Additional Pysanky (Ukrainian Easter Eggs) Tools

ONLINE BEGINNER CLASS

ADDITIONAL PYSANKY MAKING TOOLS & SUPPLIES

The items on this list are not needed to take the class. However, they sure do make things a little easier for some people.
To purchase many of these items please CLICK HERE

EGG BLOWER
If you held to Ukrainian tradition, then you would never blow out your eggs. The inside of the egg represents life itself. However, lets do a reality check here. The egg shells that most people use are so thin that most are on the verge of breaking to start with. Leaving the egg inside only invites disaster. If an egg broke after a few months in your china cabinet, the smell would literally drive you out of your home. Why take that chance? Although any method to empty out the egg would work, we recommend the BLAS-FIXegg blower. I have tried and seen many different techniques and this is the easiest. Not only does it blow out the contents, but it does it through only one hole that is no larger than a round toothpick. Also, you can put water in the bellows and flush out every last spec of egg. There is also a BIG advantage having only one hole in that egg. Later on in the course, I will show you how to use this feature. In this course we don't blow out the egg, because it makes it easier for the beginner. However, once you get the hang of how all of this works, you will want to blow out your eggs prior to starting. If you were going to buy one extra tool, this should be on the top of the list (it really is on mine).

KISTKA WIRE The hole in the bottom of the kistka is very small. Our fine line tools have a machined opening that is only around .010 inch wide. Lint, dirt, soot and micro meteorites can sometimes wedge tight in the tiny hole. The only way to get it out is to use a stiff wire. Its difficult to find something small enough. Ideally, it needs to be around .007 inch in diameter. Fortunately, we provide this free for the asking, if you purchase any of our Pysanky Supplies.

EGG LATHE An egg lathe is one of those tools that once you get one, you wonder why you didn't get one sooner. I do a majority of geometric designs and getting that first horizontal division line (I call it the equatorial line) as close to perfect as possible is real important for the design to . Its worth it just for that. Click Here to see how to setup the egg lathe. The lathes can be found in our Pysanky Supplies.

CIRCLE TEMPLATES Circle or oval templates are great tools for the beginner. Not only are they inexpensive, but they can greatly improve the artist's designs. Actually, they have two purposes. One, they can accurately divide your egg and produce perfect circles of varying sizes. Click Here for a short demonstration on how to use our template set, which can be purchased HERE.

TABLE / DESK
LAMP When doing Pysanky, you need a strong light. What I have also noticed is that the older you get, the more light you need. Not all desk lamps are the same, check the inside of the bulb holder. There should be a sticker stating the maximum size bulb allowed. I picked up a draftsman light at a yard sale, capable of using a 100 watt bulb. Being able to position the lamp to where I need it, is a big plus. You can also buy the same type of lamp with a magnifier and florescent ring. You can find a variety of lamps at most office supply stores (i.e. Staples, Office Depot.. etc.)

LIGHTER Inexpensive butane lighter found in your local grocery or department store. Nice to have for easily and quickly lighting your candle and they last almost forever. As always with any flammable / fire producing device, keep away from children. Many have safety devices that prevent children from initiating the flame, however it may also be difficult for a person with low wrist or finger strength

COTTON SWABS Also known as Q-Tips, these are great for applying dye to areas of your egg. You can buy them at any place that sells health and beauty aids. You won't use them much, but they are perfect for the job and a box will just about last forever.

TOOTHPICKS Simple wood toothpicks. Used to apply 1 drop of dye to small specific areas on your egg. Round or flat can be used.

CALIPER This is a draftsman caliper. Traditionally used to transfer distances on a drawing to a ruler and back. Although not as useful on small eggs, this tool is really handy when working with large eggs. I used it on an ostrich Pysanky. It allows you to measure distances accurately on curved surfaces, transfering distances from ruler to egg or egg to ruler. You can buy these at most office supply or home improvement stores.

CLOTHS PINS Your standard wood cloths pins, just like mom used to use. We use these for a trick to hold down the blown eggs in the dye jars. Don't buy the plastic, they break too easy. They still make wooden ones, it just takes a little work to find them.

