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While working on Drapanki, the scratch method, residue of dye can get on your hands and be removed from the shell; thus an un-even appearance. Find a simple cotton glove at a dollar store. Wash the glove occasionally to keep it clean. 
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Silicone suction cups with hooks are useful for tracing circles on the egg. Michaels and Walmart both carry an assorted bag of different sizes. Also, if you place the cup on a template that has division marks, you can mark them off using extra fine Sharpie or ball point pen. on your suction cups.
 Your electric kistka points can get damaged if dropped or mangled when packing your tools. Dorothy on social media posted this photo with caption and gave me permission to post it on my blog.
" I found a fun way to keep my two UE electric kistky safe when traveling. Egg themed pot holders folded in half that I picked up at The Christmas Tree Store. I pinned them with safety pins to see if I liked the idea, but will sew them up with thread later when I get a few minutes".  I advertise early in the spring, on craigslist or free-cycle and have been lucky to buy fresh goose eggs and turkey eggs(as you see here). You can negotiate with the seller what price you will pay for a dozen eggs. Once you have established the contact, it is easy to make arrangements year after year, for purchasing their eggs. IMPORTANT: I ask the sellers to simply rinse and store the eggs in the fridge until I arrive. One time a seller scrubbed the eggs clean with a Brillo pad! This could damage the cuticle of the egg and scratch the surface, spoiling it. So a gentle note to the seller is all that is needed. DISCLAIMER: AS ALWAYS BE CAREFUL/CAUTIOUS WHEN BUYING OR TRADING ITEMS FROM CRAIGSLIST!
 1. Light a candle and hold each kistka over the flame, wipe away any melted beeswax with a paper towel. You can drag the funnel along the paper towel to allow the old bees wax to be drawn out of the brass bowl. 2. Pour Mineral Spirits into a glass jar; ( read the cautions on the container of Mineral Spirits). 3. Soak the kistkas for a few hours; I soak them overnight. continue below...  4. The next day, I take each kistka and wipe the outside brass bowl with a paper towel. 5. I drag each kistka onto newspaper, as this empties the bowl of mineral spirits. 6. Let the kistkas air-dry for a couple of hours and then store in a container for your next use. 7. You can see the wax residue in the jar of mineral spirits.  ZEBRA Mechanical Pencils-It comes with a white eraser! Erase or Not Erase?...that is the question Everyone has an opinion on whether to erase or not erase when measuring out an egg. Some people are against erasing of any sort. When I am working on measuring out an intricate pattern, it is inevitable that I will need to erase. Many designs are difficult to measure out perfectly. So I do erase, but am careful to use a white eraser only. Never Use a Pink Eraser! I never have a problem with dye not covering an erased bit...Ever! When I teach a class, one of the supplies that I give to a student is a new measuring tape and a mechanical pencil with white eraser. Below is an assortment of erasers that are good to use. I made a link for each one to a web site.         When I started to make pysanky seriously, I bought Pysanky Master, Helen Badulak’s book, Pysanky in the 21st Century. In it she describes using up to nine coats of VARATHANE (Polyurethane Oil based) varnish on her pysanky. I ordered a box of six small cans of Varathane from Home Depot. To avoid wasting any of the varnish, I distribute one can at a time, into small plastic bottles(as you see in the picture). You are working with flammable and noxious vapors. Read the precautions on the can of the Polyurethane before you start. Consider finding a room with no open flames, good ventilation and a low dust environment.  Use Disposable Gloves to apply the varnish-pour about a teaspoon of varnish onto one hand, rub the hands together…pick up your pysanka and roll it around in the varnish on the gloves. Next stand the pysanka on a drying board(see the next picture below). Let the pysanky dry for the next 24 hours. I think of this time as “curing” the varnished egg.  The Pysanky in the Photo Are Drying on a Board for 24 Hours For an Unblown Egg-Your could varnish eggs that are unblown, but you would only apply one coat of varnish; this would allow the egg to breathe, avoiding an explosion while the liquid egg is drying out, over time. For a Blown Egg-I like to apply up to 6 coats of varnish for each pysanka. First, I drain the egg after the wax is removed and the pysanka design and dyeing is completed. I let each coat of varnish dry inbetween, allowing for a minimum of 24 hours per coat. I think of this time as “curing” the varnish on the pysanka. Most of the time, I wait until I complete about five pysanky and then varnish them all at once, as you see here. |
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