6 Videos #562 to #567: Twisting polymer clay focal bead designs, accented with whirling balls of stormy wire and seed beads.
A simple yet mesmerizing polymer clay bead shape to learn how to make, is the Twisted Torpedo Bead. It can be created several different ways… with scrap clay… using a section of cane… or planned out perfectly by placing pieces of color, blends, painted clay and/or metal leaf.
And what would go better with a Twisted Torpedo bead, but a Tornado Bead! These cool wire wrapped beads are a twisted storm of wire and seed beads, formed into a ball that can be used to make jewelry projects of all kinds.
I don’t know if it is Storm Season in your area at this time of the year, but both these bead designs will stir up your creativity and having a wild time making them into an awesome pair of earrings for your next stormy night out!
Posted just below is a Sneak Peak and overview of my Tornado and Torpedo Beads Tutorial. The rest of the 6 part video series will be posted tomorrow (Friday, Sep 5th, 2014) in Vol-076 at the Polymer Clay Tutor Library.
BTW, if these Tornado and Torpedo Beads look exciting to you, please do click that YouTube Like button. Many of you have been giving the Thumbs Up to the weekly YouTube videos, which is great… Thank You! However, these monthly intro clips need some love as well. When they don’t get as many likes, it makes it look like they are not appreciated as much… which surely can’t be true with all the nice comments you all leave :)
Vol-076-1: Video #562: Introduction: In this 6 part video tutorial series, you will learn how to make two awesome bead shapes… the twisted torpedo polymer clay bead and the wirey tornado bead. They are used together to create a gorgeous pair of dagger style earrings. Included are many tips, tricks and techniques that you can use to create these stunning beads in the colors and styles I suggest, or your own. Truly a one-of-a-kind polymer clay project. These gorgeous Tornado and Torpedo Beads can be used to create gorgeous earrings, pendants, bracelets, toggles, necklaces and other jewelry pieces. Plus these beads are great for making whatever other beaded creations you can dream up!
Vol-076-2: Video #563:
Twisted Oval Beads:
In this video I will show you how to use a bead roller tool to create twisted oval beads using scrap polymer clay. Having the bead roller, as you will see, is not necessary for creating the final product in this tutorial. But the clear see-through design of this tool, makes it easy to observe what is happening as your pattern takes shape. This exercise will help you to understand how to create twisting patterns under your palm, when you hand roll some torpedo beads in the next Part 3 video in this series!
Vol-076-3: Video #564:
Rainbow Torpedo Beads:
In this video I will show all the tips and tricks needed to make perfectly shaped twisted torpedo beads by hand rolling them. You can scrap clay again if you like, as shown in the previous Part 2 video. Or you can use a section of Rainbow Cane which I demonstrate how to make in the following 3 free videos: (1) Rainbow Teardrop Blend; (2) Square Polymer Clay Rainbow Cane Skinner Blend Plug; (3) Reducing Square Polymer Clay Canes. When making the torpedo beads, I’ll show you how it matters which direction the colors go when using a skinner blend cane, and the different effects you can get when you switch those directions around.
Vol-076-4: Video #565:
Planned Torpedo Beads:
In this video I show you how to control the pattern that is created on your torpedo beads by adding stripes of different clays before the hand rolling begins. There are many different types of surface techniques that can be included on these beads, including solid clays, Skinner Blends (Teardrop Blends), painted clays, crackled leaf clays, inclusion clays etc., etc. By controlling the amounts of each clay that is used, you can also create beads that will have a more predictable pattern than if you were to just use a collection of scrap clays. Each set of beads you create can be one of a kind if you choose, or they can be almost identical, depending on how you put your bead together before rolling. You are going to love the variety of options here. I know you’ll be delighted by how wonderful your beads turn out!
Vol-076-5: Video #566:
Baking Finishing Drilling:
In this video, I show you how to make your own special bead rack, perfect for this style of bead, and how to bake them to a strong and durable finish. I will also share my tips and tricks for waxing and drilling the beads, depending on what you plan to use them for. You will learn my simple technique for getting a nice clean flat surface for drilling into the end tips of the beads, should you want to make the long dagger style earrings which I show how to make in the next Part 6 video in this series.
