Vid #24: The Amaco Professional Bead Rack – It’s Good for So Much More than Just Baking Beads:
Although this tool is designed to fit into most polymer clay ovens for baking beads, it has a variety of other uses too.
You can use it to support your beads while applying liquid finishes after the baking process is complete.
You can use if for cutting canes by running your cutting blade along the vertical edges of the bead rack as a guide. The Amaco rack also has 45 degree grooves for cutting canes at an angle.
And finally, the piece of plexiglas or acrylic sheet that comes with the Professional Amaco Bead Baking Rack can be used on its own for rolling all sorts of clay logs, tube beads and swirly lentils.
By the way, all bead racks come with wire pins to pierce through your unbaked beads. These pins then rest on the edges of the bead rack which allows the beads to be suspended during the baking process. Don’t let these pins sit in water or stay wet for too long. They will rust!
>> Polymer Clay Tutorials <<
The full version of the “Amaco Bead Rack” preview video shown above, is included in my Polymer Clay Bead Making Fundamentals Course [SEE Video #12 of 39]. Next to the pasta machine, my bead rack is one of the polymer clay tools I use most. In this video I demonstrate and explain it’s various uses.
See how to bake a boat-load of beads using this AMACO rack here:
Polymer Clay Baking Instructions
And if you want to see how to use the acrylic sheet that comes with the AMACO Bead Rack for rolling snakes and lentil beads, have a look at these videos:
Polymer Clay Lentil Beads – Making Them Can Be Very Addictive
Rolling Polymer Clay – What They Never Taught You in Kindergarten
Cindy’s last blog post..Finishing Polymer Clay Beads with Future Floor Polish – Makes ‘em Shine
Lol! The rust comment sounds like experience talking.
Thanks for the warning.
You are so right! I always seem to learn things the hard way!
Cindy Lietz’s last blog post..Faux Turquoise Jewelry Bracelet – Polymer Clay Bead Making Projects
I would like to buy some new pins for my AMACO rack and was wondering if anyone has found a supplier who sells the pins without the rack? Many thanks.
@Susan B: Sue, try firemountaingems.com for needles that are the same dimension, and I also found that my old turkey pins work on it. The turkey pins are cheap and replacable at any kitchenware isle.
@Susan B: I love Jocelyn’s idea for the turkey baster pins though they are thicker than the bead piercing pins that come with the rack. You can also order extra pins directly from Amaco if you want more the same size. They aren’t too expensive at around $5.75 for 50. Go to amaco.com for more info.
@Cindy Lietz from Polymer Clay Tutorial – Embedded Links: Will take a look at the Amaco website many thanks.
@Jocelyn: I also like your turkey pin suggestion but I don’ think they will be easy to find in Italy! I will also check out Firemountaingems. Thanks.
Good luck, Sue. Also check their head pin collection, some of them are super long, and cheap!