Squared Off Polymer Clay Lentil Beads – An Accidental Design
"Every mistake I make, is immediately turned into swirl beads and they all please me."
~Monica-D
Who says that lentil beads all have to be round? The squared off version of the polymer clay lentil bead in today's photo, was made by swirling a piece of clay that ended up in my scrap pile while filming the Dogwood Flower Cane Tutorial.
The bead was actually the result of a happy accident. I made the swirly lentil bead in the usual manner… but then dropped it on the floor as I was piercing the hole, and one side got flattened a little.
I really liked the look and decided to flatten the other side to match. From mistakes do pretty things cometh :)
An added bonus with this squared lentil bead design is that they are much easier to hold onto when you are drilling or piercing holes through them. When you try it, you'll understand what I mean.
Lentils in this shape also sit nicely up against other beads when you string them. So overall it's a great shape to work with.
By the way, if you have not already read the Sept 25, 2009 Spotlight Feature about Monica Daris and her Beautiful Brazilian Lentil Beads… you should. In the article she describes some challenges that came up for her when she was learning how to make lentil beads. Here is an excerpt…
I am pursuing a way to make beautifull swirled beads. I can shape it nicely to a bicone. I can even start swirling but I frequent have to stop it before I reach the point I would like to. Somehow I feel that I will damage my bead or that I can not phisycaly swirl it anymore… ~Monica-D
To read the whole article, click here: Making Polymer Clay Lentil Beads is Easy with Proper Instructions
Filed Under: 06: Bead Shapes, 07: Cane Work by 
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Comments on Squared Off Polymer Clay Lentil Beads – An Accidental Design
I like the squared look Cindy. Very funky looking.
One thing I noticed when I was polishing with the dremel was that I was taking off bits of the edge on the round lentiils. It surprised me to see little chunks missing when I had finished polishing.
Hi aims! When polishing with the Dremel you should be barely touching the hairs on the felt or muslin wheel. In fact you should hardly hear a sound difference when the wheel is running free and when your polishing your bead. If pieces are coming off, you are pressing too hard. Hope that helps.
I have made squared lentil swirls before… I like to make them when somehow the lentil wasn't perfectly round. I have even made hearts from lentil swirls by drawing out the sides of the bead to a point on one end and then using the side of a needle tool to press in the side directing opposite of the point to make a heart shape. Lentil beads are so very versatile. I love them!
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Love the square lentil and suggestions on being creative when lentils are not perfectly round. I read somewhere that when buffing it should be like a "butterfly kisses". I was buffing beads today and they kept flying out of my hands and whizzing around the room. Our 6 month old kitten loves it. To her something mysteriously hits the floor and starts rolling around. She just goes nuts chasing them. My husband commented I had more beads rolling around on the floor than in the finished pile. He tried the buffing wheel and soon learned how hard those beads are to hold onto, especially after they are all shined up. Plus he got another chance to use the bench grinder/buffer he "bought for me" ;) wink ;) wink.
Anna
Des Moines, IA
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Nice one Cindy! I thread all my beads to buff on thin telephone wire, then I can hold one or three depending on size, up against the dremel – no lost beads! It is so much quicker.
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Great suggestions guys!
Cindy,
Love all of your tutorials and follow the blog weekly. Not as busy with clay lately as I have been having arm problems but have had great success with the mod cane (love It!!). My problem seems that the last few weeks I don't seem to get a notice in my email about the newsletter on Friday which means that I miss out on the other recipe cards :(… Do you know why this is happening?
Thanks ,
Sam.
Hi Sam, Glad you are enjoying the tutorials and the blog. In regards to your concerns about no receiving the email newsletter each Friday, please click the link by my name for an explanation. This seems to be happening for a few people in the last few weeks.
Cindy Lietz
Surrey, BC, Canada
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