have this one. Can't wait to start playing with it!!!

[pegz]

Maria,

I just love this tutorial.. I can't wait to make them.

I have a (probably silly) question ...

I have never heard of Copper Patina -- I may have, and mistakenly thought they meant Liver of Sulpher... LOL!

It will make the solder and the wire look like copper, right?

Is it something I could get at Hobby lobby or a hardware store? And... is it called Copper Patina or does it have another name... so when I ask for it they'll know what I am talking about. LOL!!!

Thanks!

[Kym]

I think the patina make the copper look different, not bright and shiny. I think I need some patina recipes too.
I have a new solder iron, some flux, beads to spare, just waiting for wire to arrive and solder. I will be ready to go then!

Kym

[swamper]

Usually you need to get copper patina at stained glass supply stores.

[whimzicalities]

Hi All,

I've always purchased my solder and flux at the local stained glass supply store, but for those of you who don't plan on doing stained glass, or just want to try it to see how the mouse, I just got in some little 1/2 oz bottles...a little goes a long way. I need to figure out a price and find out what shipping will run. I'm pretty sure it has to be shipped via 1st class mail and that I can't ship it overseas. I'm putting kits together of all of the essentials...mandrels, wire, flux, solder, patina, and flux remover. I'll keep the price reasonable, too. :grin:

[EmbellishYourself]

yipee i snagged one!

[pegz]

Well I ordered stuff from Delphi, the copper patina is actually called 'copper patina' LOL!!
And Delphi has everything!!! Cool site btw...

Tomorrow I'll get some solder locally, so I don't have to wait.

I have been waiting all week for the weekend to get here so I can do this!!!

[EmbellishYourself]

I just read through it and thouroughly enjoyed myself. I know it will be even better when I actually make one. Thanks so much Maria! I love the links you included to find everything.

[Beadbug]

I got all the parts and pieces bent up for 4 mice, I hope to have time tomorrow to solder them up. Can't wait to see their personality's develop. Photos to come.

[playswithfire104]

Hi All,

I'm putting kits together of all of the essentials...mandrels, wire, flux, solder, patina, and flux remover. I'll keep the price reasonable, too. :grin:



Whoo Hoo Hoo! One stop shopping - me like!

[Blair]

I've done stained glass for years so I feel a little silly asking this, but is anyone having trouble getting the solder to stick to the copper? I'm using the same flux I've used for stained glass, copper wire and your standard solder, and the solder just balls up and rolls right off the foot. I can't get it to stick. Does flux go bad? Could the wire I bought not really be copper (although it is labeled as such. I got it from Michael's). Please help!!

[whimzicalities]

Hi Blair,

It sounds to me as though the wire is most likely coated with an anti-tarnishing agent such as lacquer. You could check this by scraping a knife blade along the wire and see if anything flakes up. Also if the wire has any kind of an oily film that could prevent the solder from sticking as well. A few times years ago I tried to use craft wire such as that made by Darice and wasn't able to solder it due to the coating on it.

Also, make sure you're cleaning your wire very well with steel wool or really fine sand paper. This will make it easier for the solder to stick. I hope this helps. I'll PM this to you as well.

[pittypat]

Ok, Maria, you made me do it!! Can't wait to make one of these...now from one who lives in the boonies, do you have an idea when you will have the kits ready???
Thanks so much, Pat

[whimzicalities]

Ok, Maria, you made me do it!! Can't wait to make one of these...now from one who lives in the boonies, do you have an idea when you will have the kits ready???
Thanks so much, Pat

I picked up the brushes today, so I have enough stuff to put kits together tomorrow for shipping on Monday. I still need to add everything up and see what it will run, but it will be far less than what you'd spend ordering a ton of stuff online. I promise to keep you posted and I'll put some up here on LE in the classified section when they're ready! :grin:

[pittypat]

Thanks, Maria,....hope I didn't keep you up!! I received my tut, so I will read it and be ready to order asap!!
Thanks again, Pat

[Anne Ricketts]

This is an awesome tutorial! Great job! Now I can make a pet for my 2 aliens that can sit with them on top of my little tv/radio! Thanks so much for doing this Maria, I've loved your critters for years!

[pegz]

I made 2 little mice today, they are very cute, I just love 'em.

I could not get the solder to ball up on the eye wires, so I just glued them on.

