# poly clay



## stoneyb232 (Apr 6, 2014)

Ok I have a stupid question....Why don't I see more of you more experienced turners using poly clay more? Just curious....


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## lyonsacc (Apr 6, 2014)

My daughter and I have made a few poly clay pens.  Why haven't we done more?  I hadn't thought about it before, but here are a few thoughts:
1) It is a hassle getting all of the stuff out
2) Unless you are producing a lot of blanks/pens at one time, it is a lot of work to make canes and designs for just one or two pens.


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## TimS124 (Apr 7, 2014)

I don't have room (currently) for the little oven to cook the clay, or to stash the pasta roller, etc.  Too many other distractions but it's on my gotta-try-that-someday list.

Doing it right though means investing a considerable chunk of time.  I'm expecting that making good/interesting/consistent canes requires some practice...


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## navycop (Apr 7, 2014)

TimS124 said:


> I don't have room (currently) for the little oven to cook the clay, or to stash the pasta roller, etc.  Too many other distractions but it's on my gotta-try-that-someday list.
> 
> Doing it right though means investing a considerable chunk of time.  I'm expecting that making good/interesting/consistent canes requires some practice...



You can also buy pre made canes and just attach to a pen tube.


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## Marko50 (Apr 7, 2014)

stoneyb232 said:


> Ok I have a stupid question....Why don't I see more of you more experienced turners using poly clay more? Just curious....



Look at Tina Wissen's amazing polymer clay blanks. It's pretty intimidating to give it a go when there's this kind of talent out there already. She does stuff way, way beyond my skill levels. …for sure! 

Here's a link: PTownSubbie.com - Polymer Clay Pen Blanks

..Then there is Toni Randsfield. There are no words to describe what she does. Check out this page for a mind blower:Arabian Dragon Scale | ExclusiveDesignz

The talent pool out there for this kind of stuff is in rarefied air. Just my .02¢  :wink:


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## mark james (Apr 7, 2014)

stoneyb232 said:


> Ok I have a stupid question....Why don't I see more of you more experienced turners using poly clay more? Just curious....



I think the key word was USING.  Not necessarily MAKING.

I agree the skill level is quite steep to MAKE.  And I also agree that with current artists providing amazing blanks, why are not more pictures being posted.

I've wondered that myself.

I have 4 of Tina's blanks waiting for my Aero kits to arrive!


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## Cmiles1985 (Apr 7, 2014)

My wife's hobby is poly clay, mine is pen making. We are both on the steep portion of the learning curve in our respective hobby. Now that I have 100+ kits around, and have taught her to use the caliper, we should be in for some real treats soon.


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## Indiana_Parrothead (Apr 7, 2014)

For me there are a few reasons that I don't make poly clay pens. First it take a LOT of skill to make these blanks, this is true artistry and I don't posess these skills. Second is you are not really turning, you put them on the lathe to sand and buff them but you never put a tool to them, if I am going to make a pen I want to "cut" something. 

And as Marko said , "The talent pool out there for this kind of stuff is in rarefied air." There are way more people on here that turn kitless pens that make ploy clay and I am not even close to a kitless pen level yet....

Mike


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## stoneyb232 (Apr 7, 2014)

I guess I should ask the question this way. I understand why some guys don't do the cane design. but why not some the the plan designs that are similar to the swirls that you get when mixing resin? I have been tickering a round with the clay as my wife doesn't it as well and I have two small children. So it fun for the whole family which is nice. I have gotten some decent designs similar to the resin. As far as turning them yes i still turned them as we put them on a slimline tube and baked them then put them on the lathe.


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## Cmiles1985 (Apr 7, 2014)

Something like this?




This was my wife's first pen attempt. It was made with pieces of the various early cane attempts.


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## stoneyb232 (Apr 7, 2014)

*that it...*

so why not more people then?


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## MrsPTownSubbie (Apr 7, 2014)

stoneyb232 said:


> I guess I should ask the question this way. I understand why some guys don't do the cane design. but why not some the the plan designs that are similar to the swirls that you get when mixing resin? I have been tickering a round with the clay as my wife doesn't it as well and I have two small children. So it fun for the whole family which is nice. I have gotten some decent designs similar to the resin. As far as turning them yes i still turned them as we put them on a slimline tube and baked them then put them on the lathe.



Outside of IAP, I sell as many abstract designs (random patterns and swirls) as I do fliower pens, but when it comes to blanks, most IAP members are looking for flowers, butterflies etc or something more feminine, although I still make abstract and keep a few blanks in stock.  

When I was making them just for fun I only made abstract since I prefer making something different each time. If for yourself, I encourage you to do what you love...when it comes to clay, the possibilities are endless.

Tina Wissen


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## MrsPTownSubbie (Apr 7, 2014)

stoneyb232 said:


> I guess I should ask the question this way. I understand why some guys don't do the cane design. but why not some the the plan designs that are similar to the swirls that you get when mixing resin? I have been tickering a round with the clay as my wife doesn't it as well and I have two small children. So it fun for the whole family which is nice. I have gotten some decent designs similar to the resin. As far as turning them yes i still turned them as we put them on a slimline tube and baked them then put them on the lathe.



I found this article from a few years ago that shows how you can make really cool textures with turning clay, which is why we had started turnable blanks  a few years ago, but they haven't gotten as much interest as the ready made.

Adaptive Thinking: Lathe-Turned Polymer | Polymer Art Archive


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## Pen-Archer (Apr 7, 2014)

I've tried a couple times using ready made canes from China.  It had flowers and butterflies but they obviously were not as good as Toni's or Tina's.

They caught on fire and burned to a crisp....


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## MrsPTownSubbie (Apr 7, 2014)

Pen-Archer said:


> I've tried a couple times using ready made canes from China.  It had flowers and butterflies but they obviously were not as good as Toni's or Tina's.
> 
> They caught on fire and burned to a crisp....



Don't give up yet...I have documented a few tutorials to help novices with learning how to make clay pens.  The most recent updates just published this morning:


canemaking - PTownSubbie.com - How to Make Flower Polymer Clay Canes for Pen Blanks

color theory - PTownSubbie.com - Color Theory with Polymer Clay

pen making - PTownSubbie.com - How to Make a Flower Polymer Clay Pen

Maybe these would help you?

Tina Wissen


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## Cmiles1985 (Apr 7, 2014)

I'm sure my wife will be reading these tutorials. Thanks for posting!

This is an example of where she's at now. Let's just say I have a BUNCH of Le Roi kits to practice with.


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## TimS124 (Apr 7, 2014)

navycop said:


> TimS124 said:
> 
> 
> > I don't have room (currently) for the little oven to cook the clay, or to stash the pasta roller, etc.  Too many other distractions but it's on my gotta-try-that-someday list.
> ...



Good point, Mike.  That's an interesting alternative...thank you for the idea.


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