| How to Danish Oil Wood Posted: 03 Oct 2017 05:00 PM PDT Danish oil can add a beautiful finish to your wood and is fairly easy to use. Always apply it to clean, sanded wood for the best results. For an easy project, opt for a quick, one-day finish using two coats of oil. If you want a smoother finish, go all out and apply three coats over three days, sanding the wet wood before drying it. EditSanding the Wood - Cover your work area. Before sanding, cover the floor or other surface that your wooden object is placed on to protect it from dust and staining. Lay out plastic sheeting on ground or surface area. Tape down the edges with masking tape to keep it in place.
- Sand the wood with 80-grit sandpaper. Use small, circular motions to gradually buff away any visible flaws or marks. Be sure to cover the entire surface of the wood evenly.[1]
- To make the process easier and faster, purchase a sanding block from your local hardware store.[2]
- To sand the difficult-to-reach corners of a wooden object, attach sand paper to the end of a flexible putty knife.
- Remove sanding dust from the wood before applying the oil finish. For a quick and easy clean-up, use a hand-held vacuum to suck up dust. You can also use a brush or can of compressed air to push dust away from the surface of the wood.[3]
EditApplying Danish Oil with the Wet-on-Wet Method - Put on an initial coat of Danish oil. After sanding the wood, apply Danish oil to a clean, lint-free cloth. Generously apply the oil to the wood in broad strokes, reapplying oil to the cloth as needed. Continue this until the wood stops absorbing the oil.[4]
- When the wood stops absorbing the oil, it will lose its shine and look dull.
- Let the wood rest for twenty minutes. After this break the wood will be able to absorb more oil. Set an alarm or reminder to keep track of the time.[5]
- Apply a second coat of oil. After twenty minutes, apply more oil to the surface of the wood. Apply a thinner coat this time, as less oil will be absorbed into the wood than the first time. Stop applying the oil when the wood stops absorbing it. [6]
- Let the wood sit, then wipe it down. Let the wood rest for another twenty minutes. Using a clean, lint-free cloth, wipe away excess oil from the surface of the wood. Let it sit for an hour, then wipe the surface again with a clean cloth.[7]
- Air dry the wood. Let your wood dry in a warm room for a full 48 hours before touching it. Moving it too soon is likely to cause marks or disrupt the drying process of the oil. Keep the object out of direct sunlight, which can affect the finish.[8]
EditCreating a Very Smooth Finish with Danish Oil - Apply oil to the wood and keep it wet. After sanding, apply Danish oil to your sanded wood surface with a brush or clean cloth. Re-wet any part of the wood surface that become dull because the oil is being absorbed. Keep the surface wet for three to four minutes, reapplying the oil as needed.[9]
- Wipe off excess oil and let the wood dry. Make sure that no oil is pooled or clustered in corners of the wood. Allow it to dry overnight in a warm room.[10]
- Apply a second coat of oil and sand it. The next day, apply a second coat of oil to the wood with a clean cloth or brush. While the oil is still wet, use very fine sandpaper to sand the surface. Use long, light strokes and move in the direction of the grain.[11]
- For best results, use 600-grit wet/dry sandpaper, available at hardware stores.
- Remove excess oil and dry the wood. Be sure that all sanding debris is also removed from the wood surface. Once again, leave the wood to dry overnight in a warm room.[12]
- Repeat the process a third time. The nest day, repeat the process of applying oil and sanding the wet wood. Wipe off the excess oil and debris. Let the wood sit overnight to dry.[13]
- Repeat the process if needed. As a general rule, three days is enough to achieve a smooth finish with Danish oil. If you feel that your wood could be smoother, repeat the process for a fourth day. Continue the process for as many full days as needed to achieve the finish you want.[14]
- Let the wood dry for 24 hours in a warm, dry room. Given the multiple, deep-penetrating layers of Danish oil applied using this method, your wood will require more drying time than lighter applications. If you notice any debris or particles on the wood while it is drying, do not remove them until the 24 hour drying period is completed.[15]
EditThings You'll Need - Danish oil
- Plastic sheeting
- Masking tape
- 80-grit sandpaper
- A hand-held vacuum, brush, or can of compressed air
- Clean, lint-free cloths
- A clean paintbrush
- 600-grit wet/dry sandpaper
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| How to Mime Posted: 03 Oct 2017 09:00 AM PDT Mime is form of performance art that can be traced back to ancient Greece and Rome, though it is often associated with French culture. Miming is a silent art form that requires the performer to communicate through movement, gestures, and facial expressions. This art form has evolved through the years, and there are many different techniques of miming today. To learn to mime, you should learn the basic movements, practice more advanced moves, and dress like a mime to pull your act together. EditLearning Basic Movements - Use your body to talk. This is one of the first and most important things to know about miming. Talking or mouthing words is unnecessary during miming. Instead, use facial expressions, gestures, and posture to do the "talking."[1]
- For example, furrow your eyebrows and place your hands on your hips to demonstrate annoyance.