Vol-076-6: Video #567:
Making Tornado Torpedo Earrings:
In this last video of the series, you will learn how to add and shape the ear wires to your torpedo beads, and how to finish the ends so they are safe for your ears. I also teach you how to make a funky bead known as a tornado bead, which incorporates fine wire and glass seed beads. These beads are excellent for using up scrap wire and random beads, making them a skill that you will want to add to your jewelry making bag of tricks. It is in this Part 6 video of the full Vol-076 series, that your two (Tornado and Torpedo) twisted beads come together into a perfect storm set of earrings!
Other Suggested Supplies:
- Baking tray with foil pan or cardstock for tenting.
- Cardstock or office paper for making a bead rack.
- Small piece of scrap wood.
- Soft cloth for buffing.
- Small selection of small beads (I used glass seed beads).
- Scrap Clay.
- Piece of Square Rainbow Blend Cane (see links above in Video #564 description above, for free video resources).
- Leftover Skinner Blends/Teardrop Blends.
By the way, many of the “shopping” links I provide for the various tools and supplies used in my tutorials, are “affiliate” resources. That means companies like Amazon and the other suppliers I refer, 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 little bit helps in keeping the cost of my tutorials down. And, the prices for products that you may purchase through my links, are exactly the same as what you would normally pay, even if it is a “sale” price. So please feel free to click whenever you need to pick up a few things for your studio. Thanks so much for your support.
The full video series for the Tornado and Torpedo Beads tutorial described above, is available in Vol-076 at the Polymer Clay Library.
If you would like to receive 3 free beginner videos right now, plus some free color recipes that get sent out each week in my Friday email newsletter, please click this link: Polymer Clay Tutorials
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… Please Note: A general prerequisite for all of my monthly library 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, 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.
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Customer Feedback About Membership Value:
Hi Cindy, I have only just found your tutorials but I am so glad I did. On another cold wet “spring” day here in the UK your tutorials transport me to a sunnier warmer place! I’ve been working with polymer clay for about two years now and I am always playing with scrap clay and exploring new ways to use it up in ingenious ways, but this is just something else completely! Truly inspiring – I am hooked. Thank you for sharing this with us. ~Fiona-P
My genre is mixed media. Thanks, Cindy, for the best art value on the web! ~Shauna-B
No where else could all this be learned for just $3.32 a month!! You are so generous with all you have learned – and pass down to all of us. This is the Greatest site ever!!! I am so glad I joined. Those of you out there – COME join us. You will learn so much! Just $9.95 every three months for – tutorials, color recipes and so much more. You will never regret it. ~Patt-W
This totally blew my socks off! What an exciting series of tutes. Being an avid quilter I use batik fabrics extensively and have a huge cabinet full of them. To be able to transfer this technique to polymer clay is just the most exciting thing. I had no idea this was even doable but leave it to Cindy to come up with a way. This is that “more bang for your buck” I’m always telling my friends about. If any of you out there are still only thinking about signing up, DO IT! believe me you will not regret it. Thanks guys for another fantastic video series. ~DixieAnn-S
Hi Cindy, Doug, Willow and Fisher, I love the idea of the whole lesson at one time, since we will still have Friday vids. I, like everyone else, love the every-week contact with you and the family, Cindy. It makes you a friend instead of just someone we have business contact with. At least I consider you a friend and I’m sure many of us feel that way :) I also love being part of the growing energy that flows in abundance here – yours is the best polymer clay website there is, hands down! I don’t see how you’re still able to keep your membership fee so low. That is amazing in today’s economy. I’m not encouraging you to raise your fees mind you (lol) but if you did need to, I would still want to be a member. There’s so much creativity and positivity here that I wouldn’t want to miss a minute of. I’ve said it before – yours is a real feel – good and welcoming site to come to and a bright spot in my day and I thank you and your family for all your hard work. p.s. I also love your slogan “Make what you love. . .love what you make” Couldn’t have said it better myself. ~Angela-M
I love it when others sing the praises of the Lietz Family. It is so well deserved. You all give so unselfishly of your talents. And, there are so many other talented artists in our clay family who also willingly share their experiences as well. It is always such a pleasure to stop by and get caught up on what is happening. Sometimes I’m behind in doing this and find a comment that raises more questions, so have to backtrack. Its always some of my happy time of day. Thanks everyone. ~Joyce-F
The full video series for the Tornado and Torpedo Beads tutorial described above, is available in Vol-076 at the Polymer Clay Library.
