May 20, 2008
7 Tips To Avoid Leaving Finger Prints on Polymer Clay Beads
The enemy of all polymer clay bead makers… the dreaded fingerprint:
Finger prints on your finished beads really look unprofessional. Although you can always sand them out after baking, the fewer prints that you get on your beads in the first place, the less sanding you will have to do later.
The following tips are just a few of the things you can do when making polymer clay beads, to avoid putting your prints on them:
1) Work with firm clay. Soft squishy clay will show finger prints the worst. Start with one of the firmer brands such as Fimo Classic, Kato Polyclay and Premo. If the clay you are using is too soft, you can firm it up by leaching out some of the plasticizers.
2) Work with cool clay. If the clay is soft and finger prints badly because it is too warm, then let it rest. After rolling or shaping a bead always let the bead sit for a bit before doing a final roll or piercing with the bead wire. You can even place the clay in the fridge for awhile to firm it up.
3) Wear gloves. Personally I don't really like wearing latex gloves, my hands get all sweaty in them but they are excellent for extra smooth beads. You can always just use them for the final roll and for piercing if they bug you as well. Finger cots or the cut off fingers from the gloves can work as well if you prefer.
4) Use water. Spray a little water on your hands before doing a final roll and the finger prints disappear.
5) Use cornstarch. I like to rub the surfaces of my fingers and palms with cornstarch to avoid finger printing my beads.
6) Use a light touch. Grabbing your bead with a 'death grip' will surly leave some prints behind! Hold your beads as lightly as you possibly can and there will be a lot less finger prints to remove after baking.
7) Smooth fingerprints away with baby oil. Baby oil or mineral oil is a great diluent for polymer clay. If you rub a few drops on your beads with your finger, you can smooth out any wrinkles or fingerprints left behind. The surface will look all 'smeary' but that will easily sand away after baking. It's way easier to sand off excess baby oil that it is to sand away fingerprints.
I know there are a few more tricks for keeping those nasty fingerprints off of your polymer clay beads. There's a comments section below if you would like to share some ideas. I'd love to hear what works for you.
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Filed under 04: Handling, 05: Techniques, 10: Finishing by Cindy Lietz
Comments on 7 Tips To Avoid Leaving Finger Prints on Polymer Clay Beads »
OHHHHHHHH I needed these tips!!!!!!!!
ALL of the stuff I made in the past had fingerprints on them!!
Thanks Cindy
Kristy's last blog post..Braided Hemp Necklace Pattern
You're very welcome Kristy! Happy to help any way I can! BTW your OHHHHHHH made me smile. I could just feeel your pain!! Hopefully fingerprints are now a thing of the past for you!
Cindy Lietz's last blog post..How to Make Polymer Clay Penants With A Silver Spoon
Excellent tips - I knew about cornstarch but not the baby oil - so will give it a try
Lunes's last blog post..Les Marbrières de Caunes Minervois
Thank you Lunes! Glad to be of some assistance!
Cindy's last blog post..Baking Flat Polymer Clay Sheets - Avoiding Common Problems
Wow, I just found your site, Cindy. Excellent tips and instructions, and a fantastic website to boot! YOU ARE A POLYMER SUPER HERO! Finally a way to conquer the dastardly This-Clay's-Too-Dang-Soft-n-Mushy Villian and his menacing Fingerprint Gang! Oh, man, I'll be up all nite now playing around with these tricks! THANK YOU!!
Whooo Hoooo a Polymer Super Hero!!! Does that mean I get to make my super cape out of polymer clay canes? I'm gonna need a Side-Kick… Lisa are you interested!! Together, 'Ridding this world of the menacing Fingerprint… One bead at a time!'
Cindy's last blog post..No Need for Ebay Polymer Clay when Michaels has their $1 Sale
I wear gloves but I really don't like them. I'm grateful for the other tips you've given here. :D
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You're welcome Kim. I don't like to wear them either. They get too sweaty and icky feeling!
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Hi Cindy,
I love the tips of wearing JUST the fingers of the latex gloves! Who would have thought!?! Thanks for thinking outside the box (and the glove) for all of us :)
Sincerely, Cindy Erickson
You're welcome Cindy! Latex gloves drive me crazy, so if I can avoid using them on my whole hand all the better! Also makes good use of those gloves with the holes in them!
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I tried the gloves, too. They left wrinkles that were worse looking than the finger prints.
How do you:
"you can firm it up by leaching out some of the plasticizers"?
Although I will probably find it on your great site if I keep looking.
Thanks,
Marianne
Marianne, you need to make sure that your gloves are quite tight if you are going to use them, to avoid wrinkles. There is a video in my bead course that teaches you how to leach the plasticizers out of the clay to make it firmer.
Ooooh! These are VERY wonderful ideas! I'm a "clay newbie" as I've only been trying my hand at this for about 3 months now. I've been trying so hard to find my "niche" whether it's beading, sculpting, miniatures, what have you and though I haven't found it yet, but your tips in this have been amazing!
You are truly talented. Keep up the great work!
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It is wonderful to have you here Michele! Make sure to ask any questions you may have about working with polymer clay. Just keep doing what you're doing and your 'niche' will present it self in time!
Cindy Lietz's last blog post..Premo Clay Flower Pendant Necklace Project with Vintage Glass Beads