I have never soldered anything before, and your directions were terrific.. Thanks again for making this tutorial available, I had a blast!!!

[Beadbug]

I made one mouse today and he is sooo cute but also had trouble getting the solder ball on the eye wire. One went on fine the other I fought and fought. I have soldered before and didn't have trouble with the fabulous instructions besides eyeballs. Maybe I cut my eye wires to short? Would this make the solder not stick?

[whimzicalities]

Peg and Tracy,

I'm glad to hear you had fun putting your mice together. I have given this some thought. I have trouble sometimes too, depending on what type of flux I'm using. If you are able to turn your soldering iron about 1/3 of the way, it is easier to ball the solder up. You could also try leaving the ends a little bit long and folding them back over to give the solder a bigger area to stick to.

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You could also take your smallest gauge wire and wrap a loop or 2 around the eye wire. Don't cut the loose end off, but hold onto it to keep your loops in place. Flux, tack solder, crimp a bit with pliers to get the end down and re-flux. I'll try to get a pic up of what I mean here, but I need to build a mouse to the point where his eyes are ready to go on...I'm in the midst of homework now, but will try to do it before tomorrow evening.

[LisaF]

Maria,
My husband and I made one together this afternoon and it was great fun! The little critter turned out pretty cute, if I do say so myself. Great directions and a very fun project. Thank you!

[pegz]

Thanks Maria, I the extra wire wraps around the eye wire would work great. I'll try that for sure!

[whimzicalities]

Hey All,

I finally pulled the kit together for this tutorial. The kit contains everything on the materials list except the lampwork beads, paper towels, hand tools, polish and soldering iron:

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The kit contains:

Recycled wire for 3 mice
An assortment of beads for eyes
steel wool
1 oz. of 60/40 solder
1/2 oz. flux
1/2 oz. flux remover
1/2 oz. copper patina
brush
cotton swabs
sponge
leg and nose mandrels
cotton rag
6x8 tile for soldering surface

Because the liquids are corrosive, due to postal regulations, this can only be shipped via surface mail (Parcel Post), so no overseas orders, please. Shipping within the US is $7 and includes delivery confirmation.

I'll post these in the Classifieds here on LE.

[pittypat]

Thanks, Maria, this is great!!
Pat

[playswithfire104]

I think I have one of those tools you use for wood burning. Do you think I could use that as a soldering iron?

Ordered my kit!

Stalking threads DOES pay off!

[pittypat]

Ok, one more question......I have never soldered before and don't know what priced iron I should buy. I see them from $10-70 ....and there is one at Harbor Freight that says cold...Does it really matter???
Thanks anyone, Pat

[squid]

Are you making any more kits? The one listed is sold :)

[theglasszone]

Also, Maria, how much are the kits themselves? I know once something sells, the price is no longer indicated...Just thought you might want to post here, too, so people can get their funds together!

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x280/theglasszone/smileyz/mouseemoticon.gif

De

[theglasszone]

Pat...

I'd suggest you get one that plugs in - you'll probably find it more durable and versatile if you decide to ever do even small stained-glass type of work, such as small photos sandwiched between sheet glass with soldered edges and the like.

There's this one at Harbor Freight:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=47887

And this one at Michael's:
http://www.michaels.com/art/online/displayProductPage?productNum=gc0420

Just to give you an idea of what I'm talking about. Let's see what Maria and others say, though - this is just my opinion!

De in CA

[pittypat]

Hi De, I am pretty sure I saw yesterday it was $20.00 plus $7.00 shipping. And as for my question, I finished reading the tut, duhhh, and saw the answers.
Pat

[pittypat]

Thanks, De, we were posting at the same time!! I will check them out.
Pat

[whimzicalities]

Hey folks!

Thanks for answering questions, De! I appreciate it! :grin:

Sorry to have been MIA this evening. My daughter is here visiting for just a few more days. I guess I've been trying to spend as much time with her as possible...

The kits are $20, plus $7 parcel post shipping. I had listed them here in the classifieds and sold one, but it didn't add the shipping on...I'm not sure how to fix it. I have enough tiles to make up 5 more kits and then I'll need to buy more supplies, but I'll order them tomorrow. If you'd like to PM me with your email address, I'll be happy to send you an invoice. Pat, I'll send your invoice out this evening and will have it ready to ship tomorrow.