If you would like to receive 3 free beginner videos right now, plus some free color recipes that get sent out each week in my Friday email newsletter, please click this link: Polymer Clay Tutorials
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I can’t wait to see the tutorial, those beads looks really amazing!!
Wow! These beads are so cool, Cindy! I now have a mission for trying out my new Atlas 180, which thanks to one of the clay community, I got one that I call ‘Kisselfied’ !!!! I have the large 180 Wellness with the new rollers and removable scraper blades….now, off to play!
I forgot that tomorrow is the first Friday of the month – WOOHOO!! These look beautiful, can’t wait to learn. :o)
They’re so awesome! Already have an idea.
Wow Cindy!!! These are two stunning new bead shapes and types. Love the economical fact that scraps can be used to make the torpedo beads, randomly, then planned for duplicates. The “eye” that forms in the rolling process makes me think of using colorways that would lend them a Turkish evil eye bead effect. Possibly fattening then flattening out the bead to max the eye image. Just too cool.
The tornado beads are a trip! What a wonderful way to use seeds beads and such to form such a lovely complementary top (or bottom, or middle?). Or, as a great addition to a series of charm beads
Immediately have the urge to curl the torpedo bead ends to make nautilus/snail beads, too.
This project should keep me occupied for quite some time, and I constantly marvel at your creativity to come up with new forms, color ways and wire/clay combos.
Thank you for another wonderful addition to the poly clay bead arsenal.
For those with wonky hands, using a non baked piece of scrap clay or tape might be enough to hold the bead safely and evenly for drilling.
Now to check that scrap pile…….
Of course-coffee in hand, still in nighty – NEW TUTE!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my gosh !!!!!!!!! What a unique tute. I have seen this style of bead a LOT lately. So timely. I will spend days and days playing with this tute. TY so much…………….this is a BIG winner in my book……….
Cindy, you are my angel. Something new again! Just put my beads in the oven. Love, love making them. I found if I roll with my left hand it is not as heavy as my right since I’m right handed. I think the beads are great with polymer. Gives the polymer a good edge. I like working with beads and polymer together. Thank you again.
Always, Pat
I saw the intro to this tutorial yesterday and nearly went crazy having to wait for the “whole show.” I thought I had worked out how you did it Cindy, but I was so wrong! These are WONDERFUL beads, and imagining what I want to do with them has brightened up an otherwise Gray day. You make everything look so easy, and yet possible! Big smile all over my face. Thank You SO much!
You mentioned the “Viking knit tutorial” regarding your arm bracelet. Where can I find that? I didn’t see it listed. I only saw a knit tutorial. Is that it?
It’s the Faux Enamel and Viking Knit Vol-067 series.
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Another fantastic series!!!! I wish I had all weekend to play in the clay, lol.
Thank you Cindy! I really enjoy your tutorials. Love the designs and love the techniques and love your work!!! :)
WOW Can’t wait to see how mine turn out. Almost afraid to try as yours are so beautiful. I really like the combination of the two beads. And I just got an order of wonderful seed beads from Fire Mountain. Thanks so much Cindy and Doug.
Hi Sylvia, please don’t ever be afraid to try something, just because someone else’s is beautiful. This technique is one that you will be able to master very quickly. Do go roll some torpedoes and come back and let us know how they turned out. If you do find they are not perfect the first time, I can certainly offer you some more advice should you need it. I am glad to hear your seed beet order was so timely for your project! Have fun with the tutorial!
What fun! I’m thinking Christmas tree ornaments… perfect for feather trees. Ideas keep coming. Thank you, Cindy.
I can’t believe how incredibly simple this technique is for such a spectacular result. Love love love, thanks Cindy.
wow, these are so gorgeous Cindy! I think that’s my weekend accounted for! :-)
These are lovely. Looking fwd to making these.
These are really cool! Love the Tornado Beads! Getting ready to try the Torpedo Beads. Wish me luck!!
