Question aabout the putty... heh, yes, putty!

[Pia Kaven]

I need to get putty to keep my beads in standing position while I photograph them. But I do not know what is it called and where can you get it from? I told my husband to buy me some from the store, and he had no idea what I was talking about.
Thanks for your help!
Pia

[Jennefer]

Will Silly Putty work?

[xtweeksx]

I've used white tac - don't know if its same name in US tho. Some of the uk beadmakers use museum gel as its translucent.

[Pia Kaven]

isnt that the slimey stuff... if so, I dont think so.

[Pia Kaven]

Jenny, I dont know if that would be the same. I wonder if anyone here knows about the museum gel... or where to get it if it is available here.
Thanks for the input!

[Alaska]

Check at both Home Depot or Lowe's for plumbers putty or in the window section glazing putty.

[Pia Kaven]

Thank you! Had no idea plumbers needed putty...

[Conrad Hoffman]

Plumbers putty is oily icky stuff and will ruin paper backgrounds. I use "Blue Tac" from the office supply store for all sorts of temporary photographic positioning tasks. It comes in several strips for a few dollars and I think its used to hold lightweight pictures on walls and such.

[Pia Kaven]

blue tac... who would have thought that it is exact translation from Finnish. Thank you, I think this is exactly what I want.

[LynieG]

Pia - Its also called tacky putty. School teachers use it to hold up posters and such on black (chalk) boards. If you can't find it at office supply store try a school supply store or PM me and I will send you some. I have had some for YEARS and have only used maybe a 1/4 of it because it lasts forever and you can use it over and over again.

[Pia Kaven]

Thank you Lynie, it actually sounds like it is not as commonly used here than in Finland, my husband just keeps shaking his head saying he has no idea what Im rambling about. I appreciate your offer, very sweet from you, I hope I can find some though. Thank you!

[Kevan]

I got some stuff at I think it was Lowe's. In the section near where they sell signs for selling your house by owner. The numbers for putting your address on your house are there. There is a section of things to secure your stuff in an earthquake. It's white. I wish I knew the name of it. I'll check around and see if I can find it.

[Kevan]

Oh, that was quick.
It's white and it isn't oil based so it doesn't leave a mark on your background. It doesn't permanently stick to anything either.
http://preparedness.com/quakeholdputty.html

[Pia Kaven]

Thanks, Id like the white one, I will check too if I can find it, and if not, I bet someone at the store knows it. Dont sweat it Kevan, I appreciate your help.

[Pia Kaven]

Oh, sweet, didnt think it would be that fast. Thats awesome. Thank you!

[LynieG]

No Problem Pia - It's hard to find because its not used a lot here anymore. I used to be a secretary in the schools and thats how I knew about it. Most people haven't even heard of it any more but your office supply store should know if you ask for Blue Tack or Tackie putty. Just tell them its used to hang posters up. Hope that helps. If not you know where to come! LOL

[Pia Kaven]

Thank you!

[SadiesJewels]

I use Museum wax ... clear but slightly oily??? I can get it at my local hardware store - like Ace

[Pia Kaven]

Thats great. I guess I have quite a bit options then, thank you so much!

[Kevan]

If you can't find it I'm happy to send you some.

[bluemantid]

Originally Posted by piakaven

Thank you! Had no idea plumbers needed putty...

plumbers need putty to fill the cracks......

[stackmyra]

In Sweden its called "Häftmassa"

[simvet02]

Poster Putty, the blue stuff that you can stick posters and stuff to the walls without it doing damage or being oily. Personally I use a little bit of polymer clay which will stick to paper or a mirror surface, but it can leave a residue.

[Pia Kaven]

In Finnish it is sinitarra, which means blue sticker... doesnt "Häftmassa" mean notebook paste? My Swedish is little rusty, but I lived in Stockholm for a while just to study Swedish for my high school final exams, so I think it would come back pretty easy after a little practise.

The funny thing is that I had my room as a teenager, full of posters, all put on the wall with this blue putty, and after while it made a greasy spot on the posters, and eventually on the wall too. My mom wasnt too happy.

Polymer clay? I have that... very good idea! Thanks Jan for the tip.

I have been wanting to put something behind the beads to create a background that they can lean against. Cause if I want the picture from the front of the bead, I have to take it right on top of it, and right now it doesnt work, since I have the reflective back ground. All you see is me, my fingers, hair and the damera... and really concentrated look on my face, that will scare any potential customers away. So the background could be something that the bead could lean against, and would take my camera to the side of the reflective base, and you wouldnt see me in the photo.
But sometimes I want nothing else in my photoes than the bead on the reflective base, so I am really open for any suggestions to replace the putty with something else that will be really unnoticeable. Ive been thinking about wire thats been wrapped into a stand, but it would raise the bead up into the air little. Or many people have a stand made of clear class, but that would not work for my purposes. But other than that, I cant figure out anything. I think my best shot would be to combine the wire thing with putty, so it can be behind the bead and the putty holds it to the bead, that way it wont be under it and raise it up.

I think I am so over thinking this, and then somebody is going to just post some really simple solution that is going to make me so ashamed of myself for thinking all the weird and goofy stuff first. But Im willing to take the risk, shoot me! Im ready.

[Sherry]

Pia, here's what I do.

Get some floral wire, preferably white. I get it at dollar stores or Michaels. It's usually in 16" or so lengths.

Bend it into a flat zig zag, with each leg of the zig zag about 1 1/2 - 2 inches long. You're making a stable flat zig zag shape, okay? Have it flat on your bench, and then bend about 1 inch from one end straight up. That will be your bead holder. I use white craft foam or bristol board which I poke the straight end through. That will be the only thing showing, with the flat zig zag bit underneath providing stability and counter-balance. The white part sticking up will of course be invisible in the bead....the bead will appear to stand upright with no assistance. If your beads are smaller, have the sticking-up end short enough so that it doesn't protrude through the top of the bead, you can make a few in different sizes, of course.

So that's the most poorly worded thing that I've ever written...need more coffee, sheesh!

Hopefully that made sense, I have pictures somewhere of how it's done. This bead is basically clear, and as you can see it appears to be standing up with no visible assistance. Easy peasy. And cheap.

[Puddy Tat Glass]

I use a clear "Prop Wax" that I bought from the place where I got my photography equipment. You could try calling some of your local photo shops and see if they have any.

[simvet02]

Made perfect sense to me Sherry. I use a piece of mirror tile as the base so I can't stick anything through it. Wonder if hubby could drill through it???

I had to give up on the white background because I couldn't keep it clean...LOL The white foam core is brilliant, I might have to try that. My light box came with ten large sheets of colored paper but most of them are too dark to use for a backdrop. I printed out a variegated sheet from white to black that works well for a background, they sell them at photography store and in much larger sheets, I know that have an official name but I don't remember what it is.

Kevan has a great tutorial on photography of beads that goes into all of this stuff.

[Pia Kaven]

Yes, my base is reflective frosted mirror too, so I dont want to drill through it, cause the reflective part is on the other side of the glass, that would probably still leave the wire showing at the thickness of the glass. But Sherry, I totally understood your explanation, thats great idea if I use other bases.

So Kevan has this kind of things in her tutorial too? That sounds like a dream tutorial... I might have to get it on my next payday, have wanted to buy it a long time ago anyhow.

[Pia Kaven]

Sherry, that bead is un-friggin-believable!

[Sherry]

Thanks, Pia!