- Assess your facial expressions and poses in a mirror. Use a mirror to assess what movements are the most successful in conveying emotions, attitudes, and reactions. Practice facial expressions and simple movement and poses at first. The poses can be whatever comes to mind; they don't have to mime movements just yet. A full-length mirror is a necessity for beginners, but bear in mind the mirror is a friend you will need to leave behind at performance time.[2]
- A video camera, if available, is another invaluable tool.
- Cultivate your imagination. Using your imagination can't be emphasized enough when it comes to creating illusions. It's very important for a mime to truly believe the illusion is real. Naturally, the realer the illusion is for the mime, the more realistic it will be for your audience. This can be accomplished through practice.[3]
- For instance, imagine a wall. See the wall in different colors. Feel the wall in different textures such as rough, smooth, wet, or dry. Use these same techniques while practicing all illusions.
- You will also find your body reacting naturally to the illusion if you are convinced it's real.
- Take advantage of a fixed point. This may be more commonly referred to as "pointe fixe," however that is simply the original French wording of "fixed point." This is a simple idea. The mime locates a point with his body, and then keeps it motionless in space. This technique is the basis of all illusions a mime can create.[4]
- For example, you can create a fixed point by holding one hand directly in front of you. Keep your hand in that position, but move your body.
- Add lines to fixed points. The line builds upon a fixed point by simply adding a second fixed point in space. For example, put up another hand so that both of your hands are in front of you. You can move your body or move both of your hands and keep your body still. A good application of this concept is the "mime wall."[5]
- The relative distance between the two points becomes the definition of this "construction block."
- Make a dynamic line. Find a wall and place both of your hands on it at approximately shoulder height. Push lightly into the wall with your hands. As you push try to feel where pressure builds up in your body. You should feel pressure in your hands, of course, but you should also feel some tension in your shoulders and hips.[6]
- If you can't feel anything, gently increase the pressure until you do.
- Try different positions and feel how they change the pressures in your body.
- This is the idea applied to "pulling the rope," but it can be applied to virtually any use of force in an illusion.
- Manipulate space and matter. This is a fancy phrase for "making things out of thin air." This technique makes use of many of the elements from the creating a fixed point, a line, and a dynamic line. It is best served by an example illusion: dribbling a basketball. Make a rounded palm with fingers gently curled over it. This shape defines the space where the illusion exists and allows the basketball, the "matter," to exist in the illusion.[7]
- Space and matter manipulation can be used to create any number of objects, characters, or events by utilizing this principle.
EditPracticing Advanced Miming Techniques - Pretend to be in a box. If you are in an invisible box, you can press the air out in front of you with your hands—first your palm and then your fingers. Act as if you are trying to find a way out of this invisible box by identifying its corners and sides. Run one hand across the "edges" of your imaginary box as you try to find the lid and your way out.[8]
- If you want, you can eventually find the lid and flip it open dramatically with both arms in a triumphant gesture.
- Grab a rope. Pretend to have a rope dangling before you and attempt to climb it. Slide down and clamber back up for best effect. Imagine and feel your full body weight. Pretend your muscles are stretching and straining. Contort your face into a grimace. When you reach the top, wipe the perspiration off your brow.[9]
- If you have never climbed a real rope, do so with supervision in a padded gym. Make mental notes of your actions and reactions.