Would love to see/hear about how they turn out Catalina! Do let us know.
Love this tutorial, never would have guessed it was so simple. Thank you for sharing.
Love,love this tute. Being I was ONCE redhead- I am drawn to orange,turquoise , black and white, plus, of course, the foil. So The earrings are made. Just have to finish the necklace……….I will TRY to post them. Just in time to wear to our Guild meeting Saturday. Isnn’t it fun to have something NEW to wear……………The Christmas is coming…………hmmmmmmm more-more
All finished ( except I could not find my bur cup !). I put the necklace on a copper wire.Then contoured the shape to fit my neck. I really like the finished products……….Going to wear them tomorrow to Guild!!!! Now what to make next ———–so many ideas………………byebye..:}}}}
Hi Cindy, I am getting back into PC after over a year. I’m excited to start over, and thought I’d start out with this tutorial. Easier said than done. But it is good practice and I was happy as a bee just handling the clay again. The first problem I encountered was my beads turning out too long and thin. I kept squashing and trimming them and trimming. However, a bigger problem I am having is with the finishing stage. There is no way I can drill into them without the bead crumbling to pieces. So I subsequently tried to break them intentionally, and that unfortunately was very easy.
So I am wondering about the reason. I didn’t have problems with breakage before. I conditioned well, and I baked them for an hour at 135 degrees Celsius, as before. The only thing I can think of is that my clay has become too old. Could that be the reason?
I love this tutorial and really enjoyed trying it out, in spite of the unfortunate results. I am going to give it another try, but would love your take on it. Thanks.
Welcome back Ingrid! Maybe I can help… As far as the long and skinny thing, it sounds like you are pressing too hard… especially in the center of your hand. Try to cup it more and be more gentle when you’re rolling. That should help. Pat L. mentioned in a comment up above that she found that if she used her left hand, she was less heavy handed and they turned out better. You could try that too if you want.
With the clay breaking on you… my guess is that your oven isn’t baking as hot as you think it is. Polymer clay is basically plastic that needs to melt all it’s little particles together to cure. If it is not quite hot enough, the particles won’t melt all the way through and really bond. If it is hot enough but it isn’t in long enough, it will just cure on the outside and not to the inside, which makes it brittle as well. But since you said you baked for an hour, I’m thinking it is the temp. Make sure to use an oven thermometer or get a new one, if the one you’re using isn’t working right.
If those things don’t fix the issues, it could be the clay, but if you were able to get the bead to hold together into a bead shape without crumbling, then the clay is probably OK.
Good luck! Let us know how it goes!
Hi Cindy,
Thanks for your input. The strange thing is I was getting excellent results in the same dedicated oven, with the same thermometer you are using, but I’m going to test out all the variables.
As for the hands, I’m left-handed and was already using my non-dominant hand. It must be stronger than I thought :) Practice, practice, practice.
Will keep you posted!
Great set of tutes Cindy
Being able to use scrap clay, hand- rolling and not too difficult ear wires and of course the crazy tornado beads is just the idea I was looking for.
I can now to use up my stash of millions of assorted seed beads ( bought years ago when I was making Native American purses, using a loom)
Mix and match to compliment the colours makes them look so classy. Well done Cindy, you’ve done it again (what a brain), thank you and….cheers xx……..
Love this tutorial Cindy ,neat beads can’t wait to try it with my new stash of clay
I made my first Polymer Clay Tutor project! YAY! I decided that I’d make a couple of pairs of earrings for my sister and friend who are Florida Gator fans. So, I know the colors are a bit obnoxious – but I think they turned out well for my first try. The beads were the easiest and most fun part!
Here is a photo if anyone wants to look.
A question I have is that the blue really changed after baking. It was a night bright blue (like Fimo Soft brilliant blue) and changed to a very dark navy blue color. The orange stayed the same. I had some scrap clay I used. It was something I inherited from a friend years ago. I know it isn’t Fimo because of the shape of the remainder of the block. I seem to think maybe it was some kind of Sculpy. I had also mixed in some gold foil from an earlier project. My toaster oven is new. I baked it tented at the right temperature (confirmed by a thermometer) on some chip board and the bent paper like you show for one hour.
