Vid #77: Here’s 7 quick tips for applying unbaked polymer clay cane slices to your round shaped Fimo base beads:
1) Cool the raw canes before slicing them with your sharp cutting blade.
2) Cut your slices as thin as possible. They will blend into the surface of the bead easier with less distortion.
3) Soft pliable cane slices will smooth onto beads much easier than hard and brittle ones. If the cane slice is super firm, warming it between your fingers or palms can work to soften it up.
4) Partial slices can be worked into backgrounds so don’t throw them away.
5) If you like to use cornstarch as a method for preventing fingerprints, then hold off until after you have added the cane slices to your bead. Cornstarch can keep the slices from sticking to the base bead.
6) After you have placed the slices on the raw bead, roll in your palm until there are no more ridges along the cane edges. If you leave those creases in they will by much harder to sand out later.
7) Let the bead “rest” before piercing it with a hole in order to minimize distortion of the bead shape.
If you would like to learn more about how to slice Fimo canes, here’s an article that may be helpful for you: Clay Cane Slicing Techniques for Polymer Clay Jewelry Bead Making
Adding raw Fimo clay cane slices to unbaked round beads is a fun and rewarding technique to learn. If you have any questions about this topic, please do use the comments section below. I’m here to help.
>> Polymer Clay Tutorials <<
The full version of the “Cane Slice Bead“ preview video shown above, is available for purchase at my Polymer Clay Bead Making Videos Library in the Volume-006 Back Issue Package.
In this video tutorial I walk you through all the steps of applying unbaked cane slice beads to unbacked beads. Topics discussed include:
- How thick to make your cane slices.
- Some design ideas for placing your canes on your bead.
- Dimensional vs non dimensional options.
- Piercing the hole.
- And baking.
I am new to Polymer Clay and find this blog entry very informative. Are you using transparent clay for the “white” part of the cane?
If you accidentally get cornstarch on the cane before you attach it how do you fix it?
Katina
Well we will be getting ready to drive across county to our winter palace, whoops typo, I mean place. Anyway, I may not have as much time available for the computer for a couple of weeks. I just wanted you to know I won’t be around for a while. Maybe sporadically I hope at least.
Marianne
We’ll miss you Marianne! Keep in touch!
Cindy Lietz’s previous blog post..Jewelry Photography Tips for Etsy
Katina, you could use transparent for the white part if you wanted to. That would create a ‘ghost’ cane or ‘floating’ cane. This is a regular black and white cane.
If you do get cornstarch on the bead before adding the slice you can rinse it under cold water. Let dry before adding slice.
Thank you for your great questions!
Cindy Lietz’s last blog post..A Polymer Clay Tutorial About Adding Fimo Cane Slices to Round Beads
Once again I am just blown away by all that you share here Cindy!!!!! I am learning new things and I am soaking it all in….I am a newbie, I have been playing with clay for a few months now but nothing serious. I already make my own jewelry and thought how fun it would be to design my own items through clay. I am most interested in the canes….and there is so much to learn. If I purchase your video lessons do I just have the 30 days to look at all of them or how does that work? I work and take care of an elderly mother as well as my hubby so I don’t have a lot of time on the PC…so I will wait to see what you post back…..:0)
Thankx again Cindy….this is GREAT!!!!
Pamela
Hi Pamela,
Thanks for the kind words. I love it that you are wanting to make your own jewelry beads with polymer clay. This will really help give your finished pieces a one-of-a-kind voice that’s unique to only you!
In regards to accessing the course video lessons… you’ll be happy to know there is no time limit. Take as long as you need to work through them at your own pace. It sounds like you have your hands full with a couple of other important “projects” too :)
By the way, thanks for asking this question here on the blog because it gives others a chance to see the answer as well.
Oh You are so welcome Cindy….
Thankx for answering very quickly…I think I read on another post somewhere that you were ‘super woman’ or something similar!!! I whole heartedly agree!!!
Thankx again, I am off to purchase the video series…and I will post off of each one…:0)
YIPPEE….I can’t wait to get started..
