Polymer Clay Bead Making with Cindy Lietz • "I learned by making mistakes... Now you don't have to."
Home | Polymer Clay Newsletter | Member Video Library | Polymer Clay Basics Course | Video Problems | Contact Cindy
September 21, 2008

Make Polymer Clay Pendants and Flat Beads Smooth and Bubble Free

6

Trapped Air Bubbles in Polymer Clay

Trapped Air in Your Polymer Clay Beads or Pendants Can Quickly Ruin a Piece of Jewelry:

There are a few tricks that you can do to prevent air from getting into your clay. Here are a few of them along with some tips for minimizing the problem if some bubbles do happen to show up:

  • The very first step of any polymer clay project is to condition your clay. Take care not to trap air in your clay at this early stage in the process. Make sure that the fold side always goes into the pasta machine first, so that the air can escape as the layers are squeezed together. Tearing the sheets instead of folding can also help. To learn more about using your pasta machine properly, read this article: Conditioning Polyclay without Trapping Air Bubbles
  • Pop bubbles in raw clay with a pin or a knife, when ever you see them.
  • You can stretch clay to release air pockets that may be trapped inside.
  • Clay that is too soft will trap air bubbles way easier than firm clay. Firm up soft clay by leaching it on a piece of paper.
  • Bake flat beads and pendants in a 'ceramic tile sandwich'. For some tips and instructions on how to do this, read this article: Baking Polymer Clay Pendants
  • Bake flat pendants and polymer clay sheets face down. Hot air rises, so it stands to reason that air trapped in clay will rise as it bakes. Placing your pieces face down will at least send any unwanted bubbles to the back of your piece.
  • If you do see bubbles in your flat pieces after baking or after using a heat gun, place them inside of a 'tile sandwich' while the clay is still warm. When the piece cools many of the bubbles will have disappeared.

So if you want to make polymer clay pendants and flat beads smooth and bubble free, try out the trick outlined above. You'll be happy you did.

Cindy Lietz SignaturePolymer Clay Tutor


Tags: air bubbles, baking, ceramic tiles, conditioning, firm clay, flat beads, folding clay, leaching, pasta machine, pendants, plasticisers, soft clay, tearing clay, trapped air

Filed Under: 02: Tools, 04: Handling, 05: Techniques by Cindy Lietz Comment. #

Comments on Make Polymer Clay Pendants and Flat Beads Smooth and Bubble Free Leave a Comment

September 22, 2008

Cindy Lietz from Wet Sanding Polymer Clay
7:29 pm #

Reply

If you have any tips and tricks of your own on for avoiding bubbles and trapped air in your polymer clay beads and projects, make sure to share them here in the comments section.

September 23, 2008

MJ
6:31 pm #

Reply

Cindy,

The tip about baking face down makes all kinds of sense but I never thought about it. As Yakov says "you will now".

September 25, 2008

Cindy Lietz from Baking Flat Polymer Clay
4:12 pm #

Reply

Yeah don't I know it! Only starting doing this a little while ago myself! Thanks for dropping by MJ, it's nice to hear from you again!

March 15, 2010

Daniela
2:20 pm #

Reply

Thanks a lot in your tutorial. They are very helpful to me because I am now beginning to creating jewelry from fimo. Big greetings from Macedonia

Cindy Lietz from Polymer Clay International
2:28 pm #

Reply

You are very welcome Daniela. Thanks for sharing from Macedonia. For my benefit (and hopefully others too), I looked up some info about your country over at the Wikipedia site….

Macedonia is a landlocked country located on the central Balkan peninsula in Southeastern Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991. It became a member of the United Nations in 1993, but as a result of a dispute with Greece over its name, it was admitted under the provisional reference of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Macedonia is bordered by Kosovo to the northwest, Serbia to the north, Bulgaria to the east, Greece to the south and Albania to the west. The country's capital is Skopje, with 506,926 inhabitants according to a 2004 census. Other cities include Bitola, Kumanovo, Prilep, Tetovo, Ohrid, Veles, Štip, Ko?ani, Gostivar and Strumica. It has more than 50 lakes and sixteen mountains higher than 2,000 m (6,562 ft).

Phaedrakat
7:10 pm #

Reply

Welcome, Daniela!

