Video #239: “LOVELY!!!! This one has a lot of possibilities for me… across all spectrum’s. A rainbow of thanks.” ~Michelle-C
It could be because I was a child of the 60’s, but I definitely have a softness in my heart for rainbows. So it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that I like to also make rainbow colored polymer clay beads with techniques such as my…
- Rainbow Teardrop Blends
- Glowing Rainbow Jellyroll Canes
- And now… Frosted Rainbow Beads.
Thanks Cindy! Your rainbow jelly roll cane project is certainly the one for me… it is SO me!!!!! ~Michelle-C (aka Mrs. Rainbow)
So… for all of the rainbow people out there… coming up tomorrow (Friday, January 20, 2012) in the Vol-044-3 members video at the Polymer Clay Tutor Library, I’ll be teaching you how to make a lovely set of Frosted Rainbow Beads in a ruffle flower shape or in any bead shape that you desire.
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Please Note: A general prerequisite for all of my weekly tutorials is that you have a good understanding of the polymer clay basics, including: conditioning clay, using a pasta machine, clay blade and other simple tools, making Skinner Blends or Teardrop Blends, baking clay, as well as sanding and finishing. If you need help in these areas, my Polymer Clay Beginners Course will get you up to speed quickly. There is also plenty of free information on this blog. Use the search box at the top of the page to find articles on specific topics.
Supplies & Tools: Video-044-3 Frosted Rainbow Beads:
- 5527 White Translucent (Frost) Premo Sculpey Accents
Polymer Clay.
- Adirondack Alcohol Inks in Red, Yellow and Blue (or equivalents). The two sets I used for this tutorial are:
– Nature Walk (Wild Plum, Butterscotch and Stream)
– Brights, Dockside Picnic (Watermelon, Citrus and Sail Boat Blue)
- Pasta Machine
.
- Clay Blade
.
- Pearl-Ex Powders
(optional).
- Amaco Professional Bead Rack
.
- Amaco PolyRuler
(optional).
- Cornstarch.
By the way, if you did not already know, those “shopping” links I provided above for the various tools and supplies, are “affiliate” links. That means companies like Amazon pay me a small commission if you click on the links and end up making a purchase at their site. It’s not a lot, but every bit helps in keeping the cost of my tutorials so low… at only $3.32 per month ;-)
The full version of the Vol-044-3 Frosted Rainbow Beads video will be posted in the Polymer Clay Members Library on Friday January 20, 2011.
Here’s a sneak peak…
The full version of the “Frosted Rainbow Beads” preview video shown above, is now available for purchase at the Polymer Clay Library in the Volume-044 Back Issue Package.
Customer Feedback About Membership Value:
I have yet to see a tuturial that doesn’t interest and inform me in some way or another! Thank you so much for being you. ~Susan-B
Hi Cindy, I read all the messages you send and I’m sure you get tired of hearing this over and over, but I can’t express how much I like getting my e-mail saying that another one of your videos is ready for viewing. I received the one about making the clasps, and I thought “no-no-no I want you to teach me polymer clay, not metal work”… but as usual, I watched it and it contained extra information I had not thought of and hadn’t learned in the class I took. I thought the same about the texture video… “I don’t use those and don’t like them” but after watching, I got all these other ideas that I could do. I checked out the Tim Holtz site mentioned somewhere in your site and got new ideas about stenciling and inks! Thanks so much for making these tutorials… they are definitely worth the money! ~Kim-E
Cindy – Honestly, I would be willing to pay a lot more for my membership! You have so many innovative, creative, and time saving tips that are such a great help! Most of my best selling jewelry has been, in one way or another, inspired by at least one of your videos! ~Carrie-W
The following topics are included in this week’s Polymer Clay Tutor Library, Frosted Rainbow Flower Beads video tutorial:
- See examples of beads, a bracelet and two necklaces using Frosted Rainbow Beads.
- Find out how simple it is to create these frosty, translucent beads in a rainbow blend of colors.
- Learn a super easy and fast way to get a rainbow blend using alcohol inks.
- Plus, with some creativity and ingenuity, there are many ways to come up with other unique designs of your own.
The full version of the “Frosted Rainbow Beads” preview video shown above, is now available for purchase at the Polymer Clay Library in the Volume-044 Back Issue Package.
