Cheap embossing stylus set (USA); ISO cone rolling mandrels

[ReynoldsSlumber]

Michaels sells sets of small and large ball end embossing styluses for $5 a set:
Mandala Dotting Tools with Colorful Handles by Craft Smart: ø1, 1.5, 2.5, 3mm
Mandala Dotting Tools by Craft Smart: ø4, 6, 8, 11, 12, 18.5mm
They also come with "dotting dowels" of several diameters, which are handy as tube rolling mandrels.


Alternatively, these are $6-7 a set:
Wendy Vecchi Make Art Perfect Stylus Set: ø1, 1.5, 2.5, 3mm
Wendy Vecchi Make Art Perfect Stylus Set 2: ø4, 6, 8, 10mm

(Other folks have mentioned these before; I just wanted to put them in an easy-to-find place for people who might not have run across them.)

Does anyone know of a set of cone rolling mandrels of various angles? My pencil sharpener only does one angle of course, and found objects aren't really getting the job done, so it would be nice to have purpose-made cone mandrels.

[Siwi]

Thank you. 'Dotting tool' is not a term that is particularly intuitive to search for if trying to find 'one of those things with the ball on the end for curving paper'

[FRD]

For cones specifically, I use the tapered tip of various sizes of knitting needles from large to small and a good number in-between....

[mbauer]

Originally Posted by ReynoldsSlumber

Does anyone know of a set of cone rolling mandrels of various angles? My pencil sharpener only does one angle of course, and found objects aren't really getting the job done, so it would be nice to have purpose-made cone mandrels.

Use a mouse Pad or use wood dowel holding the cone to be rolled in your palm. Rub the dowel back and forth to get an initial rolled edge.

Then I roll the cone around the dowel, final step is to use a rubber band to keep it that way for 10-minutes. Wrap around the paper and dowel.

Once un-rolled it is easier to glue. Once un-rolled you will need to tuck the glue tab under, near the point, so that when gluing the top edge doesn't hang up on the tab.

When rolling around the dowel, you need to keep the dowel pointed straight at the point of the cone. This way the cone will be even, not lop-sided.

If the cone has glue tabs, do not score and fold, this makes for triangle shaped cone instead of round.

I use the really small diameter bamboo skewers available from any grocery store to reach inside for glue support. The small point can supply pressure on the glue tabs near the point, just be cautious of it poking through the point.

How to apply pressure: force the skewer to bend while using your other hand for back pressure for clamping.

Bamboo skewers don't break that easy, where a small 1/8" or 3/16" wood dowel will.

Cones are very tricky to glue! Small ones are a big challenge.

Mike

[ReynoldsSlumber]

Thanks FRD and Mike, good pointers (ahem), especially on the knitting needles and bamboo skewers.

[Texman]

Here are some things I use

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

Maybe it can offer you some ideas.

[ReynoldsSlumber]

Thanks Ray, that middle link is a more complete set of embossing styluses, with nicer handles and at an even lower price! Good one. Also I didn't realize you could get knitting needles in complete sets of various diameters as well, nice.

[Miles Linnabery]

If you have an electric drill you can chuck up different sized wooden dowels, and shape the tips with sand paper to different cones, ether straight or curved.
Enjoy,
Miles

[ReynoldsSlumber]

Aha, excellent idea, I was lamenting not having a lathe to make some out of metal, but wood dowels turned on a drill should do the trick nicely. Good point that they can even be purpose-shaped!