Eyes Gloss for handmade eyes?

i made some recently and used some dollarstore nail polish, and it is very solid, although i got some air bubbles, but i think i may have just applied it to quickly. i used to use "wet'n'wild" nail polish for crafts, but the store that sold it here went under, i don't know if it is still being made, but it is fabulous (and cheap), and very quick drying. i definately prefer nail polish over alot of glosses i've used because it stays so clear.

but in anycase, with a slow drying nail polish you should put on a thin-medium coat and let it dry between 6-12 hours, then apply the next coat, otherwise layer 1 won't dry properly, and as you build up the lens it will stay soft in the middle. anything quick dry will probably be be better for you.

 

Old nail polish doesnt dry as well as a lot of the newer ones, Ive had some that seemed to dry poorly as they aged.

I would recomend getting a speed dry nail polish, although some of them dry a bit less stiney, its very easy to buff the surface.

 

Ahh, nail polish... I used Wet & Wild for the eyes shown in my avatar image (a bit of candy wrapper makes lovely shiny irises), but it took FOREVER to dry, even in fairly thin coats. I used wooden beads for the base, and they're already cut flat at the ends so I had a good base upon which to build up lots off gloss.

I used acrylic varnish for some Dollfie Plus eyes, and although it dries faster (and doesn't stink), the colors didn't show through as vibrantly, and the acrylic varnish doesn't bead up well for that paperweighted look. I'm going to try Envirotex Lite or some other pourable resin-based varnish next, or just make the eyes entirely from resin.

 

I was just thinking... I've never made eyes before, but why not use decoupage gloss? Its designed to be applied in many many coats to a very thick layer, which nail polish isn't. I think this would create a nice look... so long as you get the clear one and not an 'aging' colour one

 

Hmm... I might pick some up when i go out tomorrow and try, jack. >:3

The problems I've had with gloss is that the thicker the layers the less it seems to harden? WHile the end result isn't /sticky/ it does seem to be soft. Until i have money to buy some silicon for molds and some good resin... i'll have to keep trying.

 

all I would say batchix... is leave more time than the bottle says between coats. It will prolly say something like, 10 minutes or so... make it an hour cause it will dry much better.
I do quite a bit of decoupaging and when I buy new varnish and follow the instructions they're never generous enough with drying times and it leaves the coating ever so slightly tacky... not to the touch, but it will stick a little to other surfaces (like dolls heads! ops: )

But you should get a pretty nice finish I'd think... you could even try crazy stuff like using a crackle on the iris.

 

I used clear nail polish for the first eyes I made, and it built up quite well, but dried very bubbly. Now I use Gloss Varnish from Delta Ceramcoat. It's a little runny, so you have to drop it on fast and with a smallish brush, and it takes a while to build up a lens, but it dries almost glass-clear and shiny. It also works for glossing lips!

 

I just posted pics in the gallery of the eyes I made. :grin: http://denofangels.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=22850

I used Delta Ceramcoat Gloss Interior Varnish too. First I applied a layer using a paintbrush, waited 10 minutes, and then started adding it on more thickly a drop or two at a time from the bottle. Between layers, I waited 15-20 minutes, depending on if it still looked a little cloudy. But so far they've dried wonderfully clear and glossy!

 

Nail polish for some reason never seems to dry right on polymer clay, and any kind of oil-based finish will react with the clay. The polymer community usuallly considers water-based polyurethane-type finish to be the best. I got a small can of minwax polycrylic in the paint section of wal-mart for a few bucks, and I've been using it for years. mostly on beads and other clay projects, but I don't see why it wouldn't work for eyes