I haven't gotten a hold of any books on beads made of clay, but I got a big sampley set of clay for christmas.

So... can anyone tell me how I can slice the beads (simple canes...I'm not very far yet) without them smushing?! I know this is the stupidest question, but none of the sites you guys are passing around work very well on my crappy server.

You can you slice the beads and then put holes in them without ruining the carefully modeled shape?!?!

I'm so distressed! [:(]

Very thin blades. Maybe a razor blade or X-acto type knife would work for you but most people use a medical or labratory slicing blade called a "Tissue Blade". You can see ours Stock #: 84-385-2 at http://snipurl.com/bw3c

To find other sources do a google search for tissue blade.

Oh gawd, Russ -- for a moment I thought you were recommending rotary microtome knives! The ones that weigh about half a pound and cost mucho dollars and are so sharp they can cut you with no pain at all, or sever your finger if hit your hand against them.

I did some histology for my master's work, and I acquired a hell of a lot of respect for those knives. I was not surprised when I learned that the rotary microtome was invented in Paris during the Terror. It's the closest thing to a guillotine that most of us will ever encounter.

Those disposable tissue blades do look impressive, and not quite as scary. Thanks for pointing them out!

Seal

I used to clean and sharpen the meat slicer at a fast food joint. Just thinking about that blade still makes me pull my hand away from the keyboard!

The tissue blades are sharp but a LOT safer than the meat slicer or the microtome knife.

Also, let your canes "rest" before slicing. If your cut them too soon after making them they squish down with each cut. Sometimes with Premo I refridgerate the cane for a few hours before slicing. After each cut rotate the cane 90 degrees to keep the pressure even. Sculpey seems to smear easier than fimo or premo. What brand are you using?

*sigh* of course I had to get sculpey, right??

Thanks for the help with the blades. I see I have another thing to pick up from the store. O.o

If you have a REALLY tough time with it, and don't want to go out and get some Premo yet, and your beads are just disc slices from the canes, you could always prebake the canes. I've heard of people just slicing the baked canes while they're still slightly warm into beads. You still want a pretty sharp blade though. I've done the same thing for tube beads - you make one 8-12 inch tube and then slice it up afterwards.

If you have trouble with putting holes in the beads, you can do the same thing. bake the bead and then use a pin vise or drill press with a small drill bit to make the hole. Takes quite a bit of practice to get the holes in the right place though - I admit I ask my husband to do it for me most of the time [:)]

If you want to make holes in the raw beads and they're too soft, let them sit for a couple hours or over night the same way you would the cane. Or put them in the freezer to stiffen them up. Use a needle tool or the equivalent and twist it into the bead - don't just press it in. When you just poke through one side, pull it out and then twist it in from the other side so both ends are nicely finished.

Hope that helps,
Christy

I've used practically nothing but OLFA ULTRA-MAX blades for many years now(since the day they came out I think)...They're cheap, durable, stiff enough to get consistent technique going quickly, and they'll even cut 'The Other Clays' cleanly.

Where do you get OLFA-Ultra Max blades?

Canadian Tire! He he. Home Depot, any hardware store.