E-Z Enchanted Orb W/ Faux Driftwood Staff

Create this magical Orb and Staff, or the Orb alone.

Once upon, a short moment ago, I decided to share these enchanted Orbs with you as well as a driftwood staff. Orbs are not only fun to make but magical to look at, they are one of a kind, delicate, and unique in every way. I have been creating Orbs for years, and if handled with care, just like glass, they will last. When adding them to a staff, the branches act as a guard. Light them with your favorite led, or Arduino controlled lights.

Lots of Instructable to help you create what ever look you desire.

This project uses E-Z water; it was used to create the plasticized paper in my Instructable Thermoplastic paper w/ Cameo cutter.

This product becomes a hot liquid, it can and will burn you if you do not take necessary precautions.

I am not responsible for you or your project it is your responsibility to read instructions on all materials and be aware of your surrondings, not made for children and should not be used around children. Please be smart.

Lets go make this thing.

Step 1: Tools & Materials

Tools:

• pan for heating E-Z water (designated just for E-Z)
• hot glue gun
• heat glove
• long tweezers
• mixing containers for plaster and plaster cloth
• water safe area
• chip brush(designated for plaster)
• craft knife
• marker
• pot holder(designated for crafting)
• popsicle sticks
• metal spoon(designated for E-Z)
• paint brushes

I use a small electric skillet for making the orbs,just works better for me I make several of them.

Supplies:

• E-Z water ( found online, at craft stores and Amazon)
• iridescent film also called fantasy film comes in lots of colors. Hobby and craft stores.
• plaster cloth
• plaster ( hydrocal)
• plastic round ornament or balloons(no cheap ones, go to party store)
• LED(I use motion rings and other led lights from dollar shops)
• acrylic paint
• wire( for crimping aluminum foil around and then bend to shape)
• foil tape (optional)
• aluminum foil
• string or raffia for making vines(optional)
• mod-podge(optional)
• rub-on metallic(optional)

black paint ,dark brown ,gray ,and white

Red and blue spray paint is what I used on the back of my film,must dry very well and it will have an odor when E-Z water is added.

Spray paint works good on film but acrylics are good as well.please read all instructions .

Step 2: Orb Creation.

The process for making these Orbs requires, hot liquid, please be careful but not afraid of it.

E-Z is used and has been used for many years, and just like embossing powders requires heat to melt.

If you use a plastic ornament to build your ORB apply the liquid plastic slow and thin, cooling in between. I prefer the balloon; its cheep and I can get the size I like. (Remember not to blow the balloon up to much it will make it less heat resistant).

After you have the balloon aired up, and tied off, take your film and form around the balloon, it should come up around the neck of the balloon trim excess.

If you only have pieces of film you can piece together but, use dbl stick tape and only on the film do not attach to balloon.

You are just sizing the film at this point.

Then film gets crinkled up,and placed flat, use the heat gun to apply heat all over, it will shrink the film creating a neat pattern, not to much heat and only do this on a heat safe board.

Place the film back around your sphere or other shape, the shape will remain inside, but the balloon gets popped and removed.

A little dbl stick tape can be used to hold the film at the neck.

Put E-Z water pellets in the pan, prepare according to instructions on the manufactures package. Caution

When the E-Z is heated and no pellets visible, take your spoon in one hand and ORB in other hand, holding the tied neck of the balloon, gradually take liquid and pour and smear onto the film. Avoid the balloon it will pop if it gets to much heat. Don’t rush this, start to build up material thin, thicker,and drizzle, (if you get hairs you can heat with heat gun at the end to clean it up).

Now the E-Z should be cool, take your hand and test the ORB to make sure it is coated well, if coated good, with a pin, poke the balloon it will pop, don’t be afraid it will release from the ORB, pull it out of the bottom hole.

You should have a nice looking sphere that is rigid. It can crack and break if dropped, but other than that pretty durable.

In the photos you will see the blue Orb, first made with plastic ornament, then the red one done on a balloon.

The balloon is the method I prefer.

Step 3: Driftwood Staff.

This staff is very easy to make, I love aluminum foil for this type of organic modeling.

The wire should be the length of the staff, and it just needs to be a wire that you can bend and shape, I used 1/16 inch round aluminum wire. Start applying aluminum foil scrunching it up, from one end to the other. It will taper so just keep applying foil, compressing tightly (more compressed the sturdier it will be).

Bend as you go so it begins to look like a branch, or what ever shape you desire, take the Orb and place at the top so you can form your tiny branches around it. I leave it opened just enough so I can remove the Orb until the staff is completed, after you have created the shape you love, let the plastering begin.

Tip:

I lay the roll of plaster cloth down and with a blade cut one side to the other keep cutting till you reach the center, please be careful. Now the plaster cloth is in strips, you can cut down further if needed, this just saves some time. With the tray of water and plastic laid out to work on start applying the plaster cloth to your foiled staff. Wrap it as tight as possible; smooth the plaster on the surface.

More plaster will be added after you have wrapped the whole project, do this 2 times, it really makes a difference.

Now if you like you can mix plaster in bowl, like mashed potatoes, mist the staff with water, this aids in the bonding process. Put a plastic glove on your hands, this is messy. Grab plaster in one hand and apply to the staff sliding you hand downward coating the surface. You can take a brush our sculpting tools to add lots of details if you wish. Let dry completely.

In my next set of picture you can see the staff hanging, I use my magnetic ceiling system to hold my projects and my backdrop. My hands are free to work on it and it dries vertically.

Step 4: Painting the Staff.

The staff should be hard and dry. Base the staff solid black, let dry, then begin wet brushing on dark brown all over, then gray. Wet brushing is after you apply the paint to the brush wipe some off and then going with the grain apply.

After these colors are dry, time to add highlights, dry brush on the white and white and gray, use the same brush, don’t clean, paint against the grain, on high areas.

Let dry.

Take the dark brown and some water, brush all over small area at a time and wipe back this sets all the colors and gives a more natural appearance. This process is called antiquing.

The painting and detailing can be simple or elaborate; it is about the time you wish to invest.

Let dry, a matte or gloss sealer can be applied, even glitter if you like.

Time to put the Orb and Staff together.

Step 5: The End.

I can't say this enough, just how thankful I am to be apart of this community, of creative souls.

The pictures show the Orb and staff and the Orbs by themselves. To tell you tell you the truth I make these Orbs a lot but my real pleasure is when they are lighted. I made a tree of them once with very small spheres looked like a Croquembouche, but not as sweet. Take a strand of Christmas lights place into sphere then wrap clear cellophane around the sphere zip tie on, can be individual light or the whole strand, makes really unique light globes. Great for weddings, so enchanting. If a large globe is desired, buy a large balloon and just take your time coating, it will take some time but the rewards are great.

Anyway thank you once more and make no mistake we love to create.