Nanette Thorell

In Production Mode: Making Ostrich Eggshell Jewelry

I have been making jewelry like crazy these past two months, shooting for a release date of March 1. And I would love to have a few pieces ready for Valentines Day, but don’t hold me to that.

So (since I don’t feel entirely productive unless I’m double-tasking), I thought I’d shoot a few pictures while I was working so you get an idea of what all goes into creating these little pieces of wearable art.

First I start with a clean ostrich shell. I can use broken shells instead of whole ones, which saves me a bit in materials cost.  By the way – I purchase my ostrich shells locally from Floeck’s Country Ranch an ostrich farm in Tucumcari, New Mexico.  They have nice healthy birds that produce wonderful strong shelled eggs.  I am so pleased with the quality, I thought I’d link them here.

But OK, on with the blog . . .

Ostrich eggshell and jewelry template

Using a plastic drafting template, I draw the outline of the jewelry piece directly on to the shell with a pencil. I try and fit in as many pieces as I can, while avoiding fractures in the shell, and any defects on the surface.

After I have the shell mapped out, I cut the pieces out with a diamond cutting wheel attached to a Dremel Rotary Tool,  being careful to leave cutting room around each piece. Note: If you are going to try this – be sure and wear face and eye protection. Meaning safety goggles and a good particle (dust) mask while you are cutting the shells.  You don’t want to breathe in the eggshell dust, or get any flying pieces in your eyes.

Design is drawn on and waxed over

Next, I start the design process. Drawing lightly with a pencil, I sketch out the basic design. Then, with a wax pen (kistka) I draw the edge of the jewelry piece, and any part of the design that is to remain white.

I continue with the wax and dye design – dipping the shell piece in dye, and then waxing over the area where I want that color. More dye, more wax, layer on layer, until the design is finished. And I have multicolored fingers.

I can then remove the wax by soaking it in a jar of naphtha until the wax is dissolved, rubbing the excess wax off with a tissue until the design underneath is revealed.

Giving the front side a light coat of varnish (rubbed on with my finger) to protect the color, it is now ready for epoxy fill.

Jewelry in process - front and back

Mixing small batches of two-part tabletop epoxy, I drop a small amount on to the back of the shell piece, and spread it around with a clean popsicle stick (or something similar) until the epoxy coats the back surface, and pools in the cup.

I set them on a rack, as shown, and tip the shell piece to center the epoxy so it cures nice and level in the shell.  I place the rack in a warm spot and place a plastic bin over it, to keep in the heat and prevent dust from adhering to the epoxy. This particular epoxy has to cure for two days.  Short-time cure epoxy’s are not as hard and  I want a glass-like surface.

This type of curing rack allows you to tip the shells slightly and allow the epoxy to level itself.

I picked a clear tabletop epoxy for optimum hardness, and so my signature shows through.

And for now, I’m in waiting mode. The pieces are curing, and they should be ready for more cutting tomorrow.

Egg Art: How to Achieve a Nice Even Varnish Coat on your Decorated Eggs (tutorial)

There are many ways to varnish an egg.  Some people prefer the spray varnish, some brush it on, some simply rub it on with their hands.  I use a combination of the rub-on technique and one I developed myself which I call the ‘Stake Method’.  The Stake Method allows the finish to dry without any contact and results in a nice smooth  coating with no fingerprint smears, or notches from a holder.

You can use regular varnish or polyurethane. I prefer the varnish because it results in a harder, thicker finish.  Marine varnish is the best.  Be sure you purchase clear varnish, you don’t want any tint in it.  You will need at least a quart size so you have room to lift the egg in and out of the can.

Materials you will need:

• Rotary Tool with a drill point.
• Blas-fix egg blower
• Minwax Clear Shield Or other clear varnish (quart size).
• Nail drying rack
• Bamboo Skewers
• Styrofoam block
• Clear bin

Lets begin where I left off in my last entry:  You have completed the design on your egg, and are ready to empty and varnish it. . .

Before I empty the eggs, I rub them with them a thin coat of varnish to 1) preserve the design if they are dyed eggs, and 2) add a little bit of strength to the shell while I am abusing it.

The rub-on technique is widely used, and you may already be familiar with it.  In a nutshell: Dab a little bit of clear varnish into the palm of your hand, and roll the egg around your palm until it is completely coated.  Then set the egg on a drying rack (simply made with small nails pounded in to a thin plank of wood – the egg sits on the pointy ends).  Let the varnish cure overnight.

First varnish sits on nail board.

To clean the varnish off your hands – rub them with plain vegetable cooking oil and then wipe it all off with a paper towel.

Next, drill a small hole with your rotary tool (Dremel), and use your egg  blower to empty the egg, following the directions on the package for your egg blower.  At this point, I inject a small amount of regular laundry bleach into the egg, shake it up, and rinse it again.  This disinfects the inside of the egg.

Set the eggs back inside an egg carton, hole side down, to drain.  Let them dry completely, occasionally dabbing the hole with a kleenex to wick any residual water that gathers at the hole.

When the eggs are completely dry (this should take at least a day, and 2 days is better), you are ready to apply the final coat of varnish.