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These Rainbow Beads would be so pretty with my petite pearls. Wouldn’t you know? I ordered some new Alcohol Inks a while back from an Etsy seller and they are now lost in the mail! She (the seller) is looking into it for me so I hope they will turn up soon. I would love to have these in all the colours of the rainbow… Oh well, I’ll start with the Inks I have on hand. Thanks for the inspiration you bring us with all your videos, Cindy!
Might need to take a trip to an island after I make these. They are really pretty. Looking forward to tomorrow again.
Spring is coming tra la tra la………….What pretties you will be teaching us! Love the alcohol inks. These will be so nice to have . The colors are just yummy. Can’t waaitttt………………….
I was hoping we could do more with the inks and here we are……Yaaaaaayyyyyy!!! These are so pretty and light.
Here’s a “very young” girl of the 60’s who will be looking forward to these!
I love the colors they’re so tropical and reminds me of our trip to Hawaii.
Ooooooo, and the HITS just KEEP commin’ – DAYYYYYY-O,
These are beautiful, Cindy, and they look delicate as well! Looking forward to the tute this Friday!
Oh Boy! Can’t wait. Just one question? Will the recipes for poi and whole roast pig follow? ;o) LOL!
oh wow, these look just gorgeous!!!!
Wow! Can’t wait for tomorrow! I just wait for Thursday to come along so I can see what you’re going to teach us Friday. They are so pretty and delicate.
Such lovely, light, airy looking beads. Can’t wait for this tute. Am going to make this one right away. They remind me of potato chips!
Fab tutorial Cindy! Excellent. I liked the application of this project to make seaglass too.
Cindy you never fail to surprise me. I LOVE these beads. so easy yet so effective.
Justine
Just watched the video, OMG. So glad I don’t have to work tomorrow. Lots of rainbow frosties coming up. So love your work Cindy.
Loved this one, Cindy. Leaving that bump in the center is crucial to a good hanging, I found a lot of the thin stuff would break. And the sea glass option…cannot wait to see what you come up with in the future using that as the focus.
Fantastic tute!!! Love the sea glass look. So delicate. Can’t wait to try this and make myself a Spring bracelet.
cindy, these are lovely.
i’m sitting her looking out at all the snow (as i’m sure YOU are, if the weather reports i hear from your end of the country are true) and thinking of spring. these beads fit perfectly into my thoughts.
i do have a question, though. is it necessary to use the premo translucent? i think it’s called ‘translucent frost’ and wonder if the frost component is what gives them that sea glass look. i usually use kata clay but will buy the premo if you think i won’t get the same effect with the kato.
thanks.
isabel
Wow what agree at tut… My grand daughter is always asking for things to. E done I rainbow…. Only one problem for me I went up to our summer house last weekend and brought all my clay supplies… Unfortunately I need up. Raking my ankle .. Ended up in the Ed… Then went right home to ni.. Hubby went. Ack up the next day to close the house down. And bring things home but hr did not realize that a had a big bag with all my stuff… Here I am after surgery looking at this great tut and no e of my basics to do it .. What a bummer!!!!! Hopefully I can persuade him to make the 2 hour trip( each way) to pick up my stuff. Let’s all hope he will be a good guy and go up..possibly when he goes to see a lawyer up there .. Well that’s enough about my ache and pains for now
Sorry about. The spelling errors I am typing it on a iPod touch Keypad is small..it’s a broken ankle and I went to the ER right away… Not the greatest experience in the world!!!!
So sorry about the ankle. Hope it heals soon. Tell your hubby we are all waiting to hear if he’s a good guy and gets your clays…..:). You need something to do while getting better.
Hi
Well . He’s. Coming through for me…. He said he will go up next week to pick up my polymer clay stuff….. I guess I lucked out 38 years ago when I met him.
What a great guy!!! Tell him thanks from all of us…..lol. Didn’t want you clayless while you healed. :)
Natalie – here’ hoping your SWEET hubby will make the trip ! Maybe he will feel sorry for you -teehee. Whatever works…………
Oh Natalie, I hope your ankle isn’t too badly broken. Are you looking at 6 weeks in a cast?
