with Lightweight Polymer Clay

Use a mega-extruder to form a

bold bangle that won’t weigh you down.

by Seth L. Savarick

At 2 in. (51 mm) wide and ½ in. (13 mm) thick, this polymer bangle is a sizeable accessory that weighs just 41 g.

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Prepare a mandrel. I use an inexpensive cardboard mailing tube with a 3-in. (76 mm) out-side diameter as my bracelet mandrel. Use a utility knife to cut the mailing tube to 6 in. (15.2 cm).

Make a graph-paper guide. Cut a 4 x 11-in. (10.2 x 27.9 cm) strip of graph paper. Using a ruler and pen, draw a guideline ½ in. (13 mm) from the bottom of one long edge of the paper. Attach the guide to the mandrel. Wrap the paper guide snugly around the mandrel, making sure that the guideline aligns with itself where the ends of the paper meet. Leaving a ¼-in. (6.5 mm) overlap, trim the excess paper. Use a glue stick to adhere the overlap to the paper beneath it [Figure 1].

The question: How do you make a strong,

bodacious bangle entirely out of polymer

clay without it weighing a ton? Answer: Mix

nine parts UltraLight polymer clay to one part regular

polymer clay. Use this clay blend and a super-size

extruder (think caulking-gun size), and you’re on your

way to building a large but very wearable bracelet

form. This diva-worthy bangle is covered in a polymer

clay veneer, which gives you plenty of surface area to

show off your latest polymer clay pattern, whether it’s

a screen-printed design, a mica-shift masterpiece, or a

collage of cane slices.

materials ■ Cardboard mailing tube: 3-in. (76 mm) outside diameter

■ Polymer clay: ■ 10 oz. (280 g) Sculpey UltraLight ■ 1 oz. (28 g) Super Sculpey (original formula)

■ 2 oz. (56 g) regular formula, metallic gold (for base layer)

■ 8–10 oz. (227–280 g) regular formula (for veneer)

■ Polymer clay softener (optional)

additional tools & supplies ■ Utility knife ■ Glue stick ■ Extruder: 2-in. (51 mm)-inside- diameter barrel

■ Extruder disk: circle quadrant shape for 2-in. (51 mm) barrel

■ Waxed paper (optional) ■ Dividers ■ Polyester fiberfill ■ Flat-tip paintbrush ■ Premade silk-screen design or silk-screen kit (optional)

■ Acrylic artists paint (optional) ■ Scissors

veneer optionsUse your favorite techniques to make the polymer clay veneer for your bangle form and/or to add surface patterns to the veneer. Here’s a list of effects that work well.

Figure 1

• Mica-shift technique• Image-transfer designs• Ink-stamped patterns

• Skinner blends• “Mokume gane”; a technique

adapted from metalsmithing

Part 1: Cardboard mandrel

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Part 2: Bangle formThe bangle is made up of three parts: the base layer, the bangle form, and the veneer layer. The extruded polymer clay strips that make up the bangle form need time to set, so we’ll start with those.

Make an UltraLight/regular clay blend. I’ve experimented with various materials to make a strong, lightweight underbody for large polymer clay forms, and my favorite so far is a combination of UltraLight polymer clay and original formula Super Sculpey. Use about 9 parts UltraLight clay to 1 part Super Sculpey. Condition the clays together, mixing them until they are completely blended and smooth.

Load an extruder. Following the extruder manufacturer’s instructions, load a large extruder with the clay blend and an extruder disk [1]. I used an extruder with a 2-in. (51 mm)-diameter barrel. The disk pattern I used [Figure 2] creates

wide strips of clay in the shape of a circle quadrant.

Extrude the clay. Extrude two 14-in. (35.6 cm) strips of clay [2]. Lay the strips flat-side down in a straight line on a nonstick surface or sheet of waxed paper. Let the strips sit for about 24 hours; the clay will firm up, becoming easier to shape.

Clay modelBefore you build the base layer and bangle form around the mandrel, you must first make a model to determine the width of your bangle.

Cut and join the clay model components. Use a tissue blade to cut a 1-in. (25.5 mm) piece from each of the two extruded strips. Gently press these cut pieces [Figure 3] together to create a model.

Make a template for the bangle form’s base layer. Using dividers, measure the width of the model [Figure 4, A to B]. Transfer this measurement to a piece of paper that’s 11 in. (27.9 cm) long [3].

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3Figure 2 Figure 3

Figure 4

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To make the printed pattern on my polymer clay veneer, I used a traditional silk-screen process.

I used acrylic artist paints and a squeegee to print my pattern on the polymer clay [A].

Right after I printed the first color, I cleaned and dried the screen. When the paint on the clay was dry, I printed a second color and pattern over the first printing. Then I cleaned and dried the screen and printed a third color to complete the design [B].

To learn how to make your own silk-screen designs, check out these books:• Screenprinting: The Complete Water-Based System,

by Robert Adam and Carol Robertson• Simple Screenprinting: Basic Techniques & Creative Projects,

by Annie Stromquist• Home Screen Printing Workshop: Do it Yourself Techniques, Design

Ideas, and Tips for Graphic Prints, by Paul Thimou• Water-Based Screenprinting Today: From Hands-On Techniques to

Digital Technology, by Roni Henning

You can also purchase premade screens to print onto polymer clay. Or, you can find silk-screen-printing kits at art supply stores and some craft stores.

Base layerMake the base layer. Condition 2 oz. (56 g) of metallic gold polymer clay. Run the clay through a pasta machine set to medium-thin, making a sheet that’s 12 x 4 in. (30.5 x 10.2 cm). Place this base layer sheet on the template, and use the guidelines and a tissue blade to cut the clay into a rectangle [4].

