Clay extruder magic – when you’re in mood for an easy (still beautiful) clay project🥳 

1. Materials You’ll Need

To begin, gather the following materials: 

Polymer clay (Fimo Professional True Yellow, Fimo Professional Magenta, and Cernit Number One Blue) Clay extruder and an elongated rectangle disc

Metal eye pins (gold color)

Metal frames for earrings and earring findings

UV resin and UV lamp and a brush

Thin wire (3mm, 22 or 24 gauge, gold color)

Drop beads and seed beads

Basic clay tools (blade, roller, tile, and baby wipes, oven)

pliers and flush cutters for the wire

 

Step 1: Condition Your Polymer Clay

 

First and foremost, properly conditioning your polymer clay is essential. This step ensures the clay is pliable and ready for intricate work

Roll Each Color into a Log: Start by rolling each color into a log.

Combine the Logs: Next, place the three logs together and roll them into a single, thin log that fits into your clay extruder.

Step 2: Load the Clay Extruder

 

Now that your colorful log is ready, it’s time to load it into the clay extruder 

Prepare the Extruder: Use a disc with an elongated rectangle shape for the extruder 

Insert the Clay Log: Load the log into the extruder. It might not look pretty at first, but keep extruding until you see the beautiful blend of colors starting to emerge 

Extrude the Clay: Continue extruding the clay, observing the gradual changes in color.

Step 3: Cut and Shape the Clay

 

Once you have your extruded clay, it’s time to shape it into beautiful earrings.

• Select the Best Part: Identify the section of the extruded clay with the most appealing color blend. For my project, I used a part with a mix of magenta, green, blue, and yellow.
• Cut the Clay: Cut a length that will be enough to make two curled beads for the earrings.

Step 4: Prepare the Eye Pins

 

Next, we’ll prepare the eye pins to attach the clay pieces to the earring frames.

• Insert the Eye Pins: Take the gold-colored eye pins and wrap them in a small piece of yellow polymer clay. Ensure that one part of the round element remains open to attach to the jump ring or wire later.
• Embed the Eye Pins: Embed the eye pins into the clay, ensuring they are securely placed.

Step 5: Curl the Clay

 

Now comes the fun part – curling the clay!

• Curl the Clay: Begin curling the clay into a bead shape, overlapping the sides slightly. Decide whether you want the magenta or yellow color in the center. I chose magenta for a vibrant pop of color.
• Insert the Eye Pins: Insert the eye pins into the ends of the curled clay piece, ensuring they are well-positioned and secure.

Step 6: Bake the Polymer Clay

 

With your pieces shaped and ready, it’s time to bake them.

• Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to the recommended temperature for your polymer clay brand.
• Bake the Pieces: Place the clay pieces on a baking tray and bake for 30-40 minutes. Let them cool completely before proceeding to the next step.

Step 7: Apply UV Resin

 

Even though polymer clay doesn’t need sealing, I love adding a shiny finish with UV resin

• Apply UV Resin: Use a brush to apply a thin coat of UV resin over the baked clay pieces.
• Cure with UV Lamp: Cure the resin under a UV lamp for two consecutive minutes.

Step 8: Assemble the Earrings

 

Finally, it’s time to assemble your earrings and add the finishing touches. 

• Prepare the Wire and Beads: Cut thin wire and thread it with drop beads and seed beads to create an interesting decoration.
• Attach the Beads to the Clay: Insert the wire-wrapped bead decoration through the hollow part of the curled bead and secure it through the eye pin.
• Connect to the Metal Frame: Connect the eye pin to the metal frame of the earring.
• Attach Ear Wires: Finally, attach ear wires to complete your earrings.

Conclusion

 

As always I hope you liked this idea and that you’ll take this inspiration and use it in your work with clay!

 

Happy claying, and have a beautiful and creative week!

 

Mihaela