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CLICK HERE FOR THE CLASS INDEX

	EGG BLOWER	If you held to Ukrainian tradition, then you would never blow out your eggs. The inside of the egg represents life itself. However, lets do a reality check here. The egg shells that most people use are so thin that most are on the verge of breaking to start with. Leaving the egg inside only invites disaster. If an egg broke after a few months in your china cabinet, the smell would literally drive you out of your home. Why take that chance? Although any method to empty out the egg would work, we recommend the BLAS-FIXegg blower. I have tried and seen many different techniques and this is the easiest. Not only does it blow out the contents, but it does it through only one hole that is no larger than a round toothpick. Also, you can put water in the bellows and flush out every last spec of egg. There is also a BIG advantage having only one hole in that egg. Later on in the course, I will show you how to use this feature. In this course we don't blow out the egg, because it makes it easier for the beginner. However, once you get the hang of how all of this works, you will want to blow out your eggs prior to starting. If you were going to buy one extra tool, this should be on the top of the list (it really is on mine).
	KISTKA WIRE	The hole in the bottom of the kistka is very small. Our fine line tools have a machined opening that is only around .010 inch wide. Lint, dirt, soot and micro meteorites can sometimes wedge tight in the tiny hole. The only way to get it out is to use a stiff wire. Its difficult to find something small enough. Ideally, it needs to be around .007 inch in diameter. Fortunately, we provide this free for the asking, if you purchase any of our Pysanky Supplies.
	EGG LATHE	An egg lathe is one of those tools that once you get one, you wonder why you didn't get one sooner. I do a majority of geometric designs and getting that first horizontal division line (I call it the equatorial line) as close to perfect as possible is real important for the design to . Its worth it just for that. Click Here to see how to setup the egg lathe. The lathes can be found in our Pysanky Supplies.
	CIRCLE TEMPLATES	Circle or oval templates are great tools for the beginner. Not only are they inexpensive, but they can greatly improve the artist's designs. Actually, they have two purposes. One, they can accurately divide your egg and produce perfect circles of varying sizes. Click Here for a short demonstration on how to use our template set, which can be purchased HERE.
	TABLE / DESK LAMP	When doing Pysanky, you need a strong light. What I have also noticed is that the older you get, the more light you need. Not all desk lamps are the same, check the inside of the bulb holder. There should be a sticker stating the maximum size bulb allowed. I picked up a draftsman light at a yard sale, capable of using a 100 watt bulb. Being able to position the lamp to where I need it, is a big plus. You can also buy the same type of lamp with a magnifier and florescent ring. You can find a variety of lamps at most office supply stores (i.e. Staples, Office Depot.. etc.)
	LIGHTER	Inexpensive butane lighter found in your local grocery or department store. Nice to have for easily and quickly lighting your candle and they last almost forever. As always with any flammable / fire producing device, keep away from children. Many have safety devices that prevent children from initiating the flame, however it may also be difficult for a person with low wrist or finger strength
	COTTON SWABS	Also known as Q-Tips, these are great for applying dye to areas of your egg. You can buy them at any place that sells health and beauty aids. You won't use them much, but they are perfect for the job and a box will just about last forever.
	TOOTHPICKS	Simple wood toothpicks. Used to apply 1 drop of dye to small specific areas on your egg. Round or flat can be used.
	CALIPER	This is a draftsman caliper. Traditionally used to transfer distances on a drawing to a ruler and back. Although not as useful on small eggs, this tool is really handy when working with large eggs. I used it on an ostrich Pysanky. It allows you to measure distances accurately on curved surfaces, transfering distances from ruler to egg or egg to ruler. You can buy these at most office supply or home improvement stores.
	CLOTHS PINS	Your standard wood cloths pins, just like mom used to use. We use these for a trick to hold down the blown eggs in the dye jars. Don't buy the plastic, they break too easy. They still make wooden ones, it just takes a little work to find them.