Pamela
Hi Cindy,
Question: In the members video Volume-006-4 [Applying Cane Slices to Round Beads], you said to to check previous video for how to make a round bead. I can’t find that video in the library, as my beads are NOT round! Which video would that be? Thanks! JoAnne
Hi JoAnne,
That “Making Round Beads” video ended up in my 39 part, Polymer Clay Fundamentals Course. You can follow the link by my name above, to see a preview clip of this course video. Or, here is the link to the information page for the course: Polymer Clay Course
Best,
Cindy
I’m not sure if you’ll read this as the last comment was posted in November, but I am having difficulty adding cane slices which are mainly white to black (uncooked) beads. When I roll them in my hands to smooth in the cane slices the white areas become grey as they pick up a fine film of black from the base bead. I can clean some of it off with a wet-wipe (dont know if you have them in the US, they are alcohol-based wipes) but this distorts the shape and still leaves the white a bit grey. Have you a solution to this?
Hi Sue! I love to get comments on the older posts… helps keep them alive! And btw, I see ALL the comments that come in no matter where they are posted here at the blog. So no worries about me not seeing them.
Are you sanding your beads after baking? Sanding would remove the gray film since it is only on the surface. You don’t even have to use the wet wipes.
To learn how to properly sand your beads click the link by my name. For even more sanding info type ‘sanding’ into the search box which you will find at the top of every page.
Thanks for your help. I do sand my beads (usually with a tumbler) but that isn’t enough to get rid of the grey. I was hoping for a magic cure which didn’t involve hand-sanding, especially as sometimes the white areas go the colour of the backing on the sandpaper :-(
Are you using wet/dry sandpaper Sue? Your beads shouldn’t be turning the color of the backing paper if you do.
Yes, I’m using wet/dry sandpaper. It was a make backed with green paper which caused the most problems – so obviously I’m not buying any more!
Yikes! DO you know the name of it so we can all avoid it?
**PHOTOS ADDED: Some project pictures have just been added to a Spotlight Feature showcasing Jackie Norris, a member who is very much appreciated here at this supportive polymer clay community. Click on the “Ghost Cane Slices” link by my name to have a look.
I have a question regarding cane slices. I am having trouble attaching them to another object without a lot of distortion.
For example I wanted to put some flower cane slices on a bangle bracelet I am making. Do I bake the bangle before trying to apply the slices? Do you have a video that addresses this?
Thank you very much for your help. I really enjoy your videos.
Thanks Barbara for your kind comments! I’m really glad you’re enjoying the videos.
As far as adding cane slices to your projects, I prefer to add raw cane slices to raw clay rather than to baked because it is easier to make it look seamless. I do have a video that shows how to slice canes and add them to clay sheets (sometimes called clay fabric) that minimizes distortion and other problems that come up. Although it’s not exactly adding cane slices to bangles, the principals are the same and I am positive the tips in the video will help a great deal with the issues you are having.
The Vol-011-2 video is called “Patterned Backgrounds” and is included in the Volume-011 Back Issue Package at the Polymer Clay Library (see link by my name).
Hope that helps,
~ Cindy
Hi Cindy and everyone. I am new to polymer clay and just have a quick question. If I wanted to add raw cane slices to a raw round bead like you did in the video but did not want the background color to show how do I know how closely to place the cane slices so they will appear seamless after rolling with no distortion. Any tips for me. Sorry if this seems like a silly question but I am new to this technique. Thank you.
Sarah
@Sarah F: Cindy has a great way of doing it in vol. 20. Worth every penny……good luck.
@Sarah F: Pollyanna’s right — Cindy demonstrates her method beautifully in her Heart Beads video. And you’ll definitely love all the videos in this volume! :)
(Vol. 20 holds fond memories for me…my first videos as a member! Now, over a year later: I’m still a member and SO happy I joined!) ~Kat :-)
@pollyanna: Thanks for the response and advice, it is greatly appreciated.
@ phaedrekat: Thank you for the advise as well and I to have just joined about a month ago and am very excited. Hope in a year I will be able to help a newbie and have a similar story. Cindy’s tutorials are so helpful and I am so glad to be a member. Thanks again!