Things You'll Need:
- Clay
- Narrow wooden dowel
- Clay knife or sharp blade
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Step 1
Prepare the clay you chose to use for your doughnut bead as directed by the manufacturer. Regular clay only needs to be kneaded a bit to soften it. Polymer clay requires more kneading and stretching to get it to the right consistency to work with.
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Step 2
Roll out the clay on a flat surface with the palm or heel of your hand. Your goal is to make a cylindrical length or snake of clay. Use both hands for longer pieces of clay, but be sure to keep the same pressure on each side. Doughnut shaped beads look best if the clay is even all the way around.
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Step 3
Choose a wooden dowel that is the diameter of the hole you wish to have in your doughnut clay bead. If a dowel is too wide, you could use a bamboo skewer or other narrow, wooden stick.
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Step 4
Wrap the long snake of rolled clay around the wooden dowel. Be careful not to wrap it too tightly or squash the clay in any way. You want to maintain the round style of the bead ring. To make many doughnut shaped clay beads, wrap the entire cylinder of clay in a spiral pattern up the length of the dowel. Leave small spaces between each layer of the spiral wrap so the beads do not stick to each other.
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Step 5
Use a sharp knife or razor to cut through the clay straight down one side of the dowel or wooden skewer. Use a blade that is designed for work with clay, as the blade will be much narrower and it will not make the clay bead lose its shape. Gently slide all the bead shapes from the wooden dowel or skewer.
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Step 6
Press the cut ends of the clay rings together and smooth the clay carefully with your hands to join the two edges of the clay doughnut bead securely. If necessary--depending on what type of clay you use--bake the formed doughnut beads in the oven as instructed in the manufacturer's directions. They can be baked on the dowel or skewer if you want.
Comments
sunshineandrose said
on 3/8/2009 Very nice article well written too. Thanks!