Do you think it’s the brand of clay? Age? Gold leaf? They still look good – but I would have preferred the bright blue.
At least I’m learning!
Wow, Lena, your earrings are perfect!
Thanks Jill! I can see room for improvement – but I was pretty pleased. (:
Hi Lena, I love how your earrings turned out, despite being darker than you expected! Since they don’t seem to be discolored in any way, I am assuming that they were supposed to be that color when baked. Often the clays with the glitter and stuff in them will have a fair amount of translucent clay in them, which would effect the lightness after baking. (White Translucent looks really white before baking and goes a soft grayish tint after baking.) If it is not that, it could just be the brand… some brands are bad for having the color shift after baking. Did you see the Bake and Bend video? The colors there darkened quite a bit after baking. Premo’s color stay pretty true to what they look like raw, expect Fuchsia which dies darken slightly. Hope that helps a little. :)
I am settling on it being the brand. I added the gold leaf myself to the plain clay. I’ll have to just do a test with what I have left next time I fire up the toaster oven to know for sure. I did see the bake and bend video – but I didn’t think about colors. I’ll have to rewatch and take notice. Perhaps I should do some type of before/after catalog. In one of your videos you showed how you kept all of your blends in a notebook – so smart! Maybe I can adapt that for colors somehow. Or maybe I should just make those neat little blended pill shapes you make. I’ve made a couple and they are really neat to have. What a great tip that was!
This is such a FUN tute. You earrings are so pretty. I love blue and orange together. So, for me, they are not obnoxious LOL. Keep up the good work. We all love to see pictures. Great job !!!!!!!!!!!
It is fun to see pictures of everyone’s work! I am so happy I found this community. The orange and blue has grown on me. Maybe you are a Florida Gator at heart. Lol.
Re-read and just a suggestion. Put tons of metal leaf in stuff, some now two decades old? You must seal it to prevent tarnishing, and from personal experience, I do not think wax holds up. What does? PYMII
Google the term in the upper right search box for specifics. Just spray and go.
Had a set of ghost pipes I made from poly clay which has set outside in my CT garden for more than 3 years. Couple of quick coats after I was where I wanted on the sand/buff cycle.
Just as good today as that day. Here’s the PYMII manufacturers site
You must find a local supplier as it is aerosol (but there is a liquid form too). If I might recommend, Terry Morris, who is a reader here, has a great site, and Cindy profiles and uses a lot of his products.
All best!
Dammit, sorry Doug…..no edit feature.
No worries Jocelyn… I got ya covered :-)
FYI: I just tried to find PYM on Terry’s site and could not find it… so I’m not sure if he is still carrying it or not.
Lena, these are drop dead stunning. Love them.
Aw. Thank you. *blush*
Hi Cindy, I have been enjoying learning all your great techniques. Have made the reptile beads and tornado and torpedo beads and love wearing them. We are away at the moment in our caravan. Have still taken some clay with me and practicing torpedo beads when I can!!!! Yep am addicted! Thanks again for all your great videos.
Kind regards Cheryl.
A little belatedly I have to tell you how delighted I am with this tutorial! I only have a 1.1/2″ square cutter so it took me a while to find the right amount of clay for the bead roller, but once I did the beads came out fantastic! Thank you so much Cindy, you’re still coming up with these amazing ideas, where do you get your inspiration from? Anyway, I’m really grateful that you share them all with us!
Thanks so much Marion! It can get difficult to come up with new material after so many years of tutorials, but the mere fact that I HAVE to, makes it possible. I have always worked better under deadlines and since I have been able to ‘pull rabbits out of hats’ in the past, I guess I just keep doing it. Also the thing with polymer clay is that since you can do so many different kinds of things with it, so many possibilities are yet to be discovered… so in theory, I should be able to keep coming up with new stuff for the rest of my life!
Thanks Cindy. I set up a Polymer Clay Tutor subscription for myself. Have been toying with the idea for over a year but I have no real artistic ability, especially with clay. I make wire jewelry but love playing with poly clay, and your tutes give me hope that I can follow along and produce some jewelry worthy beads and color blends.
Welcome Alice P. You will be so surprised and the wonderful things YOU can make. Cindy is such a great teacher. She breaks things down in EASY steps. What fun is in store………..ENJOY!