I sure hope your hubby will drive up to get your other supplies. I know mine would have. Sometimes we have to improvise with what we have on hand so good luck girl. I hope you can get your stuff altogether and you might mention to your SWEET hubby we are all hoping for you to get better and get claying!
Yes 6 weeks Ina cast… This one is changed in two weeks for a solid one … The one I have nowis split to allow for swelling… Trying to get used to using a walker…. And being on my back all day…. Getting in a lot of reading and research on polymer clay. Thanks for all your concern… I am going to improvise with what I gave here when I am allowed to sit up.
OH BOY! What pretty feminine beads these are. Can’t wait to make them. The alcohol inks are perfect for this technique – also beach glass cabs to wire wrap. Hope to make some this weekend. Company coming for the Gem and Mineral Shows in Tucson. So I have to hurry…….
Thanks for all the good wishes from my polymer family… I have my fingers crossed that he will fell sorry for me being laid up and make that long trophy himself
thanks for this tutorial but i want to ask >>> is this strong enought and not broken !!
i dont have alcahole ink can i make it by my self
Cindy has some great suggestions: if you look back in the blog for May 22nd, 2008 “Alcohol Ink Techniques and Recipes for Polymer Clay Artists“. The secret to strong beads is to bake at the right temperature for your brand and for a longer time. Use the SEARCH feature at the top right hand part of this blog and you will access a lot of great info about this and many other topics. Just type in a phrase and you’ll get links to appropriate blog entries. Good luck!
thank you Monique for replaying and helping me
That is very cool. I love the ones with the mica powder on them.
Thank you again for a wonderful tutorial. My sister will love one of those necklaces.
What GREAT timing Cindy! This video arrived on my birthday! :D I definitely will be making these!
I just went to find the Premo White Frost that you used, but on eBay it seems to be called something else, 5057 Premo White Frost Glitter…. so I want to check if this is the correct one.. prior to buying it! Please let me know.
Another Rainbow of thanks!
Love and Colours…. Michelle x
Happy Birthday Mechelle ! Have many more with us…………..
Thank you kindly! :D Yep, I hope so… :D This is my third birthday here as a member… but my first that actually had a video arrive on it…AND moreover it was one with my name all over it! :D Yummy Rainbows!
Just noticed the list above again says 5527 White Translucent (Frost) Premo Sculpey Accents.
Is it not really called Frost on the packaging, is it just White Translucent?
I found that on eBay but it was without the Frost term… hence my confusion. :-D
Hi – I’ll try to help
the frost is the older name and is the same as the newer white trans you mentioned above
the white glitter is not what you want – it is opaque not translucent
hope that helped – sherry
Thank you very much for your reply Sherry.
Yes it does help – Thanks!
:D
Happy Birthday!!
Thanks very much Natalie! I had a great day and a HUGE colourful bouquet of flowers from my two lads. :D
Glad you had a great day
Another child of the sixties here loving rainbows and this technique! Thanks Cindy great job! So happy I received my box o’ clay today, including 2 lbs of Frost!
Thanks Cindy, Friday really is the best day of my week! One question on the Choker. What is it strung on, I love the look?
Thanks, Marie
Hi Marie, I strung that necklace on white Soft Flex Wire. Soft Flex has gorgeous flexible coated beading wire in a gazillion colors. You may want to pick some up!
here’s a quick tip
while piercing my bead for this tute
some times the previous ones would fall off
so w/ a bit of the scrap I made a stopper at the end of the pin
now they can’t get out of order
great idea…tks
you clever little girl! What a great idea. my bead piercing wires are always falling out of place when I put the tray in the oven or take it out. I think I will try and make some removeable stoppers with clay to keep this from happening. Thanks for the great tip Doll. ;D
thanks. why didn’t i think of that?
Hi Cindy and all, Wow, this is one tut I am really glad to see here.
I have seen simlar, but when I tried it , just didnt work. Thought I had to have a special tool to shape them, but fingers, Wow thats it!
The translucent clay and alchohol inks is what really makes the diff.
This looks so easy.
Love the rainbow idea, so pretty. will sure make these
Love
Elizabeth K.
