All done! Including matching tenjin cap. The spray glue worked much better (except I still got slight staining from being too impatient).
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wow that looks cute
Thanks BH! I’ll probably make more, I keep finding new mistakes, but I learn every time. I have to do my tsugaru now.
omnomnom #steals it# XD
I bought some spray lacquer from Lowes. I don’t know if it will work well or not, but we’ll see…just have to finish building my shamisen first XD
whistle お洒落!! (As they say) Very pretty!
How did you make the tenjin cap? I never got it to look that sharp and edged.
Can’t tell you how happy a compliment from “Uncle Bachido” makes me feel! ;D Made my day. No, seriously.
I used paper towels (the thick kind that doesn’t tear - I used 6 layers) with high gloss Mod Podge - and then I “shaped” them, smoothing over the edges very carefully. If you pull too hard, the paper will tear. I went very carefully across the back, smoothing, and trimming with small scissors (make sure you don’t use nice scissors, because the glue just ruins them - thinking back on it, a small Exacto might do a better job). I also keep the “unnecessary” parts of the towel dry, it’s easier to trim with scissors that way. And then, rather than using Saran Wrap over the top, I put a piece of masking tape around the bottom, to hold the whole thing stable while the outside dried. I left it overnight with a fan on it. When you pull it off of the tenjin, it’s still going to be a bit wet inside and will buckle a bit, but as long as you have the tape there, it will remain relatively stable. Then I let it dry on the inside again by propping it up against a vase and putting the fan on it again. Basically, I treated the entire process as if I were modeling with clay.
To place the fabric, I cut a piece for the front which fit over the sides about a quarter inch and into the opening at the bottom, and a piece for the back which just covered the back, but also went slightly into the opening at the bottom. I used spray glue, which I could spray directly on the fabric, sparingly, with very short bursts. (If it builds up, it will stain, which happened :P). I placed the front fabric first, smoothing and pulling the sides until everything was smooth. Then I put the back piece in place, pulling as much as I could. You have about 5 minutes to work with this particular glue. You don’t have to hem the fabric or anything, the glue will keep it from fraying.
The cap didn’t get really hard until the entire thing was finished for 24 hours.
This is the glue that I used … I also used it for the doukake, and got nice sharp edges.
Here is the back …
I learn every time I make a new one. I have some different blue fabric for my tsugaru, I’m going to do that one next.
Lorraine and others, I don’t mean to necro an old thread but I have been referring to this and other threads as I ended up finding myself making doukakes over the weekend. This thread was HUGELY helpful. Thanks so much for sharing.
I’m still refining my own process but short of it is that I ended up just using good ol’ paper mache (1 parts water + flour + some salt). I tried using just Mod Podge and paper towel but I it just ended up being totally flabby. It holds shape but is very rubbery. I’m just refining how thick I want the thing to be. I think I’m ending up with 2 layers white printer paper + 2-3 layers newspaper + 2 layers white printer paper. I’m opting for white on the outer layers since one fabric I’d like to use has a white background.
The tenjin cover is being a bit more of a pain in the ass. I’m trying to find a way to preserve the concave on the back. I think I will try using more precise cutting and placement of the plastic wrap and really take my time with thinner and shorter paper strip placing.
I don’t have Kyle’s book yet but I read references to using plastic wrap at the end I’m guessing to hold the shape. I am way way way way too impatient to let it dry under plastic wrap lol. So I didn’t bother with it (did try it on one iteration). Instead I am very careful with paper placement to try and make sure it is as flat to the surface as possible.
Thanks again you guys. I’ll share a full DIY with pics once I am done.
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Not at all, Rob! I’m going to post here what I put on Facebook … I guess necroing an old thread is bad form or something - I’ve been yelled at for it before (I never knew that it was bad form, and still don’t see why) - but I’m of the opinion that if it has good information that is still relevant, better to “necro” (I prefer the term “breathe new life”) an old thread than start a new one. I like to have ALL the information in one spot - what worked - what didn’t - a new idea - a pretty new inspiring result. It’s a pain to have to continually search for new info on an old subject. I don’t know if Kyle would agree - but in my case I say “Breathe Away Anew”! XOXO (Hey, that would make a great title for a new album, right? LOL)