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Bull's eye cane

How to make a bull's eye cane using polymer clayBull’s eye canes are one of the basic elements often used in creating more complex canes when making polymer clay jewellery. Alternatively the cane can be sliced to create pretty flat, round beads. This tutorials show the different steps in the process in making a bull’s eye cane.

 

Making a bull's eye cane

 

Materials

  • Polymer clay - it is preferable to use a stiffer clay when making canes. So if you use Fimo use the classic version instead of soft. (Unfortunately the company I buy my clay from made a mistake in the last order and sent me Fimo soft in white. It is much harder working accurately with the soft clay.)

Tools and equipment

  • Stiff blade
  • Work area - sheet of glass or ceramic tile 
  • Additional sheet of glass to roll the cane with
  • Graph paper or cutting sheet 
 

Method

Making a bull's eye cane - images 1 to 4

Mix and condition the clay you want to use.  I decided on light green, light turquoise and white. Roll out the sheets of clay. Trim to form rectangles.
 
Roll a piece of clay into a log (or rod) – I used white. Cut the edge closest to you of the sheet at a 45 degree angle [image 1]. Lift the edge you just cut with your blade [image 2]. Press the edge of the sheet against the log, making sure that it is even [image 3]. Roll the log around until it is covered with the sheet [image 4].
 
Making a bull's eye cane - images 5 -8
Cut the sheet at a 45 degree angle [image 5] and Making sure that the edges meet exactly. Press the ends together; making sure that none of the white shows [image 6]. Roll the cane under another piece of glass to ensure the join is smooth.
 
Cut the excess clay from the edges. Image 7 shows how the cane looks after the first sheet has been added. In this photo you can see a little nick in the green clay. That shows that I made a little mistake when I smoothed the edges together and that the green sheet did not overlap perfectly at the one end of my cane. Luckily, when I cut off the end it was even.
 
Repeat the process as many times as you like to complete the cane. Image 8 shows my completed bull’s eye cane.
 

 

Submitted by jacqueline.fouche on Sun, 12/27/2009 - 17:21


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Polymer clay