Sanding and Buffing Your Polymer Clay Is Worth It

Thanks Cindy, another great tip. It’s really hard to believe people wouldn’t want to spend extra time sanding and polishing, when it’s clear how much better it looks.

Hi Cindy:
Can we learn this Faux Labradorite method in the near future? It happens to be one of my favorite stones. Just seeing it in your video and the sanded/buffed version whetted my appetite to create it in polymer clay. Keep up the video tips, love the ideas!
Pauline Duke

oh what good news Dixie :)

Dixie that is amazing! I am so impressed. That is excellent news to hear when so many are talking doom and gloom these days!

I am curious… What is your most popular type/style of jewelry that you sell or the gallery sells? Is it pendants, bracelets, earrings, etc and are they more feminine in style like flowers and filigree, or are they more rustic and clunky?

Just trying to get a feel for the direction to take some of my tutorials based on what is happening out there. I love so many different styles that I am happy going any direction, but just wondering what you and your customers think.

@Everyone: What direction/focus would YOU like to see my tutorials go?

Congrats Dixie, that is wondeful news on your jewelry and Art Museum.

I am with you when it came to sanding just did everything I could to avoid it
until I joined Cindy’s tutes. Not my favorite task but the results speak for their self.

Thank you Cindy for showing us the correct way to do another technique.

I love your videos Cindy. I’m just a beginner but have already learned so much from you. You always? have such beautiful professional looking shapes to your pieces.

They are called Micro-Mesh Pads Susan. Doug put a link to them, inside your comment, so that others will know what you’re talking about. I am glad you are now ‘tolerating’ :) the sanding process because of the micromesh pads!

I have a new power tool that I am going to show everyone that makes it even easier! It is on the pricey side but for me it is so awesome that that doesn’t count! Just waiting for some accessories, so will do a video as soon as I can.

Thank you for your comment!

Really excited to see the power tool!

Hmm, there is a power tool that I have been considering, at first for other jewelry-making tasks, but then I wondered if it would be good for sanding polymer clay also. I wonder if it is the same one you are playing with now? I won’t say because I don’t want to spoil the surprise but I’m dying to know because I’d get it in a snap! ;-)

I count the seconds…..will change industry!

Great video Cindy! And Doug! You’re gonna make me like sanding yet. Finally got some of the micromesh pads because of your recommendation. They’re great!

So now, when I don’t feel like creating something from scratch… I sit down and sand. ;) Its still creative, right? LOL!

Can’t wait for the labrodorite!

Hi Doll, that was nice of Kathy to mention that. I use several methods, one is where I cover the clay with saran wrap before cutting. I love the way it curves the edges of the piece. Sometimes I print and use my embroidery patterns by laying it on the clay and then using a blade knife painstakingly cut around the design. I also have triangles, ovals, squares, rounds and various other cutters. With a variety of cutters I can use parts of one cutter on a flat piece or mix them up. I also use a long quilting pin to mark around some pieces. I lay my pattern on the clay and poke holes through the paper and the clay. When I remove the paper, the pattern is transferred and ready to cut out with a blade knife. I have also used the Sizzix machine and made cut outs from chipboard and transferred them to clay. Where there’s a will, there’s a way Jocelyn, it’s just fun trying it out. Go have some fun sweetie!

Thank you everyone for your comments! I am pleased to see that many of you have seen an improvement to the quality of your pieces, by putting more effort into your finishing.

Just like a fine craftsman who makes gorgeous high end cabinetry, always spends a large chunk of his production time doing the finishing work, so should a polymer clay bead maker. Sometimes this involves sanding and polishing, and sometimes it does not, depending on the technique used in the project.

But in all cases, attention to detail is important. Your pieces should always be built to the best of your ability, cured to maximum strength, look and feel nicely finished and look as good on the back/inside as it does on the front/outside.

Your pieces will only be as good as your current skills and that is totally fine. You can’t start at the top. But you will feel more satisfied and pleased with your work, if you put into it the best you got.

I personally have seen a big improvement in my work as my skills have developed over the years. Are they museum level? Probably not. But when I hold my latest bead or piece of jewelry in my hands, I know I put the best I had into it. Sure, later down the road I will probably look at it and see where I could improve on it, just like I do when I look at any of my older pieces. But for now I am happy where I’m at. Proud of how I’ve grown. And excited about where I might go.

