{"id":2335,"date":"2009-01-31T02:10:14","date_gmt":"2009-01-31T10:10:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beadsandbeading.com\/blog\/?p=2335"},"modified":"2009-01-29T23:59:02","modified_gmt":"2009-01-30T07:59:02","slug":"heart-beads-valentines-jewelry-polymer-clay-mold","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beadsandbeading.com\/blog\/heart-beads-valentines-jewelry-polymer-clay-mold\/2335\/","title":{"rendered":"Heart Beads For Valentines Jewelry Made Using a Polymer Clay Mold"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Molded<\/p>\n

7 Easy Steps For Making A Molded Polymer Clay Heart Bead:
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This molded heart shape bead was made in several steps. The process started by first using a metal heart pendant I had on hand, to make a polymer clay mold. The<\/span> polymer clay mold was then used as the form to create the final polymer clay bead.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now I’ll Go Into More Detail For Each Of The 7 Steps:<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

1) <\/strong><\/span>Start by dusting one side of the metal heart pendant with cornstarch to act as a release agent. Then push that heart shaped metal side into a piece of soft, scrap polymer clay. Be sure the depression in the clay is deep enough to make a full impression of one full half of the metal pendant shape.<\/span><\/p>\n

2) <\/strong><\/span>Don’t remove the metal heart from the clay at this stage. Just put the clay with the metal heart still embedded, right into the oven and bake for 1 hour at 265 F. Leaving the metal in the clay during the baking process helps to preserve all the fine details that you want transferred into the clay.<\/span><\/p>\n

3) <\/strong><\/span>After the baking process is finished, but while the clay is still warm, remove the metal heart to see how your mold turned out. Let the clay cool properly before moving onto the next step.<\/span><\/p>\n

4) <\/strong><\/span>Now you will have a hard baked polymer clay mold in which you can make your polymer clay beads. Dust the mold with cornstarch and push in a fresh ball of good clay. Press the clay in carefully with your fingers to make sure it has reached all the crevices of the mold.<\/span><\/p>\n

5) <\/strong><\/span>Pop out the molded half of your heart bead from the mold and bake it. Don’t bake the raw clay in the polymer clay mold for this step. The heat would bond them together.<\/span><\/p>\n

6) <\/strong><\/span>Repeat Step 4 again to create the other half-side of your heart bead. But before popping this one out of the mold, press the back side of the first (already-baked) heart shape, against the back side of this new half. Smooth out the edges and then remove the mold. You will now have a two sided heart-shaped bead with one side fully baked and the other side not. Bake the entire bead in the oven… it’s OK that the first half gets re-baked a second time [Related Article: <\/strong>Re-Baking Polymer Clay Will Not Harm Your Beads<\/a>]. I bake the bead in two stages like that because it is easier to avoid distortion and fingerprints that way.
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7) <\/strong><\/span>After baking and lightly sanding, I like to rub paint into the crevices of this type of bead to make the design stand out.<\/span><\/p>\n

This molded heart pendant would make a lovely Valentine Jewelry piece. But you can also wear it year round, whenever you need a little love around your neck!<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are some links to a few of other posts about heart beads… enjoy!<\/span><\/p>\n