Polymer Clay Projects – Large Beads From Mokume Gane Covered Wood

How to make big beads for jewelry making projects without using up too much of your precious Fimo or Premo Sculpey Clay:

Q: "My question is this: Can I attach mogame slices to wood? I tried to and it wouldn't stick. Can you use some kind of adhesive? I'm trying to save my clay by using wood balls as the inside." ~Mary Ellen Soffee

A: The nice thing about Mokume Gane is that you can use thin slices of this beautifully patterned clay to cover a multitude of things. So your idea of saving clay by using the slices to cover wooden balls instead of clay ones, is good.

However, there are some problems to be aware of when covering wood with polymer clay. Sometimes there is a finish or a residue on the wood that the clay won't stick to. Plus there is the issue of the wood being porous.

Porous materials can absorb moisture from cool damp air, and then expel it again when the dryness returns. This causes expansion and contraction. In other words, a wooden ball can actually change size according to the fluctuating temperatures and moisture levels of the air surrounding it.

This creates problems when you try to layer something rigid and non-porous like baked polymer clay, over top of something porous like wood. The hardened clay will only stretch so far before it cracks or breaks.

There are ways to seal the wood so that it does not absorb moisture and will accept the polymer clay. I published some tips about doing this in an article about covering wooden door pulls with Fimo clay. Here's the link: Polymer Clay Bathroom Knobs

Another "dummy bead" solution to conserve on the amount of clay required to make your over-sized beads, is to use something that's non-porous and that's also readily available… like tin foil! More about this idea here: Making Large Polymer Clay Beads

Thanks Mary for sending in your polymer clay project question about making large Mokume Gane beads. It is always nice to have lots of creative options for working with polymer clay. If you have further questions about this topic please use the comments section below. To send me questions about new topics, use the contact Cindy Link at the top of this page.