I hope for each of you that you can feel the same way. We are all at different stages in our lives and on our artistic journeys. We all have different skills, needs and desires we want to get from the experience. We all have improved as we’ve learned, while still having room to grow even further.

I guess I am feeling a little sentimental about this business today and all of you amazing people who have joined me in this polymer clay journey. Forgive me if I let my ‘sucky’ side show. It just means a lot to me. So thank you!

—————

Oh and Yes… You will all get to learn how to make a Faux Labradorite Pendant which includes cutting them into lovely shapes (with a blade Jocelyn) in the February tutorial. Enjoy!

That was really well said Cindy. I often feel like I’m chasing after a rainbow when I’m working on stuff because I want it to look more fabulous than the one before it. I need to learn to be patient and celebrate the steps I have learned recently (like sanding and buffing) and know that I will grow in leaps and bounds – just not immediately. I think I’m going to print out what you wrote and hang it where I do my crafting.

I don’t completely hate sanding, but I get tired standing at the sink for so long. I’m going to start taking a bowl of soapy water to my table so that I can sit while I’m sanding. One day I want to invest in the micro-mesh pads as well. As far as buffing goes, I have a hand held power drill (like a dremel), but I need to get a vise to hold it – it spins so fast it bothers my hands. I also need to learn how to make the buffer pads for it. I really want to start buffing my beads. I usually use future, and they look nice, but I think the buffer would be faster, less messy, and more professional looking.

Sing this to the well known tune to make you smile.

Whistle while you work
You know you mustn’t shirk
Go through the grits
Zap yukky bits
just whistle while you work

So do what CINDY says
Although i might t take days
You’ll be so glad
Might make you mad
But whistle while you work.

So sing this silly rhyme
A little at a time
Rub rub rub then rest
This bead will be my best

Sand sand sand then stop
To make the finish pop
Silky smooth and clean
Love that silky sheen

So do what CINDY says
And follow in her ways!

You will not be able to get that tune out of your head, I’ve been humming it for a few days. hee hee!
Just to say a BIG thank you to everyone who is thinking of me. You will never know what it means to read such kind words of support, it touched my heart. Gotta go before I get too slushy……cheers xx……..

Might take some time dear Cindy, but I’m working on it as my brain is in overdrive xx

Hi Cindy
I loved this tuttorial, I have one question, if you rememeber I live in México, I have being having some trouble to get the Minwax finishing paste, and I was planning a friend to bring it to me, but now I saw the RENASSANCE MICRO CRYSTALL WAX POLISH, as I saw you recommend this better. Where can she get it? is it safe to bring it by airplane? do you see any flamable ingredients in the label?, thank you!!!!

Hi everyone, I want to report my impressions of the ProtectaClear Coating for use on jewelry. I ordered it from Everybrite, Inc. for $23.30 which included shipping. The customer support was wonderful and so helpful with any questions that I had both before and after ordering the product.

That being said; I would not recommend it for use on jewelry. It is very hard to apply it without having drips that are hard to control (I dipped mine). It did not dry as fast as they said that it would, and the copper, silver plate, and sterling silver items that I treated seemed to re-tarnish very quickly. The product seems to put a light, clear, plastic-like coating on the article. I went through the coating procedure as recommended, i.e. clean with a tarnish remover, neutralize the remover with a solution of baking soda, and then wipe again with denatured alcohol. This was done prior to coating the article with the ProtectaClear.

I find it easier just to dip the article in jewelry tarnish remover, rinse it off, and dry it prior to wearing it. Of course, this does not solve the problem of bulk pieces of jewelry that have tarnished, but need to be cleaned before displaying at a craft showing. That is the main reason why I am trying to find a way to prevent tarnish from occurring.

I hope I did not discourage you from trying it out yourselves; please do so because I may not have used the product correctly and would love to see it work for us.

One more thing. It did seem to put a nice clear, shiny coating on the polymer clay pieces. That could be a potential use for the product. I have not allowed enough time to go by, however, to see it will affect the polymer clay adversely.

Thanks for letting me review this product.

Cris

I have a question regarding finishing, SORT of: can you recure or rebake your beads AFTER they’ve already been lacquered? I feel that my earliest beads were not baked hard enough, and would like to make them stronger. Yes? or No? Thanks so much for your help and generosity; your videos and tips make you a polymer clay heroine to me.