As far as soldering irons go, I've used stained glass irons, with a narrow tip. Most come with wide tips, so unless you swap the tip out, or have it on a rheostat, it might be a bit of overkill in terms of heat. I think you could use just about any iron with a narrow tip (1/16" -3/16") as long as it will go to 850-900 degrees F. Most all of them will, I think. If you are planning on doing a lot of soldering, you can opt for a more expensive iron, but a good basic iron that's not too expensive($18-19) is the 40 watt Weller iron that I mention in the tutorial, shown here: 40 Watt Weller Kit (http://www.amazon.com/Weller-Watt-Soldering-Iron-Kit/dp/B000HE5BZS/ref=pd_cp__4?ie=UTF8&m=A1SV1BYDTUK2Z5) I used it successfully at Glass Stock along with a stained glass iron that my dad loaned me for birds and mice. Kay used it to complete her mouse when testing the tutorial and she said it worked just fine.

I need to pick up another inexpensive iron(not the cold one...I'm skeptical about it) and give it a test run. I won't get to Harbor Freight until Monday, but will pick up an cheap iron and post my results. I don't have a lot of experience with too many other other soldering irons. My regular wirework iron is an older Weller electronic soldering station that is sadly out of production. I'd give my eye teeth for parts for it, but have been unsuccessful at finding any anywhere...

Anyhow, I hope that answers a question or two...let me know if you have any others...

[loco]

I picked up a soldering iron at Sears for 10.99 it had 3 tips and worked well. Found out I needed the chisel one instead of the pointed sucker and things worked REAL WELL from there on. Well, other than the inexperience...

[pittypat]

I just ordered one from Harbor Freight for 6.99. It has five tips, and I guess I will see when it gets here. I also ordered for the same price a holder with a LED light and magnifier glass. We shall see.
Pat

[Beadbug]

Thanks for the tips on the eyes, I have a second mouse to that point and remembered that question had been asked so I ran up stairs to read up on the latest posts. Now back down to get those little eyes on him.

[Kym]

My very first effort at soldering etc. I am pretty happy with it.
Next time I will keep the tute in front of me as I go tho'


Cheers
Kym

[Beadbug]

Your bird is wonderful I have made two mice and this...
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[whimzicalities]

Hi Kym and Tracy,

Your critters are wonderful! I love the ostrich and the spider's shoe laces are just too cute!!

Thanks so much for posting them! :grin:

[pittypat]

I will do a plug right here for your kit, Maria...You'all need to know it is worth much more than she charges!!! There are like 25 items in the box, including the tile to work on to even the qtip and rags!!!! Thanks so much, Maria...can't wait for this holiday is over so I can try this.
BTW, Kym and Tracy....great critters!!!
Pat

[Beadbug]

Here is the newest member of my family.

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This tutorial opened my eyes to a whole new world of fun.

[playswithfire104]

Oh look at him! I love the sliver sneakers. Remember Dr Doolittle? He had that 2 headed lama - the push me pull you. You could put a face on each end and have a push me pull you spider! One face happy one face sad. People could put them on their desk and depending on their mood could place whichever face out they needed.

[Beadbug]

That would be funny I will work on a sad face. Jack Nicholson seems to come to mind every time I am at the torch working on these guys.

Here is my first mouse146707

[whimzicalities]

Tracy,

I just love your mouse! He looks like quite a character! Great job!!

Thank you for for posting all of the critters!

[whimzicalities]

I've gotten a couple of emails asking about sources for the eye beads. I've had a really hard time finding a new source, since my old source no longer sells them. I misremembered the size and they're offered variously as rondelles or disks, depending on the supplier. They are 6 mm, not 4 mm, as stated in my tutorial.

I have found three different places that you can get them:

Fire Mountain Gems (http://www.firemountaingems.com/details.asp?PN=H202021MD http://www.fusionbeads.com/shop/product/23620/ http://shop.rings-things.com/cart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=145&idproduct=7676)

Fusion Beads (http://www.fusionbeads.com/shop/product/23620/)

Rings & Things (http://shop.rings-things.com/cart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=145&idproduct=7676)

I have not ordered any of the 6 mm rondelles lately, as I was working off of stock I had on hand, but I did get some 4 mm rondelles from Fusion Beads. They were slightly translucent, but would still work for tiny eyes. I think the 6 mm would be just fine. Fusion offers free shipping, which is good!

If anyone else has any questions, please let me know.