Leave a Comment

Click here to cancel reply.

Fields marked by an asterisk (*) are required.

Subscribe without commenting

Topic Categories:

  • 01: Courses (2)
  • 02: Tools (125)
  • 03: Supplies (94)
  • 04: Handling (36)
  • 05: Techniques (168)
  • 06: Bead Shapes (110)
  • 07: Cane Work (149)
  • 08: Color Theory (34)
  • 09: Color Recipes (55)
  • 10: Finishing (44)
  • 11: Bead Projects (153)
  • 12: Inspiration (56)
  • 13: Musings-News (144)
  • 14: Feature Guests (120)
  • 15: Promotions (159)
  • 16: Sell Your Stuff (53)

Reader Survey:

Which One of the Following Choices Best Describes You?

Links and Resources

  • Polymer Clay Bead Making Tutorials – Cindy Lietz
  • Polymer Clay Video Tutorial Library
Art & Artist Blogs - Blog Catalog Blog Directory Business Directory for Surrey, BC
RSS feed

Subscribe to this site's RSS feed.

Desktop Reader Bloglines Google Live Netvibes Newsgator Yahoo! What's This?
Free Polymer Clay Tutorials

Archives

Recent Comments

March 16, 2010

  • Mary on Hollow Polymer Clay "Puffy" Beads: Quick & Easy to Make, No Mess
  • Silverleaf on Hollow Polymer Clay "Puffy" Beads: Quick & Easy to Make, No Mess
  • Cindy Lietz@Polymer Clay Tutorial - Faux Opal on Ridiculously Awesome Hammered Metal Bezels for Polymer Jewelry
  • Cindy Lietz@Polymer Clay Tutorial - Faux Opal on Polymer Clay Jewelry for Men - Faux Bone Inlay Pendant Necklace
  • Cindy Lietz@Polymer Clay Tutorial - Faux Opal on Fimo... Isn't that the Clay that Gets Fired In A Toaster Oven?
  • Mary on Polymer Clay Tutorial | Faux Opal Bake and Bond Technique [VIDEO]
  • Mary on Polymer Clay Tutorial | Faux Opal Bake and Bond Technique [VIDEO]
  • Phaedrakat on Polymer Clay Tutorial | Faux Opal Bake and Bond Technique [VIDEO]
  • Phaedrakat on Hidden Treasures to be Discovered in Your Scrap Polymer Clay
  • Ken H on Polymer Clay Tutorial | Faux Opal Bake and Bond Technique [VIDEO]
  • Phaedrakat on Polymer Clay Tutorial | Faux Opal Bake and Bond Technique [VIDEO]
  • Cheryl Hodges on Polymer Clay Tutorial | Faux Opal Bake and Bond Technique [VIDEO]
  • Mary on Hollow Polymer Clay "Puffy" Beads: Quick & Easy to Make, No Mess
  • Peggy Barnes on Polymer Clay Tutorial | Faux Opal Bake and Bond Technique [VIDEO]
  • Phaedrakat on Fimo... Isn't that the Clay that Gets Fired In A Toaster Oven?
  • Mary on Hollow Polymer Clay "Puffy" Beads: Quick & Easy to Make, No Mess
  • Phaedrakat on Hollow Polymer Clay "Puffy" Beads: Quick & Easy to Make, No Mess
  • Cindy Lietz@College Football Jewelry on Fimo... Isn't that the Clay that Gets Fired In A Toaster Oven?
  • Katie on Fimo... Isn't that the Clay that Gets Fired In A Toaster Oven?
  • DJ on Polymer Clay Tutorial | Faux Opal Bake and Bond Technique [VIDEO]
  • BLong on Hollow Polymer Clay "Puffy" Beads: Quick & Easy to Make, No Mess
  • DJ on Hidden Treasures to be Discovered in Your Scrap Polymer Clay
  • Silverleaf on Polymer Clay Tutorial | Faux Opal Bake and Bond Technique [VIDEO]
  • Brenda on Polymer Clay Tutorial | Making Your Own Custom Buttons [VIDEO]
  • Ritzs on Polymer Clay Tutorial | Faux Opal Bake and Bond Technique [VIDEO]
  • Bonnie on Polymer Clay Tutorial | Making Your Own Custom Buttons [VIDEO]
  • Brenda on Polymer Clay Tutorial | Making Your Own Custom Buttons [VIDEO]
  • Bonnie on Polymer Clay Tutorial | Making Your Own Custom Buttons [VIDEO]
  • Bonnie on Polymer Clay Tutorial | Making Your Own Custom Buttons [VIDEO]
  • Linda K. on Polymer Clay Tutorial | Faux Opal Bake and Bond Technique [VIDEO]
  • Elizabeth S. on Polymer Clay Tutorial | Faux Opal Bake and Bond Technique [VIDEO]
  • Elizabeth S. on Polymer Clay Tutorial | Faux Opal Bake and Bond Technique [VIDEO]
  • Cara on Polymer Clay Tutorial | Faux Opal Bake and Bond Technique [VIDEO]
  • Lisa Whitham on Hidden Treasures to be Discovered in Your Scrap Polymer Clay
  • Linda B. on Polymer Clay Tutorial | Faux Opal Bake and Bond Technique [VIDEO]
  • Brenda on Polymer Clay Tutorial | Making Your Own Custom Buttons [VIDEO]
  • Peggy Barnes on Hidden Treasures to be Discovered in Your Scrap Polymer Clay
  • Elizabeth K. on Interchangeable Pendants, First Kaleidoscope Canes [SPOTLIGHT]
  • Phaedrakat on Hidden Treasures to be Discovered in Your Scrap Polymer Clay