I’m happy to report that the re-baking/curing was a success. There were no apparent problems from the beads having been lacquered, and they’re now much stronger. Whew.
Can’t wait to go to the USA in March and pick up my bench grinder to bring back to Germany. Mostly I’m visiting my daughter and grandkids, but the side benefit is picking up tools and supplies. Now I’m off to read your “Spring” post.
.

hahahahaha — great sense of humor! And Lee is actually my middle name, too. I’ve always been Karen Lee Price, but my husband is Karlheinz Luda (he’s a German) so I decided to have an “artist” name that was not my usual name, to help me keep my accounts unconfused, so: Lee Luda.

I have you linked on my website, so if there’s any problem with that, please let me know. I don’t know what the etiquette is for that sort of thing.

Thanks so much for your quick response! I will try this tomorrow (probably) and share the results. But after seeing your video, I won’t be using lacquer again except to seal in microbeads and pastels, etc.

I’ll add your request to the list Cheryl. In the mean time, go ahead and bake some glass bead and wire embedded pieces. It won’t cause you any ‘hot spot’ issues. You’re right about embedded pieces being more secure than glued in pieces. So why don’t you try and come up with some of your own ideas? Sounds like you already have something in your head as far as design goes. It never hurts do play a little. You may just come up with your own perfect solution to the problem.

It is possible Sandra that you used too much ink for it to dry quickly enough. Try using the cool setting on your blow dryer instead and you shouldn’t have any problems cooking your clay. Also, when it dries it will still be tacky when it is used on raw polymer clay. It doesn’t have to be bone dry… you just don’t want it wet enough to evaporate when baking and cause air pockets between your layers. Just keep trying the technique. You’ll find it works beautifully. You just may need a little practice to make it perfect.

Hi everybody, I just purchased some Porter Cable cleaning and polishing compounds from Lowe’s that are used to clean and polish metals. It comes in 5 grits. The salesman and I tried to figure out the corresponding sanding grit; we think that the #5 corresponds to 1000 grit, the #4 is 800, and the #3 is 600. #2 and #1 are for rougher cleaning so I did not buy those. #3 is to clean soft metals, #4 is for light polishing on all metals, and #5 is for a high gloss polishing on all metals. # 3 was also recommended for polishing hard plastics. That being said, you are supposed to “charge” the little buffing wheel on the Dremel with the compound to clean or polish. I am looking forward to trying this method of polishing my polymer pieces. You are supposed to use one buffing wheel per compound. I am going to finish with my cleaning compound that I use on my stained glass pieces. I’ll report back and let ya’ll know how it works. Cris

Cindy,

Oh, my! I just have to write you today and share my excitement with you. Man, do I love to be surprised.

I am a beginner with polymer clay, and have been sucking in all the information I can, haunting this website & blog & the web in general, reading books, etc. One of the things I love about polymer is that it feeds both sides of my brain, and my logical have-to-understand self has been mightily indulged (former computer programmer here). And being a tool junkie, I have been accumulating all these great tools and having a ball organizing everything. Such fun!

As far as the clay? Well, I have been playing with color & making recipes and teardrop blends, & trying all these great techniques you teach us. I have made some canes & beads & other mysterious things (have no clue what they are or if they will even be interesting when done). But I have had NO idea what I was going to do with these things I have made. I have never made a whole project from start to finish. Up until now, nothing has been sanded. I’ve just been accumulating these [nearly] pretty little objects. Some secret part of me knew that the sanding would make all of that clearer ….

So today I finally decided to try my hand at sanding. And here is the surprise I mentioned at the beginning.

Now, it’s not that I didn’t believe you, Cindy, when you said the sanding would make a HUGE difference – you have said it many times, and I could see it in the videos. But believing and BELIEVING are two different things! Holding them in my hands, seeing the changes…. the beauty, the soft buttery touch, the depth of the colors and of the translucent clay – they are all that you said they would be.

So this is a big thank you, for your teachings and your inspiration. You have such a great gift — the ability to excite peoples’ minds and hearts and creative selves.

Fran

Thank you Cindy, and Doug, for your expertise in your tutorials also for sharing your knowledge.
As I am new to the PC art world, my question is “how do I sand multi dimensional pieces. My pendants have added clay on top for design. Thanks in advance for your assistance.