Club Obi Wan

I know this type of posting has been seen many times before but please allow me my tu'pennith (my two cents). ;-)
In these two pics one can see that cat litter is a very useful source of fuller's earth. Once ground (using a pestle & mortar) a pounce bag can be made out of a hankerchief with a rubber band holding the four corners together.
Ideal for boots as they can be kept pristine and temporarily treated with the powder for costume, then returned to 'best'.
Cheers,
JTW.

interesting,

but i have always thought you should wet it and use it like paint and wear when dried.

Is fuller's earth basically ashes?

i dont think so,
fullers earth is absorbable and i didnt think ashes were.
if that are it puts nurachi in a new light (no wonder he wanted it so bad the has that clean new suit that needed weathering.)

It's a clay type earth. Actually, I think chinchilla dust is made of fuller's earth, too. Also oil spill absorber:

You're right. It is a clay, a mineral that is commonly quarried here in the UK, and in the States as well, I guess.
As far as it's use when wet - I'd imagine that would work well, as the powder is ultra fine, but would it not produce a more permanent result?
Cheers,
JTW.

JTW, these bulk sources of fullers earth have been pointed out before.

Many though prefer to buy the smaller packs sold by specialist costumer suppliers, whether it is different or not.

And you can get faster results with less dust flying around if you grind up your cat litter(preferably unused:P) in a blender using the ice crusher button. I have more dirt than I will need for the rest of my life. Also, a good way to distribute it, put it in a sock, tie the end of the sock, and beat the bejeezus out of what you are dirtying up. You really have to beat the hat to get an even look.

For the cost of packaging and shipping, you can have all of the fuller's earth dust that you could want. I work for a fuller's earth mining company. To say that we have an excess to spare would be funny. I have been trying various aging techniques described elsewhere and did get some decent mildew-like staining with tea-dampened paper and clay dust. No pictures yet - sorry.

But seriously, cover my cost and you can have as much as you would like. It would be shipping from Georgia, USA.

David

twilekjedi wrote: It's a clay type earth. Actually, I think chinchilla dust is made of fuller's earth, too. Also oil spill absorber

Awesome!!!
There's a company that makes kitty litter and oil absorbers by my house they dump the test products behind there business in huge stacks 6 feet by 6 feet.

I just won these on eBay for AUD$17 delivered. The 2 on the outside are unopened, and the one in the middle is half used. Not sure how old they are:

A salt and pepper shaker is another way to distribute finely sifted dirt or fuller's earth onto a fedora. Then you can pounce it with a sock or whatever. All good methods.

clark.j.kent wrote:

BABY powder??! That I did not know. Well, I guess you could raise little Gearheads up starting with this, eh?

Interestingly, since I last posted on this thread, I've found out that Fuller's Earth is also used as a decontamination agent in chemical warfare.

Also, apparently it causes CANCER in California (read the bottle if you have Todd's variety).

Only in California?

Well, only the state of California has found it to cause cancer, so that could mean that it only happens in California, theoretically.

So technically, you could distress your gear at the state line, then go into California and you will be safe

Well there is some evidence linking even talcum powder to cancer. Some say the particles are worryingly similar to asbestos.

But so can most things.

Hand me a black and blue steak and a big portion of golden brown and delicious chips....

MMMMM, black and blue steak.

maboot38 wrote:Well, only the state of California has found it to cause cancer, so that could mean that it only happens in California, theoretically.

They right that on a lot of SH!t!!!

Indeed they do. I've bought fishing rods with "California lead content" stickers.. crazy California.

Randy

clark.j.kent wrote:So technically, you could distress your gear at the state line, then go into California and you will be safe

or it might turn green and radioactive once you crossed the state line into CA.

bigrex wrote:

clark.j.kent wrote:So technically, you could distress your gear at the state line, then go into California and you will be safe

or it might turn green and radioactive once you crossed the state line into CA.

Then just put it in the fridge. We now know that refrigerators are great defense against radiation!

Good idea. I'll put it on the shelf next to the kryptonite.