March 15, 2010

  • Phaedrakat on Polymer Clay Tutorial | Making Your Own Custom Buttons [VIDEO]
  • Phaedrakat on Calla Lily Beads in a Rainbow of Inspirational Colors [Q&A]
  • Phaedrakat on Calla Lily Beads in a Rainbow of Inspirational Colors [Q&A]
  • Cindy Lietz on Calla Lily Beads in a Rainbow of Inspirational Colors [Q&A]
  • lynn watts on Calla Lily Beads in a Rainbow of Inspirational Colors [Q&A]
  • Mary on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Cindy Lietz@Lentil Beads on Hidden Treasures to be Discovered in Your Scrap Polymer Clay
  • Brenda on Polymer Clay Tutorial | Making Your Own Custom Buttons [VIDEO]
  • Phaedrakat on Make Polymer Clay Pendants and Flat Beads Smooth and Bubble Free
  • Helen Sperring (honeyclay) on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Kat on Polymer Clay Tutorial | Making Your Own Custom Buttons [VIDEO]
  • Helen Sperring (honeyclay) on Hidden Treasures to be Discovered in Your Scrap Polymer Clay
  • Cheryl Hodges on Hidden Treasures to be Discovered in Your Scrap Polymer Clay
  • Brenda on Polymer Clay Tutorial | Making Your Own Custom Buttons [VIDEO]
  • Kat on Polymer Clay Tutorial | Making Your Own Custom Buttons [VIDEO]
  • Kat on Hidden Treasures to be Discovered in Your Scrap Polymer Clay
  • Cindy Lietz@Polymer Clay International on Make Polymer Clay Pendants and Flat Beads Smooth and Bubble Free
  • Daniela on Make Polymer Clay Pendants and Flat Beads Smooth and Bubble Free
  • Bonnie on Polymer Clay Tutorial | Making Your Own Custom Buttons [VIDEO]
  • Mary on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Kat on Polymer Clay Tutorial | Making Your Own Custom Buttons [VIDEO]
  • aims on Hidden Treasures to be Discovered in Your Scrap Polymer Clay
  • carolyn on Interchangeable Pendants, First Kaleidoscope Canes [SPOTLIGHT]
  • carolyn on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • carolyn on Hidden Treasures to be Discovered in Your Scrap Polymer Clay
  • carolyn on Ridiculously Awesome Hammered Metal Bezels for Polymer Jewelry
  • Bonnie on Polymer Clay Tutorial | Making Your Own Custom Buttons [VIDEO]
  • Brenda on Polymer Clay Tutorial | Making Your Own Custom Buttons [VIDEO]
  • Bonnie on Polymer Clay Tutorial | Making Your Own Custom Buttons [VIDEO]
  • Brenda on Polymer Clay Tutorial | Making Your Own Custom Buttons [VIDEO]
  • Catalina on Calla Lily Beads in a Rainbow of Inspirational Colors [Q&A]
  • Bonnie on Polymer Clay Tutorial | Making Your Own Custom Buttons [VIDEO]
  • Bonnie on Polymer Clay Tutorial | Making Your Own Custom Buttons [VIDEO]
  • Brenda on Polymer Clay Tutorial | Making Your Own Custom Buttons [VIDEO]
  • j frederick on How to Make Beads | Basic Tool Kit for Working with Polymer Clay
  • Silverleaf on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Silverleaf on Hidden Treasures to be Discovered in Your Scrap Polymer Clay
  • Ritzs on Hidden Treasures to be Discovered in Your Scrap Polymer Clay
  • Bonnie on Hidden Treasures to be Discovered in Your Scrap Polymer Clay
  • Ken H on Hidden Treasures to be Discovered in Your Scrap Polymer Clay
  • Lisa Whitham on Hidden Treasures to be Discovered in Your Scrap Polymer Clay
  • Lisa Whitham on Hidden Treasures to be Discovered in Your Scrap Polymer Clay
  • Sue F on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Robin Elsey on Phthalate-Free Premo Polymer Clay - A Blessing or a Curse
  • Kat on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Mary on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Phaedrakat on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Lisa Whitham on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Phaedrakat on Hammered Hoop Earrings with Mokume Gane Polymer Clay Beads [Q+A]
  • Lisa Whitham on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads

March 14, 2010

  • Mary on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Mary on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Phaedrakat on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Sue F on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Joyce M on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Phaedrakat on How to Make Beads | Basic Tool Kit for Working with Polymer Clay
  • Phaedrakat on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Phaedrakat on Polymer Clay Color Recipes | Ice Cave Palette (Premo Sculpey)
  • Mary on How to Make Beads | Basic Tool Kit for Working with Polymer Clay
  • lynn watts on Calla Lily Beads in a Rainbow of Inspirational Colors [Q&A]
  • Phaedrakat on Vol-020 Jan'2010 Back Issues Now Posted in Polymer Clay Library
  • Lina Forti on Hammered Hoop Earrings with Mokume Gane Polymer Clay Beads [Q+A]
  • Phaedrakat on How to Make Beads | Basic Tool Kit for Working with Polymer Clay
  • Mary on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Phaedrakat on Making Jupiter Beads, Faux Raku plus Mod Canes for Fun and Profit
  • Phaedrakat on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Mary on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Phaedrakat on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Ken H. on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Linda K. on Calla Lily Beads in a Rainbow of Inspirational Colors [Q&A]
  • Phaedrakat on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Mary on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Mary on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Sue F on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Mary on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Linda K. on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • DJ on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Peggy Barnes on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Cara on Making Jupiter Beads, Faux Raku plus Mod Canes for Fun and Profit
  • Cheryl Hodges on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Elizabeth S. on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Ken H. on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Victory Swift on Vol-020 Jan'2010 Back Issues Now Posted in Polymer Clay Library
  • carolyn on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Ken H. on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • rose m on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • JoyceM on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Cindy Lietz@Jewelry Findings - Head Pins and Eye Screws on Vol-021 Feb'2010 Back Issues Now Posted in Polymer Clay Library
  • Cindy Graveline on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Lisa Whitham on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • rose m on Vol-021 Feb'2010 Back Issues Now Posted in Polymer Clay Library
  • Bonnie on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Cara on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Maureen G on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Elizabeth S. on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Ritzs on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Carole Holt on Faux Jade Polymer Clay Technique for Making Jewelry and Beads
  • Phaedrakat on Phthalate-Free Premo Polymer Clay - A Blessing or a Curse
  • Phaedrakat on Ridiculously Awesome Hammered Metal Bezels for Polymer Jewelry
  • Robin Elsey on Phthalate-Free Premo Polymer Clay - A Blessing or a Curse
  • Cindy Lietz@Polymer Clay Beginners Course - Reviews on Starter Tools for Basic Polymer Clay Projects
  • Coral Young on Starter Tools for Basic Polymer Clay Projects
About Cindy Lietz, The Polymer Clay Tutor Terms of Use Privacy Policy
Copyright 2010