Page 1 of 5

Supplies List for Chunky Beads...

(Click on the photos to see enlarged versions of them.  The small images on this page have been modified to enable users with slow connection speeds the ability to load these pages as fast as possible.  The enlarged versions are of much higher quality.)

This is the type of bead we will make first.  They are called "Chunky Beads".

This is Sculpey polymer clay.  This type is very economical.  It is also very pliable and soft.  It comes in a 1.75 pound box and it is perfect for bead making.  For this tutorial you will need about 2 ounces of clay for about 8-10  beads (estimate).

You must condition your clay before you actually form your beads.  The reason for this is so that the polymer molecules can line up.  This makes for a much stronger finished product.  There are two ways to condition the clay.....the first way is to roll it into a snake shape then fold it in half and roll it into a snake again, repeating this process about 30 times for a very conditioned clay.

The second way to condition the clay is by using a pasta machine (If using a pasta machine with clay DO NOT USE IT FOR FOOD PREPARATION AGAIN.  Polymer clay shoud not be injested no matter how small the amount!!)  This is a much quicker process and is the advisable method for those who suffer from arthiritis or carple tunnel syndrome.  You just run the polymer clay through the machine like you would pasta at about the number 3 setting and you repeat this process about 25 times.

Roll your conditioned clay into a snake about 1/2 inch thick and as long as you want.  The longer it is the more beads you get in the longrun.

Time to get out the rubber stamps.  You will need two of them.  You can use the bottoms of a pair of sneakers if they are clean.  Most sneakers have a pretty interesting pattern on the soles and they they make great deep etched images in clay!

Place a piece of your roll of clay on your first rubber stamp (towards the bottom edge of the stamp).  My stamp is large enough to accomadate a 3.5 inch piece of clay.  Cut your clay to a size that is a bit smaller than the stamps you will be using.

Place your second rubber stamp over your roll of clay with it's face down over the clay and with the stamps top edge just above the top of the roll of clay.  Now apply a bit of pressure on the clay with the top stamp and roll forward (do not apply too much pressure or you will not get a smooth motion and your clay will flatten out.).

You have just created an image on your clay.