Open your can of varnish. Insert the blunt end of a bamboo stake in through the hole of the egg. Dip the egg down into the varnish, stopping just short of covering the hole.  You do not want the varnish to get inside the egg, so leave a little void around the hole.

Dunk the egg into the can of varnish.

Using another stake or a wooden popsicle stick to support egg, slowly lift out the egg and turn it upright.  Let the excess varnish drain back into the can until the dripping slows.  The more you can drain off at this point, the easier it will be for you during the curing process.

Let the excess drain off.

Turn the egg straight up and stick the pointy end into the chunk of styrofoam.  More varnish will drip down the stake, and may travel down through the styrofoam block to the table below, so be sure and protect your surface. I use a flattened cardboard box placed underneath the block.

Sticking in a chunk of styrofoam to hold the eggs upright.

When all your eggs are planted in the styrofoam – all pretty like an egg garden – cover the batch with a clean clear bin.  This will keep dust and cat hair from sticking to the varnish while it cures.

Cover while the varnish cures.

During the cure time (at least 2 days), you will need to spin the eggs a few times so they do not glue themselves to the stake.  Use the pointy end of a bamboo stake to turn the egg gently on the stick and loosen the seal at the hole.  You should do this at first after an hour, and then again after another hour.  By that time, it will have hardened enough so the egg spins freely on the stake.

If they do manage to glue themselves to the stake, you can run a razor blade around the base of the egg where the stick enters the hole, to loosen it.

Note: I use this varnish technique for both my vinegar etched eggs and for my dyed (batik) eggs.

Tip: When drilling the hole in your egg, be sure the opening is large enough to accommodate the bamboo skewer.  Have a skewer handy to size the hole.

Questions and comments are welcome.  Happy egging!

~Nan

How To Decorate an Egg Using Vinegar Etching (tutorial)

Vinegar etching is easy to do, and can produce dramatic results. Native American pottery and petroglyph designs are particularly adaptable to this method, as they use minimal colors and depend largely on pattern and design.

Here are the materials you will need:

These are some of the tools you will need

A regular pencil (medium or hard graphite is best).

A white, non abrasive, eraser (Pentel makes these).

A Kistka wax pen, either electric or manual (candle heated), and beeswax strips.

A section of measuring tape for mapping the egg design.

A toothbrush, for removing surface.

An egg blower (Blas-fix is shown).

Not shown: White vinegar, naphtha (for removing the wax), Kleenex. And a clean brown chicken egg.  Leave the insides in the egg for weight – you will empty it later.

Step 1: Lightly, with pencil, draw lines dividing the egg in eight sections.  Vertically (top to bottom) in quarters, and then horizontally around the middle.  This will help to keep your design organized and centered.  Make more divisions as desired.  Lightly sketch in your design.

Mapped lightly with pencil

Step 2: With your kistka (wax pen), fill in the design.  You will be waxing over the parts that you want to remain the brown color of the eggshell.  The negative (non waxed) space will be very light, almost white when you are finished etching.

Partially waxed in

Step 3: When the design is completely waxed in, set the egg in a jar of white vinegar.  Assure that the egg is submerged completely in the vinegar.

Soaking in white vinegar bath

Note: Bubbles will form on the surface of the egg because of the reaction of calcium to vinegar.  These bubbles will float the egg like a lifejacket. You’ll want to spoon the egg out a few times during the etching process so the bubbles can disintegrate and allow the egg to sink to the bottom again.

Step 4: The egg should take anywhere from 15-30 minutes for the brown surface to dissolve.  Remove the egg and brush the surface lightly with the toothbrush to remove the residue. Sometimes, the bubbles that have formed will prevent the etching and you will have a spotted surface.  You may re-submerge the egg in the vinegar if you want to remove more surface.

Unwaxed surface is etched off

Step 5: Now, you can remove the wax.  Lower the egg into a glass jar of naphtha, and let it work for about 5-10 minutes.  Spoon the egg out carefully and grasp it with a Kleenex.  The egg will be very slippery, so support it with the spoon until you have a good hold on it.  Wipe the surface with the Kleenex, rolling it around in the palm of your hand, until the wax is removed.  Give it a second dunk, and wipe with a clean Kleenex to remove any residual wax.

Wax is removed to reveal the design. The brown areas are the natural shell color.

Note:  I use naphtha (available at hardware stores) because it works quickly.  But it is harsh on your hands.  And extremely flammable.  You may also remove the wax by heating it with a candle and melting off the wax.  Be careful not to cook the egg inside, or you will never get it emptied.

The egg is now ready to empty and varnish.

I am working on a batch of eggs and writing this tutorial at the same time, so I can take pictures of the process.  I am now at the point of removing the wax from the batch of eggs.  Watch for another tutorial when I get ready to empty and varnish the eggs!

Hahaha – this little Dark Eyed Junco flew in the open door to check out what I was doing.  He must be wondering what kind of bird lays THOSE eggs!

A birds eye view of my eggs in process.

You can purchase the supplies online. I order my supplies from the following stores:
The Ukrainian Gift Shop
The Polish Art Center

Here is a book available at Amazon, which includes a chapter on Vinegar Etched Eggs:
Artful Eggs: Six Dozen Extraordinary Ways to Decorate an Egg

Questions? Feel free to post them in the Comments section below (click on the Comments link).

~Nan.