XXX
Good morning
as I am sitting here cleaning the corn starch off my lit’l rainbow beads
I had to stop and tell you how Wonderful they Feel kind of like small
worry stones
loved the last tip you gave us so so much
I used pearl white and omgosh just that tiny addition
made them really POP
can’t wait to show ya’ll how mine turned out
and see pictures of everyone else’s take on this tute (hint hint)
almost forgot as I clean one it goes straight onto a piece of 24gauge scrap wire with a twist at the end :)
Thanks for another great tute………..love the tools and the idea of making a skinner blend w/alcohol inks………always inspiring!
THANK YOU EVERYONE for your sweet and excited comments! How fun for me as a tutor to see everyone so happy and inspired. I am really looking forward to seeing your pictures on this and all the other tutorials. Here is the link to the Members Photo Gallery Page on Facebook for anyone who does not know.
I love the little tweaks and tips you guys add to the techniques. It really makes it your own. I was just thinking this morning how cool it would be to do other types of blends as well. Maybe some sunset colors, or some earthy blends. maybe even some striped or repeated blends? Surprise me!
Like Tantesherry said, the mica powders really make the beads pop and will change up the look of the beads as well. You could even try some foils or metal leafs in place of the mica powder for an entirely different look. The idea here is to take a concept and run with it.
Just a QUICK NOTE TO EVERYONE who has been leaving comments on the blog. Thank you! I may not be answering each and every question in a timely manner, (I am just getting too busy) but I do read every single one and love seeing them flowing in.
What I also want to say is a BIG THANK YOU to all of you who have come in and answered questions for others. This makes everyone feel supported and welcome and makes their experience here all that more enjoyable.
Just think how great you felt when you needed help or support with something and you got a quick response from myself, Doug or one of the other members here. It made you feel like you were part of a family, a virtual guild didn’t it?
Well now that the family is so big now, Doug and I are fielding so many questions and comments in public and in private emails, that we are going to need some help, if we plan to give you the service you love and deserve. Every little bit of support you can give each other is a tremendous help.
As far as helping others go, you don’t have to know the whole answer either to be of help. There is so much stuff on the blog, that the answer most likely is here already. Phaedrakat, Jocelyn, and others have been outstanding at pointing people to the posts on this site that will help.
Monique did a perfect job of this above when she helped Nwna with an ink question. You know the story,.. if you teach Man to fish… or rather… if you teach a clayer to clay. :)
Anyway, I did say this would be a quick note… I guess I was wrong. Just wanted to say I love getting your comments, I love seeing your photos and I love it that you support one another! Keep it up guys! This is going to be a great year!
hi can i ask again if the premo frosted translucent is the best for this or can i use kato translucent? don’t want to lose the affect. thanks.
isabel
Isabel, I am going to experiment using my Kato now that I finally received my new Adirondack Ink colours ( been waiting over 2 weeks!). I think the “frost” effect comes mainly from the cornstarch?? and I know Kato is supposed to be more sensitive to CS, so I may test some beads with and some without the CS. I’ll post when I get time to make more beads. Sometimes the only way to find out is to experiment. Why don’t you just give it a try? You could make a tiny teardrop blend with just a spot of ink so you don’t feel like you’re “wasting” supplies. Whatever happens, I’m sure it will be beautiful!!
I’ve used a translucent mix with Kato translucent, and Premo or Fimo for color.
Used Cindy’s teardrop blend to get the shades of colors right, then added small pieces at a time into the Kato and the project came out well. No placquing, which was nice for a change, lol.
You could query the help facility for more info about translucents. And don’t forget to check the oracle:
glassattic.com
When in doubt, I always do a test run, firing a piece for the full hour Cindy recomends.
Best of luck and hope this helps….
thanks monique and jocelyn. you’re right of course, i should just experiment. i appreciate your input. let me know how yours turn out. right now i’m busy working on another set of beads….so much to clay, so little time!
isabel
p.s. just bought myself a new table top convection oven for my workroom – can’t wait to try it out.
Thank you Monique and Jocelyn for helping Isabel! I couldn’t have said it better myself! Experimenting is exactly what I would have suggested.
Isabel, do come back and let us know what your results are from testing the Kato Translucent out on this project. We do have several Kato Polyclay diehards that would appreciate the info.
Just read somewhere about using the mica powder as a mold release. hmmmmmm….. might have to try it sometime. I was thinking of using that insteads of the cornstarch on my fingers but that might be too much mica. Any thoughts?
