"Out Of Cigars" Cigar Band Project #1

By the end of the year I could probably make one of Acid rings. LOL

[Bondo 287]

Originally Posted by Lonely Raven

By the end of the year I could probably make one of Acid rings. LOL

Don't be ashamed. My mix would be about half infused tags and half of the good ol' naturals.

[ktblunden]

I've been saving my bands since I started smoking a year ago, just biding my time until I figure out what I'm going to do with them. I like this idea of taking an existing print and using that as a canvas. Also considered a table top and a clock. I'll keep waiting until something just feels right. What kind of glue are you using?

[irratebass]

I started to do this on my small humi....man I am not a handyman at all I was using superglue and ended up glueing my fingers together and ruining the top corner of my humi...bummer....so I am curious to know what kind of glue you use as well.

I've not used this brand, I just searched for Bar Top Epoxy

http://www.bartopepoxy.com/?gclid=CL...FRFR7AodaWDpOg

I don't recall the brand I've used. I used to make Home theater subwoofers and I had someone pay me for several of them that needed a black piano finish. So I basically coated them in a "bar top epoxy" and let gravity do the work for me...since I don't have a proper spray booth, nor the patients for spraying paint/poly clear coat.

LOL, Chris beat me to it. I type too slowly I guess.

[shilala]

I used purple glue sticks when I did mine, they work great.
I made coasters once, too. A bunch of them. I used those glass picture coasters and made inserts that were covered with cigar bands. They turned out awesome.
The only problem I could see is that the coasters had a slot in the side where you put the picture or whatever in them. If a sweaty glass or bottle was on the coaster, the water would run right inside and ruin the picture or whatever was inside.
So once I slid in the card with the bands glued on them, I sealed the seam that ran all around the edge of the coaster. I used 100% silicone, was very careful, and cleaned any excess off with a razor. I cleaned the whole deal with alcohol a couple times before I applied the silicone, too.
I can't find the pics of them, either.

[irratebass]

Originally Posted by shilala

I used purple glue sticks when I did mine, they work great.
I made coasters once, too. A bunch of them. I used those glass picture coasters and made inserts that were covered with cigar bands. They turned out awesome.
The only problem I could see is that the coasters had a slot in the side where you put the picture or whatever in them. If a sweaty glass or bottle was on the coaster, the water would run right inside and ruin the picture or whatever was inside.
So once I slid in the card with the bands glued on them, I sealed the seam that ran all around the edge of the coaster. I used 100% silicone, was very careful, and cleaned any excess off with a razor. I cleaned the whole deal with alcohol a couple times before I applied the silicone, too.
I can't find the pics of them, either.

Dude take another pic, I wanna see this chit.

LOL, another outburst of laughter at work. You guys are going to get me in trouble.

[deadrise]

wow where to start OK yea I am using normal school glue dries clear. I put some glue on the back spread it out all over very thin and stick it then wipe and press down with wet cloth to clean excess then dry with a dry cloth. it has proven to be a pain but if I was not so neat with the glue it would be faster but messier. I love the other cigar pic very nice and shows me I need to stop worrying about seeing the main part of the band and make sure i leave no blank space.

[Jasonw560]

SWMBO (The wife) says for projects like these, there is somethng called "Mod Podge" available at Hobby Lobby. You place the bands where you want them, brush it on, and it glues them to the medium (canvas, wood, etc). It goes on cloudy, but dries clear. Once that dries completely, use a Polyurethene coating to make it waterproof.

[thechrisdotcom]

Originally Posted by Jasonw560

SWMBO (The wife) says for projects like these, there is somethng called "Mod Podge" available at Hobby Lobby. You place the bands where you want them, brush it on, and it glues them to the medium (canvas, wood, etc). It goes on cloudy, but dries clear. Once that dries completely, use a Polyurethene coating to make it waterproof.

Interesting, I wonder if it would work on coasters. Be a lot of work since coasters are thicker and bigger.

Thanks for the tips!

[Jasonw560]

She says try the mod podge with he coasters. She has no idea how well they'll adhere wih it. Might be too thick, she's not sure. Probably try something small to see how they adhere before you attempt the table. And let her (me) know how it works.

[deadrise]

some updated pics yea it is going to take me forever

[pennjones]

Looks awesome. I've been trying to figure out what to do with my bands as well. Something like this might be the ticket!

[Jasonw560]

Try the mod podge my wife told me about. You basically place your bands where you want them, then paint over them (carefully) with the stuff. It goes on cloudy, but dries clear. You'll have to brave Hobby Lobby, though. Or any other craft store.

[Silound]

I did one of these a few years ago, here's a pointer or two I learned.

To ease the pain of the process, stick anywhere from 20-50 bands flattened out in a folded piece of paper (to protect them) in a leather wallet (bi-fold works best) and carry it around with you for a day in your back pocket even. You can use your everyday wallet if you like, or carry a special one. Sit on it like you normally would, etc etc. By the end of they day, those bands will be flat like glass, and MUCH easier to glue down neatly. Be sure to place them where they lay flat in the wallet...if you put them in the fold of the wallet, they just get a mean fold to them.

Buy a rubber ink roller. Trust me, nothing flattens a band out perfectly after placing it like one of these. They're about 5 bucks at Walmart in the craft area. Just be sure to keep it clean so it doesn't stick to bands and peel them back up (you can hold one end of the band with a fingertip to keep it positioned and roll the other end flat, and switch sides).



***TEST THIS A FEW TIMES TO PERFECT IT FIRST***
(It took me about 5-6 attempts to perfect this method, but this is what I did in the long run)

Thin your glue out if you use white glue, because it's way too thick and the bands will absorb too much water while it drys. Take 3 parts white glue and 1 part warm water, mix well. Do a few test strips on a piece of cardboard or paper before you glue bands to make sure you have your consistency right. Use a cotton swab to smear a *thin* layer of glue on the back of the band (emphasis on *super thin*), place it, and flatten them out. Use an electric hair dryer set to a low heat from a moderate distance and carefully blow in circles over the area you just glued. I worked in groups of 20 bands a day, just because that's how many I could carry in my wallet

The reason I eventually started using this method was to reduce the amount of moisture that the bands were exposed to by forcing it to dry and cure faster, thus the bands didn't get that "wet ripple" to them as they cured.



Personally, if I did this type of project again (it's coming soon!), I'm definitely going to research into a non-water based glue that I don't have to jump through as many hoops over to make a quality job of it.

[falconman515]

I'm watching this thread!

Just finished doing a clock that turned out great and I'm trying to figure out what I want to do next!

Love seeing these awesome cigar band projects

[rickbohara]

Jason,

This is a bit off topic, but I recently damaged my Out of the Blue poster by Karen Leeds. Would you consider parting with the copy underneath your cigar bands?

Rick

[E.J.]

Holy thread revival!