- Climb a ladder. Grab at imaginary ladder rungs going up in the air. Place the ball of one foot on the ground as if you were putting it on a ladder rung. Pull down on the rungs while keeping your hands moving together. Alternate feet and hands each time you "climb." Keep your focus upwards, as though you were looking at the place to which you are climbing.[10]
- Do the lean. Pretend to be leaning against a lamp post, wall, or a counter. It might sound easy, but it takes quite a lot of strength and coordination to "lean" on nothing. The basic lean has two parts:[11]
- For the top part: Hold your arm slightly away from your body with the elbow bent so that your forearm is parallel to the ground and your hand is near your torso. Now raise your shoulder as you move your chest towards your elbow (keeping the elbow at the same point in space).
- The bottom part: At the same time, bend your knee slightly and transfer your weight onto the bent leg. The net effect should be that your elbow stays where it is, but it looks as though your weight has settled onto the imaginary place where your elbow rests. Keep your opposite leg perfectly straight as this adds to the illusion.
- For a more active show of leaning, the act can also incorporate stumbling, sliding, and missing the leaned-on object altogether.
- Struggle against the wind. Pretend that it is very windy, and that you are having a hard time standing up in it. Let the wind move you back and forth. For added amusement, include a struggle with an umbrella that keeps turning inside out.
- Mime eating. Pretend to be consuming a very sloppy hamburger or hot dog with all the contents slopping down the front of your clothing. Use a pretend napkin to wipe off the spill. Accidentally squirt some ketchup towards your eye for comical effect. Or, try peeling a banana and then slipping over on the peel.[12]
- Make up a story. You can go for a simple routine, or you can create a story. If you create a story from your mime, you will be engaging your audience and providing true artistic resonance to the art of miming. Think in advance of a "tale" you would like to tell. Keep in mind that mime can be very beautiful and moving if done well.[13]
- One story example: It is a windy day (wind/umbrella mime), and you meet a friend who has a cat stuck up a tree. Your friend asks you to climb the ladder to rescue the cat (ladder mime). When you return the cat (mime holding a squirming cat), your friend treats you to a hamburger (sloppy mime).
EditDressing like a Mime - Apply the white base. A mime is instantly identifiable by their signature makeup. A white base for the face is traditional for mimes. Find a white "grease" or paint and apply it all over your face with a sponge or brush. Your natural skin tone should not show through the white makeup when you are done.[14]
- Be sure not to get to white makeup in your eyes.
- You might also try small circles of light pink blush for a happy or girlish mime.
- Add the dark makeup. After you've applied the white base, apply thick black eyeliner all around your eyes. Then, go over your natural eyebrows with black paint. You can also add stylized "tears" running to the middle of the cheekbones. Finish with black or dark red lipstick.[15]
- Keep in mind that you can alter the makeup to your character and preference.
- Wear the traditional black and white striped mime costume. Serious mimes might not wear the classic "costume" anymore, but you can wear this costume as a beginner. Find a black-and-white horizontally striped shirt—ideally with a boat neck and three-quarter sleeves. Wear dark pants, black suspenders, white wrist-length gloves, and a black bowler hat to complete the look. You can also wear a black or red beret.[16]
- This outfit and make-up has been a tradition of many famous mime artists, including the legendary Marcel Marceau.
- You do not need to dress this way. In fact, it is considered a cliché by modern mime artists.
- Choose a costume for your character. If you wish to create a character, adopt a mood with your clothing, makeup, and lighting. For instance, you may wish to highlight the plight of the homeless sleeping out in the cold during winter. Paint on a sad face, wear tattered clothing, and use dim lighting.
- Think through a story that allows you to mime trudging despair as the homeless person seeks shelter for the night.
- If you are really interested in pursuing a career in mime, consider taking a mime course with a school or dramatic arts group.
- Many mimes now operate under the term "physical theater" in order to avoid the social stigma that mime often inspires today. Most of these artists do not use traditional mime costumes or make-up.
- A very good mime artist is highly sought after in such fields as theater, movies and the circus.
- Most well known mimes, including Marcel Marceau and Charlie Chaplin, mainly performed as courageous, but pitiful characters (Bip and The Tramp, respectively).[17]
- Penn & Teller, David Shiner, Geoff Hoyle, and John Gilkey are great examples for aspiring mimes and clowns.[18]
- To avoid stretch injuries, always warm up prior to attempting mime exercises. Miming requires as much agility as dance or acting.