Also, if you need just a small amount of flux, flux remover, patina, or polishing compound, I have 1/2 oz bottles in stock that are $1.50 each, plus $1 first class shipping, (additional items $.25 postage each). They stretch pretty far...I filled a bottle of each up a month ago and am still working off of it. Just drop me a pm, if you'd like some! :grin:

[Ever After]

I am having soooooooooo much fun playing with this tut!!!

This is my first Funny Bunny
and Goonie BIrd
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[Beadbug]

Laurie those are so cute.

[Ever After]

thanks this is addictive!

[whimzicalities]

Laurie, those are awesome! I'm glad to hear you're enjoying the tut!!

[Ever After]

you guys rock!

[nicholebeth]

Aww! So CUTE!!

[midniteburner]

Cheese, LOL!

[lldesigns]

Adorable.

[debkauz]

Don't you just absolutely LOVE cheese?

[Frogsongstudio]

I love this tutorial and I already started on my mouse. Unfortunately the poor little mouses eyes were in the batch of beads the ghost stole so he's waiting for me to make him some new ones.

It's a great tutorial.

[Frogsongstudio]

I am having soooooooooo much fun playing with this tut!!!

This is my first Funny Bunny
and Goonie BIrd
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Oh my gosh! Totally love these!

[rusticstudio]

Thanks for creating this Tut!
You guys are making some cool stuff... err critters!

[Felicia]

Maria, Can I order the kit and tut from you but can you put the tut on a CD for me? (I'll gladly pay you extra for it and your time to do it). Reason: I'm on a satellite hook up and it would time out on having to download the file. It's just one of the joys of not living in the city anymore!

[Frogsongstudio]

Felicia, I live in the boondocks and I'm on Satellite and her tutorial didn't time out on me.
Thank goodness, I'd be really upset if I couldn't get my tutorials. :)

Especially this one! :)

[Felicia]

Trust me Deb....every little stinking attached file we get usually hangs up. We are at the point now of even "thinking" of going back to dial up (egads - haven't had it in 10+ years). I'll think of something if she can't. Hey, does anyone know if you can download files say from the public library computers?

[whimzicalities]

Hi Felicia,

I'd be happy to put it on CD for you. Is $3 extra for shipping fair?

[rachelle]

I just found this thread! I'm so thrilled, just orded my very first tutorial!!!!!!! cant' wait to try stuff! ( and hopefully get my DH interested too!)

[whimzicalities]

Thanks, Rachelle!

I just sent it off to you! I hope you enjoy it!

[Ever After]

be forewarned once you start soldering stuff, its a disease, Oh I have so many many ideasssssssssssssss....lol!

[Felicia]

Oh - you're the greatest. Thank you.

[Beadbug]

Laurie is right 2 more spiders crawled off my work area today!
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[FlamingFrog]

Here's my first soldered project!

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[Beadbug]

OMGm I have been talking about doing a frog to Laurie! Yours is FABULOUS! The gloves are perfect. I am off to finish my chicken be back soon to show him off.

[Beadbug]

Here is chicken little, he is under one inch tall and even has toe nails :)

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[FlamingFrog]

Love the chicken!

[Jeanie]

I just bought the tutorial and I'm looking forward to making lots of legs and feet!

Jeanie

[glasshouse]

These are so cute! I love mousies!

[glassactcc]

Here's what I did. Maria, I just love your tut. It was easy to follow, and all the pictures I needed.

I love seeing everyones creations. They are all soooooo stinkin' cute.
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[pittypat]

Hey Maria, or anyone who knows.....I ordered one of the "helping hand thingies" from Harbor Freight in December, and they were out...Now I cannot for the life of me remember what it is really called so I can try to order again!!! AHHHHH
Thanks, Pat

[Jeanie]

Hey Maria, or anyone who knows.....I ordered one of the "helping hand thingies" from Harbor Freight in December, and they were out...Now I cannot for the life of me remember what it is really called so I can try to order again!!! AHHHHH
Thanks, Pat

Pat,
They are still called Helping Hands! That's what I've always called them too. Here's a link that I hope will work.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=319
Jeanie

[KristiB]

Maria, I love your little creatures so much!
I wasn't going to buy this tutorial because I didn't think I could make anything good, but OMG!! Look at all these wondering mice :D

Okay.. okay... I guess I'm going to have to break down and buy it :D

Great work everyone! I'm going to give it a whirl!

