Video #322: Quick and easy tips to make professional looking flower petal beads.
Today’s Question:
“Hi Cindy, My sister and I are trying to work on beads!!! We are trying to put “memorial” flower bits into Premo translucent clay as I thought you suggested but I don’t think they look like yours. The clay turned out gray and it’s hard to see the flowers and when I cut the clay (heart shaped) the flower bits stick out. And when poking back in or taking out and trying to reshape, the bead looks VERY amateur. Any solution to that? Or do I need to stick with a “ball” shape? We practiced with Kato white clay (my sister just had that on hand before we went shopping) and it seems like a much harder clay than Premo after baked (harder to work with too but the results are better). And actually a couple of our Premo beads broke after baked when we tried to clean out the hole. Also, I don’t remember the videos saying “how long to bake” the beads. I remember 265 degrees but can’t find the length of time to bake.”
In This Video:
- How the size of the flower petal bits you add to your polymer clay, can effect the style of beads you are able to make.
- Why rose petal clay mixtures can sometimes look gray and how to change that.
- Options for bringing brightness and color into your memorial bead designs.
- How to prevent breakage issues by properly baking your flower petal beads.
- The proper baking times and temperatures for baking polymer clay flower petal memorial beads.
- Reference to: Video-003-2 Flower Petal Inclusion Bead Tutorial
- Reference to: Video-034-1 Rose Petal Beads Tutorial
If you have a polymer clay question or challenge you’d like me to address in an upcoming video vlog, do post it in the comments below. I’d love to help you find quicker and easier ways to bring up the professionalism in your polymer clay art.
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Looking forward to hearing from you!
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Great hints and tips! Alwaysn nice to review some things.
Hi Cindy
Your hints and tips are so helpful and appreciated.
I had a petal problem just last week. I made some daisy barrettes (thickness #4 on my pasta machine, baked at 265 degrees for one hour). I use a tin foil “turkey pan” with a ceramic tile inside and cover the beads with a paper tent and the other pan inverted and clipped together. I use my stove oven.
I gave one to my seven year old granddaughter. Before we knew it, one of the petals broke off. It may be the type of barrette I am using (they close by squeezing the tips together).
I will be making more for a customer and would like to make sure it won’t do the same thing.
Any ideas?
Maybe try bumping up the temp a bit Sylvia. 265F may be too low for your oven. (it may keep dropping temp.) why don’t you try 275F instead? That may make a difference. Make some test samples that you can try breaking. That way you won’t risk wasting all your hard work! Thanks for your comment!
Thanks so much, Cindy for your prompt reply.
They’re in the oven on 275F right now.
You are welcome Sylvia. And… make sure to us an oven thermometer so that you are certain that the temp stays consistent at the right level. Trusting the numbers on the dial settings is not reliable.
I tried breaking a petal and after bending it several times, it did. Are they suppose to be unbreakable?
No Sylvia, a polymer clay piece can still break if bent back and forth enough times… it just shouldn’t be easy to do. The video I published today will be helpful for you to watch. Here is the link:
Ten Minutes is NOT Long Enough to Bake Polymer Clay
The video will show you what is normal for strength when your clay is properly baked.
Cindy – Patt wrote: You are so sweet and kind! These mini tutes add so much to our ability to create wonderful beads .TY so much.
Thank you so much Patt… for your kindness and support. I really appreciate it!!!
I have been a member of Cindy Lietz’s Polymer Clay Tutor family for over 2 years. My work has improved . Cindy really teaches you how to do things with a professional touch. Join now – we welcome you. NOT a paid commercial – just a happy clayer!!!!!!!!!!!
I can back Patt on that sentiment. Of all the investments you make in your own personal happiness with polymer clay, signing up for Cindy’s program is the best decision you can make. Her tutes are well researched, well taught, and provide wonderful results. Treat yourself to a membership. Better yet, treat yourself to the whole catalog of tutes. You will not be disappointed.
Cindy, love these short little videos that use Q and A and PSA formats! The tips you provide in them are great.
……..and here is another backer! You won’t regret joining!!
Thank you for sharing Cindy! You do an awesome job on the videos.
I am really enjoying all the tutorials and being new am also getting lots of inspiration.My biggest question is about sanding and polishing medium to small round beads. How do you hold them so as not to eliminate your own finger tips and also to get an even finish. The temptation is to just glaze and go because it is so frustrating.
I also looked on line for the soft clay you used on the corners of your blade and on your drying rack, unable to find it I purchased a pack of pencils at the dollar store and removed a couple of erasers pushing them on the ends of my drying pins and snugged them up against the outside of my rack, aside from getting a little soft they worked fine for keeping the pins in place.
