How to protect crayon decorations

[jeff_in_AZ]

My 5 year old son decorated a rocket body tube with crayons,
and I wanted to protect it from the elements. Would clear coat
work ok for something like this? Here is a picture of the rocket,
it is an Estes Gnome with an 18" piece of BT-5 for the body tube.

Jeff

 

[Micromeister]

.

 

[Micromeister]

Jeff:
I'm not sure regular clear coats will work over crayon, since crayons are basicly wax based, standard clears may simply bead around the markings.

You might try a material used in art studios (and signshops) called Krylon called Workable fixatif. I know Micheals has it.
It's designed for use over art media like oil based color pencils, pastels, Magic markers and such. I think I'd do a test piece before using any product on the original ART
Workable Fixatif worked great over my Daughters Pen and marker drawings one of her bare balsa RG's.

 

[jeff_in_AZ]

Originally posted by Micromeister
Jeff:
I'm not sure regular clear coats will work over crayon, since crayons are basicly wax based, standard clears may simply bead around the markings.

You might try a material used in art studios (and signshops) called Krylon called Workable fixatif. I know Micheals has it.
It's designed for use over art media like oil based color pencils, pastels, Magic markers and such. I think I'd do a test piece before using any product on the original ART
Workable Fixatif worked great over my Daughters Pen and marker drawings one of her bare balsa RG's.

John,

Thanks! I'll give Workable Fixatif a try. BTW, nice glider!

Jeff

 

[spacecadet]

It might add quite a bit of weight to such a small rocket.

 

[DynaSoar]

Originally posted by Micromeister
Jeff:
I'm not sure regular clear coats will work over crayon, since crayons are basicly wax based, ...

That being so, and the body being completely covered, is it not already protected from the elements?

I'd leave it. A wax coat seems a decent protection, and if he can get to it, he can fix any 'damage', or just change it as he wished. This would tend to keep him more engaged with it, and so with the hobby.

Heck, I might try it myself. Or something I learned from my first grade teacher (by training, an art teacher) -- draw with chalks, and paint over it with buttermilk. Very permanent. My mother still has mine from 1961. The back side of the paper has browned, but the picture looks like new.

 

[jeff_in_AZ]

Originally posted by DynaSoar
That being so, and the body being completely covered, is it not already protected from the elements?

I'd leave it. A wax coat seems a decent protection, and if he can get to it, he can fix any 'damage', or just change it as he wished. This would tend to keep him more engaged with it, and so with the hobby.

I may not have conveyed what I was looking for very well.
It isn't so much that I want to protect the rocket from the
elements, it's that I want to preserve the crayon art. I can
rub it off with my fingers now and I was just looking for some
way to preserve it a little better. I could put the rocket up on
a shelf and not fly it much, but it's more fun to fly. Maybe it
doesn't really matter, he had fun making it and we are having
fun flying it. For the next project, though, I think we'll use
marker pens.

Jeff

 

[jflis]

Assuming you are trying to protect the crayon art (as you said) and that rocket *performance* isn't a concern, how about clear shrink wrap or tubing?

just seal the darned thing in a layer of clear plastic... It would at least work for the straight tube part and you could cut slits for the fins perhaps.

Just thinking out loud here...

I was also thinking of clear decal film, left clear and applied to the entire model. Not sure how or if it would stick to the crayon wax though...

lastly, look up the Crayola web site. They may very well have hints and tips on preserving such artwork...

jim

 

[jeff_in_AZ]

Thanks Jim (and everyone else). There are many good ideas to try here.
I'll experiment a little and report back. BTW Jim, we are building one
of your UFFO kits right now and having a blast. Can't wait to fly it.

Jeff

 

[Zack Lau]

You might try covering the artwork with self adhesive mylar. You can find it in the office supply section of Walmart, or any office supply store.