Thanks for saying that Patt!
So happy to have you here Alicia! Don’t say you have no artistic ability… because that is not true. You may not have discovered or developed your artistic ability, but it is there. Relax and enjoy the process… your inner artist will emerge! :)
Just finished watching all the videos on Tornado and Torpedo beads and I loved it. Cindy makes everything very clear and easy.
Can’t wait to try and make some of those beautiful beads.
Adorei os vídeos. Agradeço pelas informações.
Dulce, Brazil
Thank you Dulce! I am happy you like the videos. Have a wonderful holiday with your family!
Obrigado Dulce ! Estou feliz que você gosta dos vídeos. Tenha um feriado maravilhoso com sua família!
Cindy, I finally bought two of your tutorials today and I am incredibly pleased with the amount of information you give and the level of care you take to share all the details needed to make your projects. Thanks for your superb tutorials. I do have a question regarding the torpedo beads–have you tried making the hole go all the way through from one point to the other? Can it be done with this size bead? I have another bead that is long like this one and I also need to figure out how to make the hole perfectly centered from one end to the other.
Hi Petrina, a long skinny bead that shape is probably one of the hardest shapes to get a nice hole in all the way through. You could of course do it with practice. You’ll want to roll some practice shapes from scrap clay and start by making a hole in each end… with the intention of meeting in the middle. Twist the needle and try and keep the hole going straight. It is a matter of practice, practice, practice. Just like many things in life… skill requires practice to develop. Good luck! Let us know how it goes…
Well… I’m an addict! My last addiction was lentils. But I’m loving these torpedoes even more!! I can’t get over how easy it is to make subtle variations in the controlled beads to make coordinating ones to go with matched sets. They’re just the simplest, easiest, and most beautiful beads! Since watching the tutorial earlier tonight I’ve already whipped up about 30-40 and the first batch is all waxed and buffed and polished to a lovely shine! They’re sitting in a cup on my desk like a little bouquet of joy. I just love them so much! Can’t wait to create beautiful things!
I accidentally discovered that if your base color is much much softer than your strips of other color, when you roll out the torpedoes you actually end up with ridges where one color doesn’t push out as fast as the others. It’s not what I intended, but it’s an interesting texture that ended up kind of neat. Been leeching this black clay for days and it’s still so soft!
I’m so glad I was finally able to become a member. I really appreciate you and Doug doing all the hard work behind the scenes as well as on camera and offering us the opportunity to learn so much from you for such a reasonable price! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Ok, enough chit chat… back to torpedo making!
Nice to meet you fellow addict. (:
It’s a pleasure Lena! Do you have any photos of your addiction? I’m always happy to be a clay enabler!
You can see my work at angrymartini web site (: How about you?
Lena! That is some gorgeous work you’ve got on your very entertaining site! I got sucked in to reading your funny little stories… Although not funny about the learning Orchid… :( I’m also really impressed with your very creative way to own a cat! :) I’ll have to remember to keep checking back for more entertaining stories, fun photos and stunning art!
Katy – you made my day by admitting you looked at my site. I am so glad you enjoyed poking around. I have a new piece I need to post right now as soon as it dries. (:
Hi Lena… just an FYI specifically for you… your comments have started going to moderation because you recently started using “Lena” in the name field instead of “Lena S” … if you go back to using “Lena S” again, your comments won’t get caught up in the moderation queue any more. It may take one more comment from you, before WordPress realizes it’s you… but after that, you’ll be one of the “family” again :-)
Btw… that’s a great story about how your AngriMartin site got it’s name… oh no… not the cone of shame!
Oh rats. It usually autofills – but I changed computers and didn’t do it right. I assumed it was because I tried to sneak a link in there. LOL. Thanks for the heads up. You guys go over and beyond. Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the story of Angry Martini. I always wonder if anyone reads that stuff. The animated/blinking purple logo I made really embodies her. She just looked… well, angry! (:
Thank you Katy! It is so fun to hear the enthusiasm in your written words. It is refreshing to see someone be a doer and not just a collector of tutorials and ideas. You will see your skills advance very quickly if you keep doing these tutorials like you have. Keep it up!