Mica would work instead of cornstarch Pollyanna but then you would lose the frosted look.
which would defeat the whole purpose……I see. Thanks Cindy! I’ll experiment on something else……these are too pretty.
Hi everyone,
Happy Chinese New Year for the 23rd. The year of the Dragon
(one of my favourite creatures) Think I will have to make a frosted rainbow/snowflake necklace to put round his neck. Think my deep purple one will love it (his name is Desmond2) but have to order some more inks.
Love this tute Cindy, and just adore sea-glass so my mind is again buzzing with Cindy inspired new ideas.
Well my jet-setting daughter is back in the land of Oz after a flying visit (where did those three weeks go) She got to see all the “Cindy” stuff I had made and picked out her fav. big beads to take back. Then sketched out some designs she wanted me to make, so looks like I will be busy. Had two more craft organisations ask me to join them so the Year of the Dragon looks good………..Must now dash………love n hugs to u all……..cheers………….
Elaine Faulks: I am so glad your dragon comments reminded me of “The Year of the Dragon Giveaway” at blog.artbeads.com/2012/01/the-year-of-the-dragon-giveaway/
I believe today 11:59PM PT is the deadline. It’s a draw for a beautiful large sterling silver dragon slider on a black rubber necklace (open to U.S. & Canadian residents). Artbeads has these giveaways regularly, there seems to be a new one every Wednesday??
Hi, Cindy!
Thank you very much for another wonderful tuto! I ran to the store right away to get PREMO white frost, but all I could find was PREMO White Translucent 5527. Is it the same as PREMO frost? Where did you find the clay you showed us in your video? Have you tried to make beads like that from Translucent clay vs. White Translucent Frost? If yes, did they look different?
Thanks again,
Natalie.
Hi Natalie, sorry to have missed your question. The clay you need is PREMO White Translucent 5527. The only reason I mentioned the name Frost, is because it used to be called that and stores that are carrying old stock, would still have it under the Frost name. To add to the confusion, they have added a Frost White Glitter to the line, which is not translucent at all. I wish companies would not mess with their color names and lines. It makes it confusing for everyone.
If you want to use the regular translucent clay, it will work, but it will have a slightly more yellow tint to it than the White translucent. Whether or not you use it, would be a matter of preference. Hope that helps!
Thank you very much, Cindy! You are right it is confusing when companies name the same product differently.
I have a Q for you. What should I do to keep red color from changing after baking? Once I made beads of some scrap clay( including pieces of red) and it did not change its color after baking! Last week I made a heart pendant for Valentine’s day and I added a little bit of white and translucent clay to my red. But it came out much darker after I baked it. Can you suggest anything?
Thank you very much for you wonderful tutos and valuable suggestions.!
Happy Valentine!!
Natalie.
Natalie, I hope your doing better now with your ankle. It sounds like your back at your claying. I have been sick for a week with some kind of bug but finally got back to it too. I just experienced the Red, white, translucent problem and if you turn your heat down to around 235 and tent your items, bake for 1 hr. it should be okay and the colors should not darken. Naturally I totally forgot about this and my first heart turned dark too! Anytime you use translucent with any color, I think it is a good idea to lower your oven temp and always tent your items if you don’t want to cover it in cornstarch. I hope this helps.
I don’t have any of the former Frost Trans. could never find it and in searching for a good price discovered that the inks Cindy used come in 48 different colors. I had NO idea.
Amazing, right? And those are just the Ranger (Tim Holtz) Adirondack inks! There are also colors from Jacquard — “Pinata” transparent alcohol inks. Not as many colors, but I thought I’d mention them, JIK… ;D
Adirondack & Pinata inks are available at online scrapbooking shops, of course, & many other places. Polymer Clay Express (PCE) online carries both lines of alcohol inks ($3.50/bottle)…along with oh-so-many cool PC supplies! If you happen to try PCE…you’ll find alcohol inks under “Inks & Dyes” (vs. “Inks & Pigments” — it can get a bit confusing with all those headings, LOL!)
Anyway, I have a bottle of white Pinata ink (not sure if the Adirondack comes in white.) I wonder if a touch of that would add to the frostiness of these beads…I’ll have to try it out. Might work for Kato users if the cornstarch is a problem??