Cheyrl
The red sticky glue stuff Cindy uses on her bead racks is called Sugru. You can buy it from EpoxyJewelry (Terry Morris). A great website that has all kinds of wonderful things there! I have purchased resin, bezels and quite a few more neat things from this site all very reasonably priced. I have seen Cindy use most all of these things on her tutorials and visited the site and keep going back for more LOL.
Hope this helps :)
Susan
Thanks Susan for helping Cheyrl with her Sugru Question!
Cheyrl I know what you mean about getting a nice finish on a small round bead being frustrating. Been there myself plenty! One option is to use a Rock Polisher, to do the bulk of the work. I have a tute on that if you are interested. Here is the link… Polishing Beads With a Rock Tumbler
The main thing is to make sure that your small round beads are as flawless as possible before even going into the oven. This will help tremendously with cutting down the amount of effort needed to finish them nicely.
Another tip is to start at a higher grit like 400grit or 600grit and to not worry about going too high, stopping at 600grit or 800grit. When they are small, the smoothness isn’t as noticeable as say a nice big flat pendant would be, so you can get away with not being as picky.
I will do some follow up videos on this topic. It is a very common frustration for many people. Hope that helps!
Hi Cindy,
When I did my petal beads, the colours were just great. I wonder if it is because I used a proper dehydrator, rather than drying them slowly and naturally? The red stayed quite red, the blues vibrant etc.. so I added no extra colour to the mix. I dehydrated the whole bouquet that my boys gave me, for a birthday present. Granted when I baked it they went darker, but I suffered no greys at all. I love that necklace.
My question would be…… Can you remind me what the surface is that you use for your work. Is it teflon or similar? I remember you getting it and mentioning it in a video……but goodness knows which one. It was some while back.
I also had an idea for a tutorial…..as I spent several hours the other day, trying to rework and recondition VERY old Fimo clay……. a good ten years old, maybe more. LOL. It was really crumbly to begin with, but with conditioner and a lot of work, I got there…..although despite using the pasta machine, my hands were worn out at the end and I didn’t bother to bake it that day. I still have several other old packs to do as well……. I detest discarding anything, unless I absolutely have to! LOL.
It crossed my mind that it would make for an interesting tutorial……as I am sure that you have tips about it!
Thanks!
Hi Mrs. Rainbow! It is great to hear that your color stayed nicely in your flower beads. You are so right about how your flowers are dried, making a big difference. It also depends on the color and the type of the flowers themselves. Some do better through baking than others.
In regards to which non-stick surface I use, I actually have three different ones. The one that I showed in a video one time was the Sculpey Clay Mat. But the one in the latest videos is the Ranger Non-stick Craft Mat. I also have some Teflon sheets from Rings & Things. Each one is different, costs different and I like them for different reasons. I will do a review on the three I have in a future, Studio Tips Video.
Thanks for the tute request. It’s a good one! I’ll put it on the list.
Wonderful! I look forward very much to both of those then. Thanks…
……and if I do not get a chance again before the big day…..I would like to wish you and yours… (and of course all the other members here too)
‘A very Merry Christmas from snowy Lapland!’
or ‘Hyvää Joulua!’ as we say here! x
Ms. Rainbow, another thought if you are making lots of these memory beads from all types of flowers…wonder if you applied a layer of sealant, PYM2, to the petals either before your dried them in the dehydrator (great idea!), or right as they are done before you chopped them. It may help keep the colors more vibrant and true to the original. Had great luck using the sealant on some of my pressed pansies…still purple!
Thanks, I will bear it in mind for the future – although I have no plans to do more…….. it was a lot of hard work LOL!! I just wanted to save a particularly lovely bouquet from my sons. Also, my dehydrator is generally used for foods, so not sure about using anything non food in it. I figured flowers were okay though…(or the petals only, as it was, when I dehydrated them)
I have never used PYM2 – as it is not available in Finland, although I have seen it online. I will have a look into it. Many thanks!
Merry Christmas!
Learned something new from you again, thanks for the great tips…
Hi there! I’m wondering if you could help me with something? I have been making floral memorial beading for a while now using polymer clay. One thing I have started to notice recently is that the sculpey gaze is turning the petals brown on the outside of the beads when I glaze them. I don’t remember this happening in the past, I’m wondering if they changed the formula or if I’m doing something wrong? The bead looks so pretty and bright coming out of the bake and then I glaze it and flower pieces turn brown about 15 minutes into glaze drying. Can you recommend something to stop this or another glaze that will preserve petal color? Thank you so much!! Victoria