DIY Network

Giant Pencils Make these fakes with garden stakes. From "B. Original" episode DBOR-610

Give your décor the write stuff.

Want to add a sense of fun to a kid's room, playroom or even the office? Then get the lead out and make a few giant fake pencils. All it takes is some garden stakes, a few other materials and this easy how-to from Michele Beschen.

The B. Original host shows how to create these fun faux pencils, right down to the ridged metal band that holds the eraser in place. Make a few of these great fakes for yourself – or as a gift for that co-worker who never has a pencil handy.

advertisement

Giant Pencils

Materials

wooden garden stakes – 1 inch in diameter and 48 inches long
router table with 1/2" roundover bit
hot glue gun
aluminum foil
acrylic paints and brush
red air-hardening clay
ground charcoal
heat gun
paste wax

• Use a router table with a 1/2" roundover bit to round off the corners of the stakes.

• Brush a couple of coats of acrylic paint over all surfaces of the stakes.
  

  Figure A

  Figure B

  
  

• To create the raised look of a metal band, apply lines of hot glue around one end of the stake (figure A).

• Once the glue sets, neatly cut a strip of aluminum foil and wrap it around the glued area (figure B). Burnish the foil so that it molds to the glue ridges and secure any loose edges with hot glue.
  

  Figure C

  Figure D

  
  

  Figure E

• To create the eraser, roll out a circle of red, air-hardening clay and fit it over the top of the pencil (figure C). Fold the clay down and wrap it around the pencil top, trimming away any excess (figure D).
  
  
• Brush some wood-colored (light tan or peach) paint on the pointed area of the pencil to give it a sharpened look.

• Mix ground charcoal with wax medium to create a faux lead tip. Brush the mixture on the pencil point and melt it slightly with a heat gun (figure E).

• Rub a coat of paste wax on the pencil point and heat it slightly with a heat gun.