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I followed the directions I found here on SCS... layer up several thicknesses of UTEE (I used clear Melt Art/ Suze Weinberg brand) and then place it in the freezer for 10 minutes, then remove and twist to crack. It all worked great except that it has remainesd a bit tacky ever since. I don't like it sticking to the envelopes and such.
Does anybody else have this problem? Anybody find a way to solve it?
I know that some people use VersaMark in between UTEE layers to make sure that the next layer sticks on to the first... are you doing that? I read somewhere to be careful because the VersaMark rises to the top and can cause it to be tacky, but if you're not doing it that way, then...
Yes, I did use Versamark between each layer because it dried to quickly to get the UTEE to stick to itself without another layer of Versamark. And, Julie, I would love to even say that mine had a beautiful glossy finish to cloud up but along with the tackiness comes an already cloudy finish.
I was so excited to try this and it didn't seem hard so I am pretty disappointed with my results. Perhaps it is the brand...has anyone else used this brand for cracked glass technique with success? I may have to get the SU glassy glaze.
I have been using the UTEE brand (not the Glassy Glaze) but I haven't had the tacky problem. I do find that it's helpful to have everything set up so I can be really quick with the heat/pour process. I have my UTEE set up with a coffee filter beside it so I can just dump on more immediately after I heat a layer.
My technique might sound... um... detailed (i.e. anal retentive) but I swear it works. I stick a piece of Terrifically Tacky Tape (or Sticky Strip) onto the back of my cardstock piece, versamark the front of it up, then stick it onto a piece of Non-Stick Reynolds Wrap (I cut a piece that is big enough for me to have some extra to hold on to). I heat the heck out of it with my heat gun and immediately dump more UTEE onto it. Pour off the extra straight into the coffee filter, heat, dump more on. The cardstock piece peels right off the Reynolds Wrap (any UTEE that might have overflowed a little bit from the piece also peel right off). This also works when you cut a piece of Sticky Strip (or line up a couple of pieces to make whatever shape you need) directly onto the Reynolds Wrap, peel off the backing, then pour the UTEE directly on the Sticky Strip. Heat and re-pour as normal. (That's how I did the UTEE pieces on this card I linked to at the bottom.) This is great for making embellishments to stick on glass votives, etc, as the tape allows the finished piece to stick to curved surfaces.
I hope that some of this makes sense... I really enjoy using UTEE so I hope that you find something that works for you!
I stick a piece of Terrifically Tacky Tape (or Sticky Strip) onto the back of my cardstock piece, versamark the front of it up, then stick it onto a piece of Non-Stick Reynolds Wrap (I cut a piece that is big enough for me to have some extra to hold on to). I heat the heck out of it with my heat gun and immediately dump more UTEE onto it. Pour off the extra straight into the coffee filter, heat, dump more on. The cardstock piece peels right off the Reynolds Wrap (any UTEE that might have overflowed a little bit from the piece also peel right off)
OK, I'm tryin' real hard to follow you on this, as I think you are on to something, but I'm still kinda lost. :(
Do you secure your piece of card stock (which is pre-inked with Versamark) to the Reynolds with Sticky Strip? And the Reynolds acts as a holder of sorts for you so you don't have to try to hold the card stock with your own fingers or tweezers and risk marring the surface as your heating? AND, in this fashion, you don't have to reapply Versamark to get another layer of EP to stick because you're able to work fast enough, while it's still hot, to skip that?
And, even tho you used Sticky Strip, it just peels right off the Reynolds and remains sticky so you can apply it to another surface?????
TIA!
__________________ Julie Ebersole (JulieHRR once upon a time . . . )julieebersole.com"So shines a good deed in a weary world." -Willy Wonka
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I'm with the last post. The idea sounds great. Especially the coffee filter, I'm heading for the store right now. But I want to know more about the sticky strip! Do tell....
Ok, I'm attempting a more detailed explanation. I wondered how difficult my directions were to follow... would you believe that I am actually a writer by trade?!
I have Terrifically Tacky tape, so that's what I use, and I use that as opposed to any other kind of double stick because it holds up to the heat so well. I do believe the Sticky Strip is the same exact stuff, though, so I would use that in the same way. The key to this project is really the non-stick side of the Reynolds Release foil... that's what allows you to hold your piece without getting those awful embossing powder burns on your fingers!
I usually stick the tape to the cardstock, then lay the whole front of the cardstock on the Versamark pad, then get it stuck to the foil without touching the versamarked front. I cut the foil out, leaving a good 3 inches on at least one side to hold onto. (The foil does get hot underneath the piece being heated, but the rest stays cool; the hot part cools almost immediately when you stop the heat gun.)
I hold the gun in my right hand, the foil in my left hand. I heat the piece (I do heat it so the UTEE is REALLY melty and fluid), set the gun down, and use my right hand to immediately shake UTEE over it. If it's a small piece, I hold the foil directly over a coffee filter and pour the UTEE onto the foil so that the extra UTEE just falls into the filter. I pour off any extra UTEE and start the heat/pour process again.
If the piece I'm working on is a bigger piece, I stick it onto the foil, then put that into a Pyrex container while I'm heating it. (I still cut the foil out to be bigger than necessary and leave a piece to hold onto.) I do this because the foil won't hold a ton of weight without bending, so this way I can leave it in the dish and immediately pour the UTEE over it. I still use the foil for me to hold onto to prevent the piece from moving around and so that I can pick it up and pour the extra UTEE off. The whole thing peels off the foil very easily and can be stuck down as the tape is still intact and extremely sticky.
I do like this technique because it works not only for cracked glass, but for doing UTEE (or regular EP) impressions. I generally just cut a few pieces of the tape (I don't have the big sheets of it yet, just the strips of it in a roll) down to the non-stick foil and lay them side by side to make a square or rectangle with them. Then you take off the backing of the tape and pour the UTEE directly onto it. You do the heat/pour process the same way. When you're done heating, the piece just peels off the foil and the tape is still extremely sticky on the back, allowing you to stick it to whatever. LOVE that tape... it's indestructible.
Does any of this help? I LOVE working with this stuff so I hope I can make it more clear. It's probably one of those things that's hard to picture, but easy to do once you actually sit down and can see it happening. I'm in the middle of a sewing project but I'm hoping to sit down (maybe Monday?) and make some samples and take pictures of the process... I'll try to figure out how to downsize them and post them to this thread if that would be helpful.
I know that some people use VersaMark in between UTEE layers to make sure that the next layer sticks on to the first... are you doing that? I read somewhere to be careful because the VersaMark rises to the top and can cause it to be tacky, but if you're not doing it that way, then...
That is exactly what the problem was!! I followed your technique and only used VersaMark once on the paper itself and it's not tacky! It's so beautiful when the top is smooth and crystal clear!! Thanks for your help, jess witty!
Why is my cracked glass sticky?!?!