[pittypat]

Thanks so much, Jeanie...you are a lifesaver!! Pat

[Beadbug]

Cynthia, I love your little guy.

[glassactcc]

Thank you Tracy. Yours are just adorable. The Teeth...OMG!

[Ever After]

Cynthia, how stinking cute!!!


Heres my latest hatchlings,
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from left to right..
Love Bird, Boobie Bird, E-moo, and Mag Pie..
front shot of Boobie Bird.
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[whimzicalities]

You guys are making some amazing stuff! I'm having a blast watching everyone come up with their own creations!


Lonni, your frog is awesome! What a face! Are his hands glass, too? They're very cool!

Tracy, your chicken is just the cutest thing! Chickens hold a special place for me, lol!

Cynthia, the details on your mouse are wonderful! Is he wearing glasses? Maybe I need to put mine on!:grin:

Laurie, I really got a kick out of your birds...especially when I read the names...gotta love a play on words!

Great work everyone!=D>=D>=D>

[whimzicalities]

Jeanie, thanks for posting the link for the helping hand. This would help a lot!

Someone else had emailed me suggesting it the other day, Nancy, I think...I had forgotten all about using one...I used to have one years ago, but I abused it and then let it rust down in the Florida humidity. I never replaced it. I need to get another one. They last a long time if you don't get flux on the clippy things, or at least remember to wash it off before it corrodes the metal. :oops:

[glassactcc]

Thank you Laurie. OMG yours are so cute too. I love the polka dot one on the right. I better get busy. You have more than I do:lol:.

Thank you Maria. Your tut is wonderful. I really enjoyed making this. How could I miss, your design is so creative.

[FlamingFrog]

Hi Maria!

My froggies hands are polymer clay. I tried to do them in glass but they looked awful so I broke out the polymer clay and gave that a try.

Laurie I LOVE those birds and Cynthia that mouse is beyond adorable!

[Jeanie]

I made a mouse! Maria, your tutorial is very user friendly! I didn't have the right size wire, but just used what was hanging out in my garage. He still came out OK. I did use my "helping hands", which made it much easier for my clutsy fingers.

Thanks for the great tut! I'm ready to make more varmints!
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(Now, I hope I can upload the pics)
Jeanie

[whimzicalities]

Jeanie, he's awesome! Very cute!

Don't you love being able to take what you have on hand and make it work?

[Rose Leslie]

Just finished my first mouse. Took it around to the bank, because I had to go there. Then to a shop that is Ben Franklin crafts. They want to have me make three in different poses. I think that is a start of something big. Will take a photo of it when I go out to the shed.
Yes it is cute. Also have to get better with soldering.

[Rose Leslie]

I forgot to ask if we can sell the creations. I will wait for your answer first. Then go from there. Hiting my head in a head smack.

[whimzicalities]

Hey Rose, he's so cute! You did a great job on him! I'd say sell them if you want to. We all need to do what we can, where we can to stay afloat, don't we? Good luck!

[Rose Leslie]

Thank you. Just found out that my disability is being cut because of medicare. So every little penny counts now. They get ya coming and going. So I will make some purple ones and a kitty cat that goes out after another mouse.

[Corey]

I caved and bought one. Can't wait to try it out. I have no idea what flux is and the other stuff so I'm thinking of buying the kit. Does it include shipping?

[whimzicalities]

Hi Corey :waving:

I received your payment(thanks!) and just sent your tutorial off.

As far as the kit goes, if you purchase the kit here on LE with the tutorial the total is $37 including shipping. Since you already purchased the tutorial you could deduct $15 from that for a total of $22 on the kit price including the shipping, which would give you the same discount as if you'd purchased them together.

Send me an email or a pm if you'd like to do that and I'll be happy to send you an invoice.

[playswithfire104]

I need a little help here. When you make something that isn't a mouse, like your spiders or birds or what have you. Do you sketch it out first? How do you know how to bend the wires and how long to make them? I'm not asking to be hand lead through how 'you' do 'your' thing but how just how to get started planning an object. I want to do some Easter Bunnies and I really don't want to waste a lot of wire and solder messing up.

Any advice?

[HONEYBUNNY72_99]

OK I finally ordered mine woohoo!!!

