Polymer Clay Tutorial | Make a Mod Cane Using a Clay Extruder Tool

Love the mod cane tutorial….you make it look so easy. Great video!

I really appreciated that you showed today's color along with the color recipe for Pansy (in the email.) I wish I could see what the finished color was every time.

That's a cool technique…love the video and color pallete. Thanks so much.

Another great video. Great tips on filling the extruder with clay. I had made a cane before with my new extruder and based on the wonderful tips you shared in this video. I will be pulling it out again. As usual…great job!!!

Perfect timing Cindy. I just ordered an extruder last night. Can't wait to get it and follow your video.

Thanks for the compliments girls! I am glad you all liked it! There will be lots more cool canes I'll show you using your extruder, so stay tuned!

Cool, Cindy!!! Thanks so much for sharing this technique with us :) It looks like it is so fun to do!!! I will definitely by trying this one!

I went to my local craft store twice and both times the rack for the Makins Clay Extruder was empty. I told the manager the last time. Hopefully it will be there when I go back to get it! Also, how can I find one with the handy case??? I have looked all over online for one, and can only see the package without the case :(

Thanks for the great video (as always!)!!!

Hugs to you,

Cindy E.

This is one of my fav canes…so easy to make, but it always looks fabulous. :) You do a great job with the site & vids. Keep up the great work!

Thought I'd also let you know that my North Texas polymer clay guild just announced a BOH challenge today that is open to anyone who wants to enter…and cash prizes are involved. So spread the word! The entry form & more info is available on our website here: www.ntpcg.org/boh.html

Hugs,
Laura

@Cindy E: Maybe they aren't selling those cases anymore? I noticed they do have a case showing on the professional tool kit shown on the Makins site but it didn't show a case for the extruder. If you had the professional tool kit (which looks cool btw) the extruder would probably fit in there too! Hope you can find one soon!

@Laura: I'm glad you like the cane! Thanks for the info on the challenge too Laura. I'm sure some of the readers readers here would be interested!

Me again. I bought a small extruder and it worked OK. Both my local Michael's have them on back order for me. My hats off to you, thanks for you videos.

I never would have figured out how to make this. Really neat technique, tried it and came out great. I got a Makins extruder a couple months ago and it did not come with a case; I keep the extra discs in a medicine bottle. These are hard to find at Michael's or Hobby Lobby, it is kind of hit or miss.

I have a question about bead making. When you make a cane do bake up a bunch of beads of different shapes or do you save the cane and make beads as you need them or do make all the canes for a project at once?

@Paul: Which small extruder are you talking about? Also, is it the Makins Professional that you have on back order? Just curious…

@Anna: Yeah I've heard a few people say they haven't seen it in the case, too bad, it's nice. Good idea for storing the disks though! Probably can get a ton of them in there. As far as how I make beads, I tend to make canes when I feel like it, and beads when I feel like it. Then when I go to make a project I dig through the beads I have completed and see what I can make. If I was going to go into production on a certain cane or bead I would be much more systematic than that! You could never make money at making beads if you were all haphazard like that. The haphazard thing works for me when I need to come up with new ideas though, so it really depends on what I'm trying to do as to how I approach it. Do what works best for you!

OH I just LOVE THIS CANE!! when I saw it I just had to make it, and it came out so cute that I'm going to make earrings to match, and I'm going to make some for my sister and mom..and everyone else!! I really love your work Cindy, and I'm so glad that I stumbled upon your website. I look forward to more videos!!

So pleased you enjoyed the video and you are making things with the cane already Crystal! That's exactly the kind of thing I like to hear!

I love this and can't wait to make some! You explained it so well and made it so easy! Thank you!

You're very welcome Joyce! I'm glad you liked the video!

Cindy I really love your videos. I live in a rural area where I don't have access to workshops, so I really appreciate your workshop-like videos. Last weekend I made a mod cane following the instructions on your video and I was amazed at how easy it was! I have been wanting to work with polymer clay for quite some time, and had even bought some of the supplies. However, I couldn't get over that hurdle of actually sitting down and making something until I watched your step-by-step videos. Thank you!

Karen that is very exciting for me to hear! I too have lived 'out in the country' and know it isn't always easy to learn new things, isolated like that… until the Internet!! It's like I'm sitting right there with you.

The learning goes both ways too! I have learned so much from the interaction of people just like you. What a wonderful way to connect and learn!

