How to Use a Pasta Machine for Wire Jewelry
Polymer clay beads and pendants for jewelry are easier to make with the help of a pasta machine. The machine helps to condition and blend polymer clay into sheets with uniform thickness. Wrapping the clay beads with wire is one way to make jewelry, but you can also run a sheet of clay stacked with wire mesh or decorative lace to make an even impression for a pendant.
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Things You'll Need
- 3 colors of polymer clay
- Clay knife
- 22-gauge craft wire
- Wire cutters
- Baking sheet
- Tin foil
- Clay glaze
- Round nose pliers
- Jump rings
- Clasp
Instructions
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1
Soften a half-dollar-sized amount of each color of clay by kneading it with your hands. Flatten each color with your palm.
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2
Run each color through the pasta machine on the highest setting to make three clay sheets. Stack two sheets together and run them through the pasta machine. The colors will begin to marble as the sheets intertwine. Stack the marble sheet on top of the remaining solid color and run the two sheets through the machine. Continue to run the final sheet through the machine until the marbling suits your needs.
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3
Roll the marble sheet into a snake. Slice off even sections of the clay snake to make clay beads. Cut a 3-inch section of 22-gauge craft wire and insert it through each of the clay beads to make a hole. Insert the wire sideways or from top to bottom, depending on your design preference.
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4
Place the beads on a tin foil-covered baking sheet and bake them in the oven according to the clay manufacturer's specifications. Allow the beads to cool.
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5
Cover each of the beads with clay glaze to add shine. Let the glaze dry.
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6
Cut sections of 22-gauge craft wire that are three times longer than the width of one bead. You'll need one strip of wire for each bead.
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7
Hold the tip of one wire with the pliers. Bend the end of the tip over the pliers to make a 90-degree angle. Fold the angled end of the wire over the pliers to make a loop. Insert the wire through the hole in the bead. The bead will stop at the loop.
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8
Hold the wire with the pliers as it exits the bead. Make another loop. Wrap the excess wire around the bead in a loose spiral, ending at the first loop. Twist the wire around the end of the loop to secure it in place.
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9
Repeat Steps 7 and 8 to wire wrap each bead.
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10
Open a jump ring at the slit with the pliers. Hook the ring over one loop of one bead and one loop of another bead. Close the jump ring. The two wire wrapped beads will be connected by the jump ring. Connect each of the beads together with jump rings to make a strand for a bracelet or a necklace.
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11
Add one section of a clasp to the wire loops on the beads at either end of the strand. Jump rings will work to connect the wire loop on the clasp to the wire loop on the bead.
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