~Kat
PS: This shouldn’t be at the end of my comment — sorry, Cindy! I most certainly need to mention what a cool tutorial/video this is! Our tutor has done it again…inspired us with an innovative technique, as well as a fun, yet simple bead shape. Such pretty examples in the video, too…just love this! Definitely a rainbow lover’s dream! Way to go, Ms. Lietz!
Thanks Kat! I probably don’t tell you this often enough, but I sure to love how you share your love and knowledge around here! I could never do it with out sweet members like you! :-D I think Ranger does have a white ink (Picket Fence maybe?). Think I saw it on one of his demos. Would have to look it up to be sure tho.
Yes, Kat and Cindy, there is indeed an opaque white mixative by Ranger. Here is the link to the Tim Holtz blog where he writes about its uses, including some “patina” recipes: timholtz.typepad.com/my_weblog/2011/08/how-to-snow-cap-mixative.html
I didn’t realize there are 4 metallics, I had only heard of gold and silver. I’ve noticed them for sale a couple of places: nonadesigns.com and stuff4crafts.com
Re: buying Adirondack Alcohol Inks. I wanted everybody to know about the great prices and service I received from TuesdayMarket on Etsy. Check her out! She charged me actual postage (very inexpensive, I thought) and was very helpful as this was my first Etsy order. She also has punches, stamps (a lot), charms (I ordered some and they are super cute!) and pigment and solvent inks. I don’t know how her prices compare on the other stuff but I paid less than $5. per set of 3 Alcohol Inks, and she has big sets so you save even more.
That sounds like an awesome price Monique! Will have to check that out. Thanks!
Tuesdaymarket also has a good supply of Stazon ink pads. Michaels is much higher price and only a couple of colors. FY!
Cindy, this last video it is like you have read my mind. I found this picture and wanted to ask you how the disks were made. [link reference removed because the destination site had security issues]. They are different, of course, not frosted, but look good in this particular piece. I would make them a bit smaller.
Thank you for you amazing classes!
Natalie
Great supplier tip on the inks. I am addicted to them, the colors and options that result are magical, and I appreciate Cindy sharing so many tips. The one thing it appears I am not capable of is waiting for the darn ink to dry. My hands give away my testing, lol.
If I would just take two seconds and put on the gloves……
My last order was through Amazon (not Cindy’s link) and I received one big box stuffed with airbags and paper. At the very bottom was a three set. I realize folks use the pre-package size options, but, we could save so much if suppliers boxed stuff appropriately. What an ecological waste.
Good to see you back around, Kat!
Hi Cindy!
Loved this tutorial. I was wondering if I can use a white clay instead of the frost .I have checked at Premo website and it is clear that there is a visual difference between the frost and the white clays.The difference between them is only about the collor or the ” frosty ” look has got to do with the ” frost ” on the name.
If there is no difference on texture/frosty looks but in the collor only , I suppose I can use a similar color to the Sculpey Frost, or even try to make a mix by myself.
Sorry if I am not making myself clear enough.Please let me know ,ok?
Thanks for your help .
Warm regards,
Monica
Hi Monica. You could use white clay but it will not have that frosty translucent look that the beads in the tutorial have. The White Translucent is the new name for the old product they called Frost. Both are identical. Although the White Translucent (aka Frost) looks white in the package they are translucent clays. The White clay however is opaque. Hope that makes sense to you.
Hi all
Ok this is my big time-wasting problem:
I’ve just finished cleaning my 4th run of these awesome beads
BUT it seems that dunking them in an ice bath caused the bead piercing
pins to rust
I’m guessing that due to the fact that they need to be kept in color order
means that most of them dry on the pins and the rust gets in the holes
So I found myself poking the blunt end of the piercing pin over and over into the
little hole to force the bits of rust out –arggg
anywho, was wondering if PYM2 sprayed on my pins would help?
My goodness, what kind of wires are you using?