Fit the base layer around the mandrel. Using the guideline on the mandrel to keep the base layer straight, wrap the base layer around the mandrel until the short ends of the base layer overlap. Use your tissue blade to mark and make a flush cut in the overlapping layer of clay to create a flush seam. Use your finger to gently smooth and bond the seam’s edges [5].

Bake the base layer. Place the clay-wrapped mandrel on its side on a layer of polyester fiberfill. (If your oven has enough vertical clearance, stand the mandrel upright on a ceramic baking tile.) Bake the assembly according to the polymer clay manufacturer’s instructions. Allow the clay to cool completely.

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silk-screen know-how

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B

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Bangle formApply adhesive to the base layer. Using a flat-tip brush, apply a light coat of liquid polymer clay to the surface of one length-wise half of the base layer. Allow the liquid clay to dry for 10 minutes or until it’s slightly tacky to the touch.

Build the first half of the bangle form. Using your tissue blade, make a clean, even cut at one end of one extruded clay strip. Starting with the cut end, position the strip on the coated base layer, keeping the edge of the strip aligned with the edge of the base layer.

Slowly wrap the strip once around the base layer. Use your tissue blade to trim the excess strip, making a flush join. Gently smooth the seam with your finger [6].

Bake the assembly. Lay the assembly on a piece of polyester fiberfill, and bake it according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Allow the assembly to cool completely.

Build the second half of the form. Use the flat-tip brush to apply a light coat of liquid polymer clay to the remaining half of the base layer [7] and to the exposed flat side of the first half of the form. Add the second extruded clay strip as you did the first, and smooth the seams.

NOTE: There may be a lengthwise gap between the extruded clay halves. Don’t worry about this; you’ll fix it after baking.

Bake the assembly. Bake the assembly as before, and allow it to cool completely.

Fill the center gap, if necessary. If there is a lengthwise gap between the extruded clay halves, use a clear, hard acrylic sheet to roll a thin cylinder of clay. Press the cylinder into the gap [8], and smooth the seam with your finger to finish building the bangle form.

Bake the bangle form. Support the assembly on a piece of fiberfill, and bake it according to the manufac-turer’s instructions. Allow it to cool completely.

Take the bangle form off the mandrel. Slide the graph paper (with the bangle form attached) off one end of the mandrel. Peel the graph paper from the base layer.

Wet-sand the bangle form. Using 220- or 320-grit wet/dry sandpaper, wet-sand the outer surface of the form, concentrating on the seams [9].

Using 400-grit wet/dry sandpaper, wet-sand the inner surface of the form, then progress to using 600-grit paper. Carefully wipe the form with a dry paper towel, and allow the form to air-dry for at least 24 hours [10].

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Part 3: Veneer layerTo complete the bangle, you’ll add a decorative veneer over the bangle form. I silk-screened a design onto a sheet of polymer clay to make my veneer. To read more about silk-screening, see “Silk-screen Know-how,” page 66. For other ideas on how to get your design onto the veneer, see “Veneer Options,” page 64.

Make the polymer clay veneer. Regard-less of the design you plan to put on your polymer clay veneer, be sure that the clay is well conditioned and that the design area is about 12 x 5 in. (30.5 x 12.7 cm). Run your clay through your pasta machine set to a medium-thin setting so that the veneer will not be too thick to manipulate over the form. Add your desired design to the veneer.

Coat the form. Using a flat-tip brush, apply a very light coat of liquid polymer clay to the outer surface of the form. Let this sit for 10–15 minutes or until the surface is tacky.

Position the veneer over the form. Drape the veneer over the form [1]. Beginning at the veneer’s midpoint, lightly press along the center of the

veneer all the way around the form until the short ends of the veneer overlap.

Trim the excess veneer. Use your tissue blade to mark and make a flush cut in the top layer of overlapping veneer, creating a flush seam. NOTE: It’s better to cut the end a bit short than to have slack in the veneer. Use your thumbs to gently stretch and smooth the ends to make a flush seam [2].

Smooth the veneer over the form. Working from the center of the form to the edges, use your thumbs to ease the veneer over the form [3]. Turn the form as you work.

NOTE: As you work around the form, use scissors to trim the edge of the veneer, leaving about a ¼-in. (6.5 mm) overhang [4].

Trim the excess veneer. Once the form is completely covered, use the corner of your tissue blade to trim the overhanging veneer flush with the edges of the form [Figure 5]. Use your fingers to smooth the edges of the veneer.

Bake the bangle. Set the bangle on a piece of fiberfill, and bake the bracelet

according to the manufacturer’s instruc-tions. Allow the bangle to cool completely.

Prepare a sealer (optional). Silk-screened designs, like mine, need to be coated in a sealer to protect them from the abuse that a bangle takes. If your veneer is not silk-screened or does not contain image transfers, you can skip the sealer.

I mix my own sealer by combining approximately 4 tablespoons (60 mL) of translucent liquid polymer clay with enough polymer clay softener to yield a liquid with a milk-like consistency.

NOTE: I use Translucent Liquid Sculpey because I like the matte finish it leaves on the surface of my work.

Apply the sealer, and bake the bangle (optional). Brush a thin coat of sealer over the outer surface of the bangle, and allow it to dry completely. Bake the bangle according to the polymer clay manufactur-er’s instructions; allow it to cool complete-ly. For extra protection, apply a second coat of sealer and bake the bangle again.

Finish the bangle. Whether you used sealer or not, use 400-grit wet/dry sand-paper to wet-sand the edges of the bangle where the veneer meets the gold base layer. Progress to 600-grit sandpaper.

Figure 5

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Process photos by Seth L. Savarick.