From Ashlee at I’mTopsyTurvy
A big hello to first-time “Guest Dummy” Ashlee from I’m Topsy Turvy. She’s got great tutorials for the crafters, and cakes to DIE for. I mean really spectacular! Anyway, I love what Ashlee did with these eggs- and you all know that I LOVE my pistol-grip Dremel. Can’t wait to try these out myself! I published this post a few years ago, but It’s so fabulous it deserved a command performance!
Last year I found this picture and story about Franc Grom. I thought, I bet I could do something like that with my handy dandy dremel! So first I blew out some eggs then I played with a few eggs trying to pick the best drill bit for the job. I tried about 4 different bits.
dremel diamond drill bit for drilled eggs
I ended up going with this high speed cutter. I can control the size of the holes this way. BUT because of it’s shape it doesn’t cut the inside… skin??? What would you call that stuff?
So then I took the small drill bit and ran it along the insides of the holes to clean them out. This was the smallest drill I could find. The 1/32th of an inch. Looking at the pictures of what Franc Grom does his is SO much thinner than my bit. I’m not even sure where he get’s his, but I’d love to find a smaller set. I’m still searching for a itty bitty microscopic drill bit like his.
Also my eggs kept breaking when I drilled the holes to close to each other. I have to wonder how Franc Grom gets rid of his inside “skin” as well as how he get’s his designs so close together. Does he treat the outside with something first? Something to make it stronger? When I try these again I’d try covering it with something, maybe Mod Podge first to help strengthen them, and even gloss them up a bit.-then try it. I would love to have been able to get more detail but I didn’t want to push my luck with even more eggs breaking.
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You might try dipping them in wax or spraying them with an acrylic sealer to toughen them up a bit. Not sure about the membrane though. If it dried first, it might be flake out better but it might also be harder to clear out since it would probably break off in bits.
This is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen! love it!
I love it good idea, thank you for sharing with us…
if you spiking francais
je aurais plus je trouve, que sais une bonne idee, sais facile a faire.
merci bien de le partage avec nous…
After carving, soak the eggs in bleach. The membrane will disolve!
I took lessons from a PRO and that is what I learned.
GREAT work! ENJOY…
Thanks, Debi, for that pro tip! : )
Who knew you could do this with eggs?! They’re so pretty and would make such a beautiful Easter centerpiece! Thanks for the write-up!
If you put on a thin layer of plain white glue before drilling, allow it to dry, that will give it extra hardness for your designs. Thats what I put on my sand dollars and boy are they hard!
I just tried my first egg carving, and I have to say, it wasn’t very successful. Looking at your blog, I started thinking, “What if I dripped Elmer’s glue into the egg and let it dry for a few days before cutting. That might get rid of the fragility problem, AND help with the inside skin.
I bought some “MINI” drill bits for my Dremel from ebay. But beware, they are so small that they are easy to break. Not strong enough to make the initial cuts, but definitely good for cleaning the skin.
Don’t know if anyone is still interested in this, as I see it was from 2013, but I make eggs. This is a craft that is not for the faint of heart! First off, You need to spray the egg with clear krylon spray. Elmers glue will only “pull” when cutting. Second, you can NOT use a dremel if you want any detail. There is too much vibration for the sensitive shell. The bit needs to move at at least 300,000 RPM with a air compressor! Third, after you have carved, soak in 1/2 water, bleach solution and the “skin” will come out. About 15 minutes will do it. Hope this helps any budding carvers. Good luck
Tami- thanks for the tips!!
Really cool post Jenny – I learnt a thing or two about carving eggs!
I see you mentioned the use of a Dremel tool. I actually recently wrote a complete FAQ on using a Dremel tool.
Maybe your readers might get some use out of it
http://tooljuice.com/how-to-use-a-rotary-tool-dremel-tool-what-is-faq/