...I've found fuller's earth to be of particular use when running from Hovitos!....throws up a smokescreen, then they can't see me! Ouch!...just got a dart right in the neck! How much longer do you think I have, Chemo-Sabbe??

Where can I buy one of it (not Todd website)?

jones the whip wrote:http://s291.photobucket.com/albums/ll30 ... 040044.jpg
http://s291.photobucket.com/albums/ll30 ... 040046.jpg
In these two pics one can see that cat litter is a very useful source of fuller's earth. Ideal for boots as they can be kept pristine and temporarily treated with the powder for costume, then returned to 'best'.
Cheers,
JTW.

Cat litter, good quality cat litter is made from 100% Fullers Earth.
Enjoy.
JTW.

Oh well here are a wealth of options for Fuller's Earth....


Thanks guys this could be most helpful......

Is Fuller's Earth likely to rub off and make a mess? I'm considering using it on some cloth for a display, but I wouldn't want it to get all over the place.

It can be a very, very fine powder, similar to dust in it's consistency and has the appearance of mist or smoke when blown from the palm of your hand.
So, I would say that it possibly could be a bit messy, inside the house.
If you just want to age something, using a damp cloth to apply Fuller's Earth should be ok.
Cheers,
JTW.

PS: I also find that the ashes left after a BBQ can be used, the powder is not quite as fine but has good effect.

Thanks for the advice. If I give it a shot, I'd definitely apply it damp. Is there any way to set it in so that it would be permanent?

Stinky Dragon wrote:Thanks for the advice. If I give it a shot, I'd definitely apply it damp. Is there any way to set it in so that it would be permanent?

Yeah, laminate your garment!!!

I can't imagine how one could acquire a permanent coating of fuller's earth, other than some kind of glue?
JTW.

Maybe a spray adhesive? Not to derail the thread, but I'm inquiring about this for a life-size Jawa I'm making where it wouldn't necessarily matter if the cloth ended up being hard as a rock from glue,

Stinky Dragon wrote:Maybe a spray adhesive? Not to derail the thread, but I'm inquiring about this for a life-size Jawa I'm making where it wouldn't necessarily matter if the cloth ended up being hard as a rock from glue,

I would say just apply the Fullers like regular. It isn't like the stuff is just going to fall off. Eventually it will lighten, and you can always reapply with a paintbrush or duster when needed.

maboot38 wrote:I would say just apply the Fullers like regular. It isn't like the stuff is just going to fall off. Eventually it will lighten, and you can always reapply with a paintbrush or duster when needed.

Sounds simple enough.. Thanks!

OH also, Fuller's stays on Wool better than on felt or cotton, so if your Jawa's cape is wool, the Fuller's Earth will probably stick around a lot longer.

i live in Alberta and where i am is covered in sand stone and that type of clay thats what i use.
it has to be ground up as well but i like it and it's free

Just a headsup on the use of Fuller's Earth on hats: according to Todd's Costumes website (and the product label itself), removing Fuller's Earth from a felt hat will require professional cleaning. I've seen it stated more than once that FE can be removed with a damp cloth but I believe that pertains only to leather goods.

Beware of putting Fuller's Earth on that AB Deluxe unless you want it to stay there.

Tony

I'd buy that.
Definitely only use it on hats if you really want a permanent dusty look.
JTW.

I asked this in another thread but I wanted to cover all my bases - I have a Henry and wanted to know if the FE would not adhere to the felt as much since it is a very smooth 'buttery soft' beaver/rabbit blend?

I really like how you got the built-up dust look around the bottom of the ribbon. That's the look I am going for. I am using the photo of Harrsion sitting on the set of CS as a reference.

I started a little bit with what I ground up at home - but not fine enough that it sticks. I have some FE powder coming in the mail. In the meantime, here's where I'm at:

Great job on the use of fullers on the hats guys, very subtle, but just enough to get that worn in look.

In regards to the application of fullers on Hats, I have had no problem taking them off my hats. All I had to do is use a high pressure air hose attahced to an 8 gallon air compresser of sorts. It's set to 75-90 psi and gets it clean off the felt.