RE: The POLYCLAY thread!!!

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RE: The POLYCLAY thread!!! - 3/22/2007 7:26:49 PM

Harlan

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Answering questions from my WIP thread:

The pieces with all the holes in it are pendants - as they are they would be too large/heavy for earrings, smaller versions might be possible. Would probably have to put findings (eyehook) into the "pod" before the second layer/cooking.

I'm using an exacto knife and/or a dremel (with a cone shaped bit) to make the holes - my exacto blade is not the sharpest and a really sharp blade would work far better - just a matter of keeping a light even pressure and not wobbling the blade around too much. The dremel works pretty well but can leave just the thinnest bits ruffling the edge of the hole - I think it may be the result of the heat of the drill. The exacto blade cleans that up very nicely on the deeper holes - it's a little harder on the shallower holes.

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Post #: 101

RE: The POLYCLAY thread!!! - 3/24/2007 5:29:04 PM

labeana

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so you are talking about using the xacto blade as a "drill" ? twirling it around til it makes a circle? that is what I've been doing but wanted an easier way to make uniform holes quickly....like taking the eraser out of a pensil and using that, only smaller lol...know of what to find something like that? I'm gonna go looking on Google....thanks

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Post #: 102

RE: The POLYCLAY thread!!! - 3/24/2007 5:53:49 PM

Harlan

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Use a dremel with a cone shaped drill bit - works very well indeed!! :)

Mine isn't as nice as this model. ;)

Dremels come with a lot of different shaped drill bits so you can get whatever sizes suit your needs.

The only point of using an exacto blade for the holey bits in the pods is the angle forms a different shaped hole than with my drill bit which can be an advantage sometimes.

< Message edited by Harlan -- 3/24/2007 5:55:01 PM >

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Post #: 103

RE: The POLYCLAY thread!!! - 3/25/2007 2:59:03 PM

Harlan

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Good TIPS: when your hands are getting sticky from clay - use BABY WIPES - these also can be used to help smooth clay as well.

Washing your hands in cold water also makes handling/shaping clay easier.

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Post #: 104

RE: The POLYCLAY thread!!! - 3/28/2007 8:31:36 AM

BeadedHeron

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Wow I just spotted this thread again and see your wonderful new work Jeanne! BRAVO!!!!!

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Post #: 105

RE: The POLYCLAY thread!!! - 4/5/2007 9:51:50 PM

Harlan

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These are experiments. The only one that is really nicely finished is the upper left bracelet. With the others on the tube I was using up left over clay and such. The pieces in the foreground were waiting for the final, sixth piece to be completed so I could put this one together and see if this idea worked. It did work pretty nicely but will need some minor adjustments before I do a serious project of this form.

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Post #: 106

RE: The POLYCLAY thread!!! - 4/5/2007 10:46:19 PM

bromley2

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Aw, gee, these are just amazing. I really need to get more familiar with polyclay......

Carolyn

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Post #: 107

RE: The POLYCLAY thread!!! - 4/5/2007 11:14:59 PM

GreenBiscuit

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Okay, I NEED to have the bracelet in the rear right.....

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Post #: 108

RE: The POLYCLAY thread!!! - 4/6/2007 6:26:25 AM

BeadedHeron

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Very fun!! I LOVE the middle one the best! I love them all of course, and I really love the one waiting for the next piece! Fun stuff!

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Post #: 109

RE: The POLYCLAY thread!!! - 4/10/2007 11:24:09 AM

Harlan

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three bracelets - the outside two are smaller than the first (middle) one that I tried with this basic alternating puff triangles. They're all strung with elastic cord which is needed on the outer two, the middle one slides on my hand without the need to stretch.

Currently I also have a whole bunch of beads similar to the upper left bracelet in the previous photo in the rock tumbler. These new beads are all hollow which was a lot of work but will make the bracelet much lighter. Very time consuming making the hollow and puffed beads/sections but worth the effort since it makes the pieces lighter and uses far less clay.

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Post #: 110

RE: The POLYCLAY thread!!! - 4/10/2007 11:29:58 AM

Harlan

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TIP:

When running a Skinner blend through the pasta machine that is not the width of the pasta machine - always keep one edge against the edge of the pasta machine and alternate which edge after each fold. Doing so helps to keep the clay a bit more square as you continue the fold, roll, fold and roll.

If you are not familiar with a "Skinner Blend" - it is a technique originated by Somename Skinner to blend colors evenly. There are numerous places on the web which describe the technique in detail and provide pictures of the process.

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Post #: 111

RE: The POLYCLAY thread!!! - 4/10/2007 1:17:02 PM

Harlan

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TOOL - that you really need to make:

Take a very fine beading needle and make a polyclay handle for it - bake as directed. This tool is extremely useful for piercing the small bubbles of air that often get trapped in the clay and it really is worth having such a needle with a good handle - believe me, you'll use it often!

Everytime you run polyclay through the pasta machine - check for bubbles on one side of your sheet, pierce those, smooth with a finger tip and fold your clay to go through the pasta machine again with those now pierced/smoothed bubbles on the outside. If you fold them to the interior there is a chance that your very small hole from the needle will form a new bubble.

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Post #: 112

RE: The POLYCLAY thread!!! - 4/10/2007 1:36:39 PM

Harlan

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Very crudely done and I also learned that this needs to be baked in either a sizable toaster oven or a regular oven - part of this experiment burnt a bit. It's possible that I might be able to sand that off but mostly I just wanted to see how this basically works.

I formed this ON a soda can but I wonder if it might actually be easier to form off and then place on the can and compress the necessary bits for size - certainly would make it easier to manipulate the clay if it were off the can in the formation stage.

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Post #: 113

RE: The POLYCLAY thread!!! - 4/10/2007 4:00:25 PM

Harlan

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Okay - this one was formed off the soda can - no soda can used at all - still very crude but I'm just trying to learn the basics of this right now.

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RE: The POLYCLAY thread!!! - 4/10/2007 5:35:31 PM

bromley2

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Wow, those are neat. I love the swirly design. So, no soda cans were harmed in the making of the second one? Very humane of you!

Carolyn

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Post #: 115

RE: The POLYCLAY thread!!! - 4/10/2007 6:37:05 PM

Harlan

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Thanks! :) I think I'm beginning to get the hang of these - next time I'll probably plan out my colors and such carefully rather than patching junky clay together as best I can. Pretty satisfied with the third experiment on these:

In the previous experiment I had just been distorting the clay laterally - in this one (which is so much better) I'm flipping the inside to the outside and the outside in - kewl!! :)

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Post #: 116

RE: The POLYCLAY thread!!! - 4/10/2007 10:05:36 PM

bromley2

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Really cool. Yes, like this third one the best. Are there sparkly thingies in the clay, like glitter? Looks really nice!

Carolyn

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RE: The POLYCLAY thread!!! - 4/11/2007 3:20:28 PM

BeadedHeron

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OH WOW! These are awesome bracelets! I LOVE the last one!

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Post #: 118

RE: The POLYCLAY thread!!! - 4/11/2007 5:29:48 PM

Harlan

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Thanks Carolyn, Steph!! :)

I did that last one just before retiring so I thought I should be able to make one again this morning without too much trouble- nope. First one I totally wonked - rolled it back out again and did manage to figure out how to do the flips again but it isn't a very nicely done piece. So then I did this one:

which is probably better over all than the previous "success" but this is a lot more dimensional too. Some areas are not really finely finished but I felt lucky that I managed to get the flips since I approached doing them from a totally different direction than previously.

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