Tutorial ~ Making a Polymer Clay Pendant using a Makin’s Clay Extruder

Welcome to our tutorial showing you how you can create fascinating designs using the Makin’s Professional Ultimate Clay Extruder, this tutorial will show you how to make the above heart pendant, but you can choose to make other shapes.  You can also see this tutorial on Youtube http://youtu.be/9lU91qCGH7Q.

Here’s what you will need:

·         Selection of Fimo (or other Polymer clay) Colours

·         Pasta Machine (optional)

·         Makin’s Professional Ultimate Clay Extruder

·         Blade

·         Rolling Pin

·         Small Cookie Cutter Shapes

·         Cling Film

·         Baby Wipes

·         Eye Pin

·         Jewellery Glue/Super Glue

·         Polymer Clay Varnish (Optional)

 Step 1

Cut a piece of each colour of clay and condition / soften it by rolling it in your hands.  Ensure you start with the lighter colour to avoid mixing colours.  Also, regularly wipe your hands with baby wipes (or wash with soap and water), this will also help keep your colours separate.

Step 2

Send your clay through the pasta machine on setting 4 OR roll until approx 1mm thick with a rolling-pin.

Step 3

Cut out approx 10 circles of each colour.  You can use as many colours as you wish.  You should use a 1.5cm circle cutter to do this, or you can unscrew the lid from your extruder and use this as a cutter.

Step 4

Stack all the circles of clay which you have cut out – ensure the main colour you want is the last colour you place onto the stack.

Step 5

Roll your stack of clay lightly with your hand to help all of the separate discs stick together and to make it smooth on the outside.

Step 6

Unwind the extruder handle until it reaches roughly the same length as your clay stack.

Step 7

Take the end off the extruder and place the clay inside – make sure the colour you can see is the main colour that you want.

Step 8

Choose your disk shape.  This is the shape that your extrusion will come out.  It is best to choose a shape which is easy to jigsaw together such as Square, Triangle, Hexagon, Rectangle.  Try to avoid round edge shapes.  Place your chosen disk inside the lid of your extruder and re-screw the lid on.

Step 9

Wind the handle of the extruder and you will start to see your clay come out.

Step 10

Slice your extrusion into sections to make it easier to work with

Step 11

You should then slice your extrusion into approx 1 – 2mm pieces until you have enough to fill a pendant.  Try to keep your slices as similar in thickness as possible for the best results.

Step 12

Take a piece of base clay (this can be left over scrap pieces of clay) Send it through the pasta machine on setting 1 or roll it out using the rolling-pin to approx 3mm thick.

Step 13

Jigsaw your slices onto the base until it fills enough area for your cutter shape.

Step 14

Place a piece of cling film under your base clay, and over the top of your design work to stop the clay from sticking to your mat and the rolling-pin.  Fairly lightly, press the clay slices into the base, trying to push it into any gaps in the clay if there are any.

Step 15

Keep the cling film in place – this gives your pendant nice rounded edges, a dome effect when using the cutter and also makes it much easier to remove your finished pendant from the scrap piece.  Take a cookie cutter shape, and press it through the cling film and clay nice and firmly.  You can then remove the cutter and pop your finished pendant out.

Step 16

Take an eye pin, cut it to size and push it into the top of your pendant.  You may find it easier to push it through by holding the pin in a pair of flat nose pliers rather than by hand, but either way is fine.

Step 17

Once you are ready, you will need to place the pendant on a tile or baking tray and bake the pendant in the oven as per the Polymer Clay manufacturer’s guidelines, which you will find on the packet.  Then allow to fully cool, before handling.

Step 18

It is now time to glue your pin into your pendant.  Take a pair of flat nose pliers (or do it by hand).  The pin should slide easily out of the cooked pendant, now dip the end of your pin in some jewellery glue (or superglue) and place it back in the hole in your pendant.

Step 19

Finally, you can varnish the finished product.  You do not have to varnish it, but it makes it so much more professional looking and also protects the clay.  Don’t forget to varnish each side, allowing the varnish to fully dry before turning over to varnish the other side.

Step 20

We then finished the pendant by hanging it on a silver plated chain, but you can choose to make it into anything you like.

If you fancy trying this technique and do not have an extruder, they can be purchased from www.georgeweil.com or you may be able to find one on www.amazon.co.uk or www.ebay.co.uk.

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Thank you for following this tutorial, provided by Purple Penguin Beads and The Crafty Network. 

If you would like to provide us with any feedback on the tutorial or have any questions, then please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below.  Thank you.