This is something new I have not experienced. If your wires are rusting perhaps it is something in your water? I have over 100 of these and never had a problem with rusting but then I also have soft water. I might suggest you use some steel wool and clean them all first. I just used some PYMII on an alcohol inked silver plated ladle and the ink colors ran a little bit so had to clean that up. I don’t know how the spray would react though once you put them in the oven. You might have a nasty smell and/or burn the wires. There are warnings right on the can. I believe that it is susceptible to heat and they tell you to spray in a ventilated area. Please let us know your outcome on this situation.
I too have soft water, but I’ve also experienced this problem with the pins that come with my bead baking rack (the standard one you see everywhere – Cindy uses the same). One whole set rusted when I left them in the water with the beads on them. Scrubbing them down with steel wool and copper wool helped a bit, but not completely. I still use them, but have purchased another tube of pins. I no longer leave my pins in water.
I think with these beads, even if they’re off the pins, it would be pretty simple to just ‘eyeball’ them and put them back together in the rainbow.
Tantesherry, Dixie Ann, and Isabel: My goodness! I thought I was the only one to get the rust! I assume it is because I let the wet beads dry on the pins. So I just threw them in an alcohol bath for a few seconds, a quick brush with a baby toothbrush, and they were good as new. I cleaned off the pins with alcohol, too, and they don’t seem to be the worse for it, but I wonder if a light coat of oil would protect them (the pins) next time?
Hi Sherry, the rusted pin thing is quite common. What I do is only plunge my beads in the water, when they are on the pins and then leave them to dry on a towel. I don’t leave them in the water for any time, because I too found that the pins will rust.
To fix the pins, I use fine sandpaper or steel wool to clean them up and then rub a little baby oil or mineral oil on them to keep them from rusting. The oil is fine in the oven and won’t effect your beads. If you remember to dry them right away, they shouldn’t rust again unless you live in a very moist environment. I see Monique has done the same thing!
I like the PYMII suggestion, but like Dixie said, you would need to test it to see if there is any problems with the heat. Let us know how it goes!
Thank you Ladies for coming to my rescue!!
From now on I’ll just dunk my transparent clay beads in an ice bath and take them out right away.
As far as the cleanup goes I’ll be trying the alcohol bath Monique uses before taking sandpaper to them like before– I bet the alcohol will speed that process up quite abit!
Then they get a nice rub down in baby oil……….hmmm that all sounds quite soothing :)
I don’t have any of the PYMII to experiment with so maybe someone else will try and let us know
Thaks again guys – Sherry
yep, i’m going to try some of those cleaning ideas as well.thanks for all the input!
I made these this weekend and used the same shape in the tutorial. After dipping in water, I briefly sanded each one with 1000 grit and strung on a chain with silver beads in between each bead. I’m a teacher and wore it to school today and had so many compliments on them! I spent most of the weekend on them but really enjoyed each step! Thanks, Cindy!
That is wonderful news Toni! I bet your necklace turned out great. So glad to see your comment here. Welcome to our clay family!
FYI – I have been reading quite a lot about Adirondack Alcohol Inks. Unfortunately, they fade when using heat. Pinata Inks do not. This may be the reason there is a color change using them in polymer clay. This is REALLY bad new for us. Please do your own research to make sure what I am hearing is true. Don’t mean to be a naysayer !
Anyhow I plan to use polymer clay _ a teeny bit_ for my coloring. I
ll let you know how it goes
You are not a nay-sayer at all Patt. Nothing wrong with sharing some conflicting information. That is interesting info you found on Adirondack Ink. To tell you the truth I haven’t found the ink fades much at all during baking. It may darken slightly in some cases but I haven’t really found it to be a problem. In fact these Red Clover Flowers were colored with Adirondack Alcohol ink, and the colors are quite vibrant.
Where did you read about this problem? Now you have me curious.
BTW, never worry about sharing information that differs from what I have shared here. I can’t possibly know everything and it is way better if we can have all the info possible, not just my stuff. :-)
Well !! Finally ………I hung a short string of these beads in the sun (Tucson Az) to see if they would fade. That was Jan – now it is the last day of April – Good news. THE BEADS DID NOT FADE. Guess you have to test all the negative things you read and hear. So go for it . Adirondak Inks are O.K. Thanks for waiting…….teehee
This is great news, Patt. Thanks for experimenting and sharing the results.