Thank you so much for your comments. It made my day!

I agree 100% about how easy you make the mod canes! They are by far my favorite to make now. I had been following the directions in a book; rolling logs, slicing, etc. It was so much quicker using the extruder to cut the circles. My favorite way to use them is to reduce them to between 1/4" and 1/2" square slice them into thick beads and make bracelets! These canes are sooo cute when reduced that small and people are astounded at the detail, they'd never believe that it takes 10 minutes to make! Keep up the good work!!

**PHOTOS ADDED: The following link will take you to a Spotlight Article Featuring some of Carrie's beautiful beads: Mod Cane Bracelet, Faux Raku, Jupiter Beads

I know, using an extruder is way easy than the bulls eye way, isn't it! I love how each slice is a little different too! Glad you are having fun with this cane. Bet your bracelets are cute! Thanks for commenting!

Cindy,

I live near a polymer clay store and visited to buy supplies. One of the items I wanted to get was the Makins clay extruder that you recommend. This store doesn't carry it, because the proprietress thinks it isn't really strong enough. She says the Makins product is intended for air-dry clays such as the one Makins produces. She has her own product which admittedly looked and felt pretty heavy-duty. She has a line of disks made from acrylic that work with her extruders.

Before I invest in this thing (the choices range from $75-95), I wanted to ask if your projects are tailored to the Makins extruder, or are they pretty generic, so that if I bought this, I would still be able to follow along?

Here is a link to the extruder if you want to look at it: polymerclayexpress.com/clay_extruder.html

She carries 200 disks but with my limited experience, it appeared to me that there were a lot that I'd probably never be interested in.

Thanks,
Carole

Hi Carole, thanks for your comment! As far as the Makins Extruder goes, I think it is a very good little extruder and is strong enough for polymer clay as long as you don't try to force a very hard clay through it.

The Polymer Clay Express PCE extruder looks to be a great product, though I haven't tried it myself yet. It is a very sturdy design and was made for use with polymer clay.

It is expensive but may very well be worth the cost since it should last a lifetime. I would just buy a few disks and add to them as you go.

As far as which extruder you will need for the techniques I teach, doesn't really matter. So far all the techniques I've done with them use standard die shapes that should be found in most extruders.

The one cool thing about the PCE disks is they have larger dies for making bracelet blanks that I would like to try some time.

Either way an extruder is a handy thing to use!

I love this Extruder Mod Cane — the video is so great! I've seen written tutes before, but it sure makes a difference seeing Cindy demonstrate the technique. She makes it look so easy!

I just got this back issue (Vol. 9,) and I really want to get started on this. But I haven't been able to find the Makin's Ult. Extruder at my local craft stores, either. I'm gonna have to order one. I purchased Sculpey's cheap "squeeze trigger" type years ago when I first got into polymer clay (& then had to store it all for a few years for surgery.) Like Cindy says in her blog on 12/23/08 (Direct Link: Makins Ultimate Clay Extruder), you have to be a muscle-man/woman to use it. I've seen some instructions on how to adapt a caulking gun & other things to make the little cheap ones work, but I don't feel like throwing any more time or money at it. Of course, after seeing this video, I am dying to get started on the wonderful extruder techniques! This mod cane looks so fast and easy. I know this cane will be incredibly useful for covering all sorts of things, not just beads. Yep, I guess I'll have to order one. (Darn you, Michael's & JoAnn's–why aren't you stockin'? My 40% coupon is just lookin' for a worthy use…)

Just so you know Phaedrakat (Denise), the Makin's tools aren't in the same aisle in Michaels as the rest of the polymer clay. It is usually in a couple of rows back, closer to the spray paints and wood stuff. (Every store I've been into has the same layout, so I assuming yours will too, but I could be wrong. Just check all the aisle before you give up.)

Thanks, Cindy – I checked that area, too! They only had a few Makin's items, so I feared they were on their way out or something. But that was only at ONE Michael's – there are lots of them in So. Calif. The older stores are drastically different in size, layout, and even content; the newer ones seem to be more consistant. One of my local "Mike's" is pretty old and has been in a state of "upgrade" forever – you never know what you will find there.

Thanks for your comment, though, it makes me realize I should try again at one of my other local stores. Since they were moving things around last time I was there (in Dec.,) they could've restocked or "fixed" their Makin's section by now and I'll get lucky! Thanks, I'll give it another go!