Monthly Archives: July 2007

How to make Polymer clay charms?

hiyaa (: i need H-E-L-P! i am into crafty things so i would like to know how to make polymer clay charms. i need easy instructions, please no videos, my speakers broke ); lol i also need the materials. so far i know i need fimo or sculpey clay, eye pins, necklaces bracelets rings etc, an oven, cutting knife, and a gloss. WHAT TYPE OF GLOSS?!?!?! names please! PLEASE HELP ME!!!!
-god bless <3 thanks for reading, now ANSWER ;D

First, “charms” made from polymer clay could be almost anything… from little objects or food perhaps, to heads or figures, or beads of any shape, or basically anything that’s small and can dangle. And polymer clay can be made to look like all kinds of other things too, like jade, metal, wood, pearl, ivory, rock, etc., etc., and it can be practically any color, pattern, or texture you can imagine.

As for the specific clay, if you want to make them from polymer clay, I’d suggest starting with Premo perhaps, or you could use any of the brands or lines of polymer clay you want but some are more breakable after baking if thin or if they have projecting areas (Sculpey, SuperSculpey, Sculpey Iii)… and some are on the very-firm side though excellent after “conditioning” (Kato Polyclay, FimoClassic).

And btw, the various polymer clays *can* all be mixed together, or used together, without problems (unless perhaps you’re doing “caning” in which case it can be important to use colors of the same firmness–but that can be created in other ways than using the same brand… also even the clays which now recommend lower baking temps can still be baked at the original temps of 265-275, or you can choose a temp between the two…always use an oven thermometer though no matter what you do, so add a $5-6 one from the grocery to your must-have tools list).

As for the gloss finishes, various finishes can be used–and they don’t have to be the same brands as the clay at all!.
In fact the most common clear gloss finishes used (if a finish is even desired) are clear gloss polyurethane (from the hardware store), Future** floor polish, and clear acrylic fingernail polish. I believe that the new version of Sculpey’s finish is just polyurethane repackaged.

**now renamed Pledge with Future Shine

The type of clear finishes you *wouldn’t* want to use are any which are petroleum-solvent based (any that clean up with paint thinner instead of water) because they will eventually eat into polymer clay.
Some people use less-strong clear finishes too like decoupage medium, dimensional white glues like Diamond Glaze, or gloss acrylic medium, etc., but those are more scratchable and also more prone to later cloudiness from moisture than the ones I mentioned.

As for hanging the “charms” from a necklace/bracelet/earring, the most common way is probably to embed the shank of a shortened eye pin into the clay, snug clay back around shank, and bake… after baking, the eye pin can be pulled out and glued back in with superglue.
Or better, if the shank of the eye pin is just bent a little (I make a zigzag bend) before being placed in the clay, no later pulling out or gluing is necessary.
The method described above for using a *head pin* is when the charm acts more like a regular bead and a hole is made all the way through it so that the long shank of the pin (head pin or eye pin) can be run all the way through it… in that case, usually a loop will need to be made at the straight end of the pin that extends out of the hole so it can be attached to something else to connect and hang.

You can get loads of info, tutorials, examples, tips, etc., on all the things above at my polymer clay “encyclopedia.”
Here are some of the pages there to check out for just the things discussed above:

clear finishes

http://glassattic.com/polymer/finishes.htm

characteristics of the various clay brands

http://glassattic.com/polymer/Characteristics.htm

“hanging” things
http://glassattic.com/polymer/pendants_cording.htm …click on *Top Loops*

cutters & blades…and work surfaces, tools

http://glassattic.com/polymer/cutters-blades.htm

http://glassattic.com/polymer/tools_Dremels_worksurfaces.htm

miniatures (often used as “charms”)

http://glassattic.com/polymer/miniatures.htm

but also beads of all kinds:

http://glassattic.com/polymer/beads.htm

…and making long holes in beads for hanging:

http://glassattic.com/polymer/beads-holes.htm

HTH,

Diane B.

How to make a Flower Petal From Polymer Clay

Faux Surfaces in Polymer Clay: 30 Techniques & Projects That Imitate Precious Stones, Metals, Wood & More $27.95 The colors, textures, and versatility of polymer clay make it a perfect medium for creating faux surfaces. These 30 recipes for special finishing, shaping, baking, and molding techniques will magically transform polymer’s appearance. Craft gorgeous faux gemstones, including tiger eye, jade, or malachite. Fool the eye with imitation metals: pewter, Balinese silver, verdigris copper, even rusted ste…