Not back with working with clay … Hubby is going up net week…. Still not allowed to our any weight on left ankle… Can’t do steps yet… So I an going to have to do some of my work on the dinette table . But I’ll see how it goes . Thanks for all the well wishes… You guys are great hugs and kisses to you all
Natalie H
Natalie: I just wanted to add my best wishes for your convalescence. How we take for granted our good health and our freedom to get around! I hope you’ll get your hands on your supplies soon. If a big project is too much to take on at first, you could always just mix up some colour recipes. I find that so relaxing when I’m too tired to concentrate on something elaborate, or there just isn’t time for anything else. Anyway, I’ve been putting off a big quilting project for too long; I’m going to have to “bite the bullet”, put the clay away for a while and get back to sewing. (Cindy, your videos are SOOOO distracting… *sigh*)
Hi Cindy and all,
As we came back from wet and wild Wales last week, the sky turned black, but my DH said look behind you,! I turned round to see the biggest brightest double rainbow I had ever seen, it was so beautiful we had to stop to take some snaps.
So this weekend is dedicated to making these wonderful frosted rainbow beads. Using both my different brands of inks I am like a mad little troll, creating different colours.
Then I remembered the reason I joined this wonderful group. I had watched the complimentary Teardrop Blend Colour Shift video so generously given by Cindy and Doug last year and I had become hooked!!
(Went back to read some of the comments by grateful viewers) and refresh my memory.
So great Cindy that we can do this at no extra charge.
(How do you keep the costs so reasonable?) I wonder how many of those people joined from watching this great free tute. Would be very interesting to know??
So thought mmmmmmmm I will add some white translucent (like Cindy showed in her tute using pearl colours) and do the technique using the alcohol ink method……..WOW………Try it, you will be surprised. Also want to experiment using Cindy’s tip for finishing her amazing Arizona beads (on some rainbows), but will have to hunt out my embossing powders. Love that I can combine two or three of Cindy’s amazing tutes and come up with something unique, so I can call it my creation. I was never any good at one liners, but waiting for inks to dry is tedious unless you are doing something else, hence I am writing this long blog. Sorry, I do tend to ramble on.
So have a happy claying weekend everyone…………..cheers xx From the troll from Essex UK
Hi Cindy, going to make frosted rainbow flowers but don’t have frosted white can I use translucent or Pearl?
Joyce
Yes Joyce, You can use whatever clay colors you want for this technique. It will just change the frosted look, but that is just fine.
It’s all the little extra bits & tips you toss in like adding mica powder to the outside of the cane to add that extra sparkle which continually put you heads above anyone else. I’m waiting for my ink to dry as I write this and so excited to see how the final product turns out. Learning from you has taken me from mostly failures to mostly successes. So thanks you so very much!
Terri, that makes my heart warm to hear you say that! One of the things that bugs me most when learning something new is that most teachers/magazines/videos/courses miss a lot of the nuances that take a project from failure to success. Maybe something works well with one brand, but not another? With cold hands rather than hot? When you hold your hand this way rather than that way? Little tweaks make all the difference in the world!
I think sometimes the teacher has been doing it so long that they forgot what it was like to learn something. I feel I don’t do that as much because I am constantly learning new things. I remember what it was like to make mistakes because it wasn’t that long ago that I made them! LOL :)
Oh my gosh! My rainbow beads are finished and a major success! That mica powder on the edge takes these from beautiful to spectacular. I was so concerned about trying to bake such thin pieces and them not burning but by following your baking advice they turned out fine. I’m so happy with the first batch I’m now waiting on the ink to dry to make 3 more color combinations. A friend popped over while I was washing off the cornstarch and fell in love with these.The necklace I’m making now is a gift but oh how I want to keep it for myself! Hence making more batches of these now. I even made smaller ones to try to use for matching earrings. These are also so much fun to make! I especially enjoyed the part about making them wavy/fluttery. I think I’m going to try making some using translucent & ink. Hopefully the result is a sea glass look. I could make these all day.
I’ve tried following a lot of others who have videos on YouTube and I couldn’t get the same results no matter how closely I followed along. I realized after way to many hours of frustration it was because there were bits they do that were left out. You don’t do that.. you include everything!
Did I mention I love love love my new beads?
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Oh Terri, what wonderful news!! Thank you so much for coming back and sharing your results. It sounds transformational!