DIY Network

Polymer Clay Medusa Necklace Polymer Clay Medusa Necklace From "Jewelry Making" episode DJMK-311

	Polymer Clay Medusa Necklace
	Some more examples of pieces made by this technique.

Materials:

Scrap clay or Flexyclay (used to make molds)
Ecru, white and translucent clay
Gold Premo clay
Baby powder or a release agent such as Armor All
Buttons or coins
Beads
Silver bead spacers
Bead wire
Chains
Jump rings
Pasta machine
Paintbrush dedicated to powder
Sharp 6" knife
Waxed paper
Baking sheet
Acrylic brayer
Small brass hoops or 24-gauge brass wire
Burnt umber paint
Paintbrush
Round-nose pliers
Needle tool
Polishing machine or denim fabric
Safety goggles
Safety mask

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Making the Mold

1. Condition a handful of scrap clay, or use Sculpy Flexyclay if you prefer the mold to be more rubbery and flexible. Make the clay into a ball that would be a little larger than the size of the button or the object you are molding.

Figure A

2. Brush baby powder on the object to be put in the mold and push it gently into the clay ball (figure A), pressing on all sides to make sure all details of the object are captured.

3. Make sure the edges are even on all corners of the mold; this makes it easier to remove the embedded clay from the mold.

4. Using your thumbs, push against the edges of the mold to release the button or coin from the clay. Do not push hard enough to distort the image transferred to the clay mold.

5. If the clay image is distorted, you may want to repeat the process before baking; you want the image to be as clean as possible when making a replica of the original. You can reuse the same clay, even if it has powder or Armor All on the surface.

6. Repeat the process as needed.

7. Place the clay molds on a cookie sheet and bake at 265 degrees for one hour.

8. The baked mold will be very hard, strong and ready to accept the clay that will be pushed into its image.

Making Ivory Clay

1. Condition ecru, white and translucent clay.

2. Make a sheet of each color, using the #1 setting on a pasta machine. Lay the clay sheets on waxed paper until you are ready to combine them.

Figure B

3. Stack the three colored sheets on top of one another, making sure the translucent color is sandwiched in the middle (figure B); it is very sticky, so keeping it in the center of the sheets helps protect the pasta machine from becoming gooey and sticky when the sheets are combined.

4. With an acrylic brayer, taper one side of the stack, making it easier to run the stack through the pasta machine.

5. Run the stack through the machine on the #1 setting.

6. Cut the long sheet in half and stack one half on top of the other, making sure to keep the same order of the colors. For example, if the top of the half sheet facing you is white, after stacking the second half, the top layer should also be white.

7. Repeat steps 5 and 6, five to six times, or until you are satisfied with the way the lines of the stack are looking when cut in half. You don't want to overdo this step, so keep watching the line-thinning process in each repetition; the lines should be fine, but not so fine that they will not show after baking.

Figure C

8. When you are satisfied with the lines, cut the sheet in half, again, remembering to keep the layers of color repeating in order (see step 6.)
Cut the stack of sheets in half yet again, cut in equal halves once more, and stack and repeat until you have a small loaf of very thin and delicate lines of ivory clay. The purpose of cutting the clay in half over and over again is to make a clay loaf (figure C) approximately 2" x 2", fitting the dimensions of the object(s) being replicated.

9. Let the clay loaf rest for at least an hour; this resting phase allows the clay to set up and prevents it from distorting and sticking when it's cut and sliced.

10. Trim away excess and uneven edges on one side of the clay, using a 6" sharp blade. Brush baby powder on both sides of the blade before making the cut.

Preparing the Wires

1. Purchase tiny hooped wires or make your own by wrapping 24-gauge brass wire around round-nose pliers.

2. Make the circle as small as the tip of the pliers and create an S with one end closed.

3. Make 37 hoops if making a necklace, 47 if making a necklace and earrings.

Making the Necklace

1. With a paintbrush dedicated to baby powder, brush powder inside the mold. Thoroughly apply the powder to all areas of the mold, and shake off any excess.

2. Slice off a section of clay slightly thicker than 1/4" and trim the slice to roughly the same dimensions of the mold.

Figure D

3. Decide which way you want the lines of the ivory clay to go before you push it inside the mold. Push the clay into the mold, using your fingers to work it thoroughly against the edges (figure D). Trim away any clay that runs out over the edges of the mold with the knife. Trim flush with the edges of the mold.

4. To release the clay from the mold, push a needle tool into the baked clay, being careful not to go completely through the clay, and lift it from the mold.

5. Rest the clay on waxed paper.

6. Roll out a sheet of gold Premo clay using the #1 setting on the pasta machine. Rest the sheet on the waxed paper.

7. Lightly press the molds into the gold clay, leaving an impression of the mold on the clay; remove the mold and use the knife to trim out the outline of the mold(s). These will be the backings for your clay images.

Figure E

8. Decide where you need to place the hooks in the clay, making sure they will be balanced on both sides after baking. Place two hooks on each side and one hook exactly in the middle. Again, make sure the hooks match on distance and height for both sides (figure E).

9. Place a molded clay image on top of a clay backing, with the hooks in place, make sure the edges are perfectly lined up and press the two pieces together very gently. You may have to adjust the hooks slightly to make them symmetrical on both sides of the clay, but do so with caution.

Note:Once the pieces are pressed together, it would be very hard to separate and correct their alignment.

10. Complete all the pieces, including the middle of the necklace image, place on a baking sheet and bake, according to the clay manufacturer's instructions.

11. While the pieces are baking, add ice and cold water to a bowl; when the pieces have baked and are removed from the oven put them in the water bath and let them sit in the cold water for approximately 15-20 minutes. The cold bath will help set the quality of the ivory; once it's sanded and ready to be buffed, it will have a beautiful shine.

Sanding and Polishing

1. Decide whether you want your baked pieces to have a high shine or a slightly muted finish.

2. For a high shine, use wet/dry sand paper in three grits; start sanding with 400-grit, then with 600-grit and finally with 1500-grit.

3. Polish with a polishing machine for a high shine. Rub the pieces with a cotton cloth (jeans fabric polishes beautifully) for a muted, polished look.

Note:Always wear protective eyewear and a dust mask when using a polishing machine.

Antiquing

1. After sanding, use an craft knife to make lines on the front of the pieces, holding the knife at a 45-degree angle and following the lines on the piece.

2. To make the piece look older, consider adding a major crack line somewhere, followed by several smaller lines. Add lines and scratches to create the look you desire.

Figure F

3. Dip a paintbrush in burnt umber and brush it over the piece, working the paint into all the detailed corners and lines you created (figure F).

4. Wipe off excess paint with a wet towel. If you are not satisfied with the finished look, reapply the paint and wipe again until you achieve the desired look.

5. After painting the pieces, rebake for 10 minutes at 260 degrees, permanently bonding the paint to the clay.

6. After antiquing, use a polisher to polish the pieces to a high shine, or use a piece of denim fabric to softly polish them.

Assembling the Necklace

1. Select beads that are simple in design and that complement the necklace.

2. Decide how long you want the necklace to be; the length can vary depending on the size of your neck.

3. Assemble the beads on bead wire and make hooks to connect the wire to the clay beads.

4. Decide the length of the chains and cut two of each length, attach the chains to the clay beads with jump rings.

5. Do two chains at a time until you cover the bead hooks, creating a pattern of your choosing.