Slump a Mezuzah

 The holiday season is fast approaching. We recently had inquiries on tips for slumping a (fused) glass mezuzah. It seems the writer was slumping the glass over a metal mold and the glass kept on cracking.

There are three different ways to slump a mezuzah.

1. Try fiber paper. Cut the paper to size and then stack layers of fiber paper to the height you want. You can use a drop of white elmers glue or fusers glue to hold the fiber paper together but be sure to let the glue dry completely or the evaporation from the glue will cause problems with your slump.

2. Use a ceramic mezuzah that is not glazed and slump the glass into the backside of the ceramic piece. You can make your own ceramic slump mold (if you have a friend with a ceramic kiln to fire it for you) or you can purchase an unglazed ceramic mezuzah in a studio that sells "made by you" or "paint your own" ceramics (or a ceramic supply wholesaler). Something like this.

3. Purchase a mold designed for slumping, like this.

For other thoughts on making mezuzot see our earlier blog posting or our tutorial on How to Make a Fused Glass Mezuzah. For information on how to affix gold Hebrew lettering on your mezuzah see our tutorial.

Happy fusing and slumping!

Make Your Own Mezuzahs

It is traditional to post mezuzahs on the door posts of Jewish homes. Mezuzahs are a great way to decorate a new home, update the look of an old home and they make great gifts for all occasions. We have two tutorials you may enjoy using very different techniques on how to make your own mezuzahs:

How to Make a Copper Mezuzah
How to Make a Fused Glass Mezuzah

Chanukah Craft Projects for Kids

Looking for Chanukah projects for your kids? Upcycle. Collect some old scrap wood or recover some old, worn no longer loved building blocks that were abandoned in the bottom of the toy box. Consider turning these found items into a simple Chanukah Menorah or Channukia. Turn your trash into a treasure. Make a Chanukah Menorah or Channukia out of scrap wood or blocks.

Already have a menorah? You and your kids can make your own dreidel from wood or polymer clay. Sing the "dreidel, dreidel" song. Bring the song to life. Make a traditional dreidel with a modern form of clay. Make a dreidel from polymer clay.

Make Your Own Dreidel

Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel...you can make it out of clay; but remember, there are lots of ways to make a dreidel. We posted three tutorials showing three different ways to make a dreidel. Click on the links below to learn how to make your own dreidel out of:
* wood
* polymer clay and
* metal clay (such as PMC, Art Clay Silver, Bronze Clay or Copper Clay).

Happy Chanukah!