Conditioning the Clay Polymer clay must be conditioned prior to use. If you do not have a pasta machine, the easiest way to condition Fimo polymer clay is to begin by squeezing it on all sides. The clay is very responsive to pressure and will take on an elastic feel. Roll it into a ball, then a snake. Fold it back on itself and roll a snake again. Repeat a few times then, roll a thick cylinder. Cut 1/8-inch thick slices from the cylinder and roll through the pasta machine on a thin setting. Roll each slice and integrate into the whole. Continue until all the slices are integrated and the sheet feels supple and elastic.
Fimo polymer clay can also be conditioned by cutting slices approximately 1/4- inch thick directly from the block, compressing and thinning slices using an acrylic rod to a thickness of approximately 1/8-inch thick. Roll each thinned slice through the pasta machine on the thickest setting, then reset and roll the sheets through until they are of medium thinness. Finish by folding and rolling through the thinner setting to expedite the conditioning process. Roll slices together to finish.
Occasionally, you might need to add a clay softener to expedite the conditioning process.
Fimo Soft polymer clay may be conditioned easily by slicing the block in half then rolling each half through the pasta machine. Roll them together, then fold and roll, fold and roll until the sheet is soft and pliable and the surface is unblemished.
Cookie Cutter Star Millefiori Cane
Making images with polymer clay doesn't need to be complicated! Use cookie cutters to create simple clay canes. Once you have the cane, cut slices from it to cover base clay shapes such as the ball pictured here.
Materials:
Fimo Soft or Fimo in your choice of colors
open-backed cookie cutters for craft use only--this project use a star and a circle cutter
NuBlade Kato clay tool
pasta machine or brayer
cornstarch or talcum powder
Steps:
Form a slab of both the star color and the background color approximately 1/2- inch thick with a surface large enough to accompany the size of the cookie cutters. Guest Donna Kato stacked four 1/8-inch sheets of conditioned clay to achieve each 1/2-inch thick slab.
Lightly dust the cutting edge of the star cookie cutter then cut the shape out of the star color slab. Remove the clay from the cutter carefully and set aside.
Lightly re-dust the cutting edge of the star cookie cutter then cut a star shape out of the center of the background color slab. Remove the clay from the inside of the cutter and set aside.
Use the NuBlade clay tool to make two cuts in the background slab at two opposite star points. Gently separate the clay at the cuts, opening up the star-shaped hole.
Insert the cut-out star from step 1 into the star-shaped hole cut from the background slab. Push the background slab together at the cuts made in step 4 to reform the slab.
Lightly dust the cutting edge of the round cutter. Center the round cutter onto the assembled slab around the inserted star and cut through the clay (figure A ). This will create a round, short star cane.
To reduce the cane into a longer, thinner shape, gently squeeze the outside of it, rotating while squeezing until the cane is the desired diameter.
Cut small slices from the ends of the cane to reveal the star. Cut the cane into slices to create beads, medallions or pieces to cover base items. Bake the clay according to manufacturer's instructions.
Resources Fimo polymer clay, Marxit Kato, NuBlade Kato - Prairie Craft
Prairie Craft Company/Kato Polyclay
Website:
www.prairiecraft.com
or
Website:
www.katopolyclay.comThe Art of Polymer Clay: Designs and Techniques for Making Jewelry, Pottery and Decorative Artwork
by Donna Kato
Watson-Guptill, 1997
Order this title from Amazon.com.
Prairie Craft Company/Kato Polyclay
Website:
www.prairiecraft.com
or
Website:
www.katopolyclay.com Guests Donna Kato
Artist and owner of Prairie Craft Company
Website:
www.prairiecraft.com
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