[whimzicalities]

Hey Nancy,

Prototypes of anything can be tough. I'm pretty comfortable with pretty much flying by the seat of my pants with each one, but if I'm doing a production run of anything where I need some size consistency, I will sketch it out first. I have a new tutorial in the works for an item I've made often, but in a different scale and have found that drawing thumbnail sketches of the angles I want arms and legs helps a lot with wire proportion in the long run. As much as I hate to say it, its often a matter of trial and error.

Its always better to make your wire longer than you think that it needs to be...its much easier to cut some off than to add some on. I often will assemble a several parts together before even approaching it with the soldering iron, just to make sure sizes are right. Even so, I have frequently made fingers and toes the wrong size, but I toss them back into my scrap box to be used on a future project. I rarely throw anything out. In the grand scheme of things, recycled copper is fairly cheap, so I've never balked at using it to "doodle" with, like many artists do with pencil and paper. It helps to look at it as research and development for a new creation. It really it helps to do a practice run at parts of a project with scrap wire sometimes, just to make sure that the points of contact in the wire will make a decent connection to one another when they're soldered.

For example, if you want to make bunnies, play around with the part that is different than what you've already done. Make a couple of sets of ears or what have you and make sure they look right for the size bead you have in mind.

I don't know if that answers your questions, but if you still find yourself stuck, drop me a pm. Maybe we could talk over the phone and I could help explain it a little better. :grin:


I need a little help here. When you make something that isn't a mouse, like your spiders or birds or what have you. Do you sketch it out first? How do you know how to bend the wires and how long to make them? I'm not asking to be hand lead through how 'you' do 'your' thing but how just how to get started planning an object. I want to do some Easter Bunnies and I really don't want to waste a lot of wire and solder messing up.

Any advice?

[Corey]

Did I read that right? You have a new tutorial coming out! Anytime soon?

[playswithfire104]

Thanks so much Maria! I also got the brainstorm to use pipecleaners to practice.

I'm looking forward to that new tut!

[DesertGlass]

157232

First attempt! I had a hard time getting the solder to stick to the copper. The squiggley stuff coming from the tail is fine silver wire - does it look like string?? I have a long way to go, but it was fun fun fun!! Thanks for the tut!

[Jeanie]

He's a cute kitty! Great job! And, yes, on my monitor, it looks like kitty is all tangled up!
Always remember that the solder will flow to the heat.....so make sure your wires are hot enough to accept the solder.
Looks great!
Jeanie

[whimzicalities]

What a great kitty, Nancy! He definitely looks like he's wrapped up in string!

Jeanie makes a good point about the heat, but also make sure you're cleaning your wire well with fine steel wool and fluxing generously. If you still have trouble after that, it may be that your wire has a fine coating on it(craft wire often does, unfortunately. It's great to prevent oxidation, but renders the wire difficult to solder.)

[DesertGlass]

I did not clean the wires, but I did use a lot of flux. I think it I am concentrating on the solder and not heating the wires as much. Thanks for the tips.

[DesertGlass]

159430

OK here is another one, it is not finished yet. I am not sure what to do with the arms and legs to get a cute personality, any suggestions.

[whimzicalities]

He's great, so far, Nancy! I love the hair. I like that you've twisted the small gauge wire together. It gives it more strength and also makes it unique.

From the position of the arms, he looks like he's dancing...maybe show some movement with his legs, too?

[cricket]

Hi Maria...

Just tried to find your tut in your etsy store with no luck, still there? If you are selling it anywhere else, I'd love to know where...finally ready to buy, but can't find it ARRGGGHH!

Thanks for any help you can give!!

Cricket

[whimzicalities]

Hi Cricket,

I just sold one earlier today, and didn't realize it was the last. I've listed more in my Etsy store, if you're still interested.

Thanks for letting me know they were all gone, :grin: :waving:

[cricket]

Wow Maria...Thanks for your quick reply!! I'll be buying in a few days...thanks again!

Cricket

[Bluejeangirlnc]

Maria,

I finally gathered all the materials and carved out some time for myself this afternoon to try the tutorial. It's so well done, easy to follow and fun all at the same time.

Thanks so much for making this tutorial. Here's my first mouse. While there are lots of things I learned today and plenty for me to work on next time, I love it and can't wait to try again.

198402

[Cherri]

Maria:fireblob:


I hope you see my message soon..

I want to make a mouse....

Cherri

[whimzicalities]

Hi Cherri,

I saw your message and will get a reply out just as soon as the coffee kicks in.