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Thrifty Options for Polymer Clay Tools and Supplies:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Something came up this week in the comments of the May 20 article about Hammered Copper Findings<\/a>. It was to do with the costs involved with making polymer clay jewelry and beads. I wanted<\/span> to expand on the topic today because I’m sure it something that is an issue for many of you.<\/span><\/p>\n The discussion began with this…<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Isn’t it funny how everyone always says that you don’t need much in the way of materials and tools for polymer clay work and then, when you get further and further into it, you end up needing all kinds of stuff?<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Specifically, the above comment was about getting a set of wire strippers to remove the outer plastic coating from copper wire purchased at the hardware store to make copper jewelry findings.<\/span><\/p>\n After some lively, fun and helpful input from so many of you, the conversation ended up at a work-around solution for stripping the wire without even having to purchase the wire stripper tool at all.<\/span><\/p>\n Thanks so much for the article on how to strip wire without a wire stripper. Sounds pretty easy. And, believe me, I do appreciate your cost-cutting tips. I agree that the supplies one needs for polymer clay projects probably cost a lot less than supplies for other crafts.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n If you haven’t seen the full conversation yet, it’s worth a read. By the way, the wire stripper dialog is just one of several “mini-conversations” that happened in that thread: Hammered Copper Findings<\/a> Anyways… I’m extremely happy to see this blog turning into a resource for all of you to share your cost saving ideas. It’s an approach to crafting that I’ve practiced for many years.<\/span><\/p>\n In fact, back in the mid 90’s I even had my own TV show called the ‘Sophisticated Scrounge<\/a>‘. It was all about using recycled and re purposed materials in creative ways. So this scrounging ability runs deep!<\/span><\/p>\n Of course, you will still need to purchase some tools for many of the techniques that I teach in my polymer clay tutorials<\/a>. But you can always count on me to provide less expensive alternatives and options whenever possible.<\/span><\/p>\n So on that note, here are 5 thrifty \/ frugal ideas for making polymer clay beads and jewelry:<\/span><\/p>\n 1) Alternative Bead Rack:<\/strong><\/span> Though I highly recommend purchasing the Amaco Bead Baking Rack<\/a>, you can get by with a heat safe, ceramic bowl and a skewer like the setup pictured in today’s photo above. Little supports made of polymer clay will keep your pierced beads from rolling around. And the ceramic will absorb heat and keep the temp more even in the oven. A longer ceramic dish will work better than the round bowl for supporting more beads at once. 2) Make Your Own Bead Wires:<\/strong><\/span> You can pierce and bake beads on bamboo skewers, knitting needles and copper wire. Put cornstarch on wood or bamboo before poking the hole in your bead. This will minimize sticking. File copper wire to as sharp a point as possible at one end for easy piercing.<\/span><\/p>\n 3) Make Your Own Alcohol Ink:<\/strong><\/span> Although the concentration of homemade alcohol inks is not as high, you can make a useful substitute with commonly available supplies. See: Alcohol Ink Techniques and Recipes for Polymer Clay Artists<\/a> 4) Powdered Color Pigments:<\/strong><\/span> You can use powdered eye shadow and bronzers instead of the specialty mica powders like Pearl Ex Powdered Pigments<\/a>.
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