- Never perform in a public place without a friend or manager nearby watching the performance. This is to protect yourself from hecklers and an unruly audience.
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| How to Make Colorful Pine Cone Fire Starters Posted: 03 Oct 2017 01:00 AM PDT If you're looking for a fun craft to make easy gifts for parties, pine cone fire starters can be a great option. They can also be a fun craft to make just for yourself. All you need is some wax, a stove, and some pinecones to make beautiful decorative candles you can use in a fireplace or on a camping trip. EditMaking Your Wax - Melt your soy wax. Place a heat proof container, such as a glass mixing bowl, inside a large pan filled with water. Place your pan over a stove and add your soy wax. Turn on the stove and melt your wax, stirring constantly.[1]
- Medium to high heat should be sufficient to melt wax.
- The amount of wax you use depends on how many fire starters you're making. More fire starters will need more wax. You only need a small amount of wax, around a cup (240 mL) or less, to make a single candle.
- Mix color blocks into the wax. Wax kits should come with color blocks that you add to the wax to create colors. Chop up a color block, in your chosen color, and add a small amount of the block to your wax. Stir the block into the wax until it's melted and blended completely into the wax.[2]
- Most kits have recommendations on how much color block to add per pound of wax. However, it's generally better to choose your own amounts, starting with a small amount of wax and building up. This way, you can create the color you prefer.
- Test the colors. Place a piece of wax paper on a counter near your stove. Dip a wooden spoon into the wax mixture and let a small amount of wax drip onto the paper. Wait until the wax is dry and check the color to see if you like it.[3]
- Drying times will vary, but a small amount of wax should not take more than a few minutes to dry.
- Adjust your colors as needed. If you want a darker color, return to the wax mixture to the stove. Add a little more of your color block and stir it into the wax until it melts. Test the color again to see if you like it. Keep adding color blocks in small amounts until you get a color you like. When you're done, remove the wax from the heat.[4]
EditCoating Your Pinecones with Wax - Wrap your pinecones with twine. Start wrapping near the base of the pinecone, looping the twine around the pinecone's center by weaving it between the scales. Keep weaving until you reach the other end of the pine cone. Tie a firm knot on the top of the pine cone and cut the twine so you have a few inches/centimeters of twine coming out the top.[5]
- Dip your pine cone into the wax. Grab the twine stemming off the top of the pine cone. Dip the pine cone all the way into your wax mixture and then pull it up. Your pinecone should be coated in wax.[6]
- You should remove the wax from the stove and turn the burner off before dipping your candles.
- Keep dipping until your pinecone is your desired thickness. After the first layer, some edges of the pine cone will not be coated and the wax will not be very thick. Keep dipping your pine cone until its completely coated and the wax is as thick as you want.[7]
- There are no strict rules in terms of how thick the wax should be. It's a matter of personal preference.
- There is no need to let the wax dry between coats.
EditDrying and Decorating Your Pinecones - Set the pinecone aside to cool. Use a baking sheet, wax paper, or a paper plate. Once your pine cone is coated to your liking, set it on your chosen surface to cool and dry.[8]
- Drying times depend on how much wax you used, but most pine cones should be cool and dry within 24 hours.
- Make tags using pieces of cardboard and twine. Cut out pieces of cardboard paper into the shapes of small tags. Punch a hole on the top of the tags and string a small piece of twine through the hole. Take a pen and write a cute message on each tag.[9]
- For example, if you're making pinecones for a Christmas or holiday party, write something like, "Happy Holidays!"
- Secure the tags to your pinecones. Tie the string from the tag around the top of the pinecone. There should be a small knob near the top where the pine cone thins where you can easily tie the tag. Then, tie the twine into a nice bow to secure the tag to the pine cone.[10]
- Use your fire starters. Light the wick of your pine cone. Then, place it in fresh kindling or a fireplace stocked with wood and sticks to start a fire. Do not light your fire starters as candles.[11]
EditThings You'll Need - Heat proof container
- Pot
- Soy wax
- Color block
- Pine cones
- Wax paper
- Twine
- Cardboard
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