Millifiori (complex cane pendant)

Making a complex cane is hard work. This tutorial forms part of the complex cane or millifiori technique tutorials. This tutorial shows how you can incorporate slices from your complex cane to make a pretty pendant.

Ideas for using complex canes when making polymer clay jewellery

Materials

Millifiori cane (the red millifiori cane tutorial shows you how to make one)
1 56g block of white clay - or the colour of the outside of your complex cane
1 56g block of chocolate brown clay (optional)

Tools and equipment

Stiff blade
Flexible blade
Roller
Baking paper
Sharp object like a darning needle to make holes
Scalpel
Sheet of glass
Oven
Pasta machine
Buffer
Wet/dry sandpaper in the following grits 600, 800, 1000

Method

Add slices to pendant shape, smooth, make hole and bake pendant

Cut two 2cm slices from your complex cane. Roll the one cane between two sheets of glass to reduce the size. Repeat this step for all the different sizes you want your final design to have. I made four different sizes. Pop your complex canes into the freezer.

Condition your clay. Roll the white clay through your pasta machine on the thickest setting. Do the same with the brown clay.

Place the white sheet on top of the brown sheet. Remove any trapped bubbles.

Check the size of your pendant. Image 1 shows a paper template on top of the sheets.

Remove your canes from the freezer. Work quickly to cut thin slices from each cane. Place the slices on a sheet of baking paper.

Cut the sheets to the approximate size you want your pendants to be. Place the slices on top of the white sheet. Image 2.

Put the pendants on some baking paper and cover it. Smooth the clay using your fingers until the joins are no longer visible between your slices and the background.

Cut out the pendants according to the size you want them to be. Make holes for the thread with a darning needle or something similar.

For this pendant I made the hole at the top of the pendant [image 3]. Check the clay for fingerprints and smooth the edges. Bake according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Let the pieces cool down and wet-sand it starting from 600 grit and work your way up to the finest grit.

Buff the pieces. That’s it. Image 4 shows the finished pendants.

Submitted by jacqueline.fouche on Tue, 01/26/2010 - 14:57