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Materials needed.
Polymer clay: Red, green,
black.
Mica powder: Pearl Ex - Micro Pearl; Spring Green; Gold; Super Russet (Red); and
Luminarte Pink Grapefruit. (You may substitute any of these colors if desired.)
Paint: Black acrylic
Silver or Silver Tone Jewelry parts: 7 eye pins; 8 head pins (fancy or plain); 5
jump rings; 1 1/4” pin back; 3/4” pin back. Approx. 10 inches of cable chain or
other chain cut in three pieces - one 4 1/2”, one 4” and one approx. 3/4”. 24
gauge wire 1 inch long. 26 or 28 gauge wire, approx. 2” (used to make the
cluster in the center of one flower.).
Beads: Two AB Crystal or glass drops 10 by 6 mm. 30 light green delica beads. 11
four mm crystal AB bicone beads.
Tools for Clay Molding & Shaping:
Round Toothpick or skewer
Wire or needle tool for poking holes.
Blades: A Single edged razor blade, tissue blade or sharp, thin knife to be used
for cutting clay and for lifting the pieces if needed.
Baking Surface: smooth, ceramic tile, index card or other baking sheet covered
with aluminum foil.
Tools for Jewelry Assembly & Finishing:
Pliers: Chain nose & round nose
Tweezers to pick up small parts.
Wire: 24 gauge unless stated otherwise.
Wire Cutters: for cutting wire and the chain.
Varnish: Suitable for polymer clay. Can be gloss, matte or satin finish.
Scissors
Glue: Super Glue & E6000® Strong glue for pin backs.
OVEN THERMOMETER. Never guess at the temperature. Ovens can vary over 50
degrees.
Sand paper: Coarse: 100 to 120 grit to sand backs
Brushes: In various sizes to apply mica powder, paint and varnish.
Optional: Pasta machine dedicated to conditioning clay.
Assembly and Terms:
Make holes in unbaked parts.
Diagram.
To make holes in unbaked parts, use a wire tool, needle tool or a straight pin.
The wire or pin should be inserted in the direction shown by the light red lines
in the diagrams. The holes should be parallel to the back of the part. Do not
point the wire or pin towards the back of
the part or toward your fingers. Go slowly and use caution when making the
holes. NOTE: Red dots show where a hole will go straight into the part.
Using “Super Glue®”
Also known as Cyanoacrylate glue. This glue will bond skin so use it carefully.
To glue the eye pins into the holes after baking, dip the stems into the glue.
Insert immediately using a small pair of pliers or other tool. Do not turn the
eye pins after the glue has set. If the position of the pin needs to be changed,
pull it out and re-insert with fresh glue. When gluing parts near glass or
crystal beads, use glue sparingly as the fumes from excess glue can etch the
glass or crystal.
Standard eye pin insertion.
Eye pins in the diagram are shown in red. Most eye pins will be inserted so that
when you look at the part, you will see the full loop of the eye pin. A tiny
container, like a pistachio nut shell can hold a drop of glue so that the stem
of an eye pin can be dipped into the glue before insertion. (Use a small plier
to hold eye pins for insertion.)
Mold the Following
If the clay tends to
stick in the mold, mist mold lightly with water (remove excess), or lightly
brush the mold cavity with talcum powder (remove excess).
To Demold:
On the bottom of the mold, gently push up under
the molded part while slightly flexing mold in all directions to loosen clay
around all edges. Then flex a little more, lifting or tipping the part from the
mold. To demold small parts or soft clay, make a small cone shape and touch the
pointed end of the cone to the molded part and lift.
For Best Results, Use Firm Clay
One H-1 Black
One F-1 Red
Two F-2 Red
One L-1 Green
Three L-2 Green
Two L-3 Green
Flower section.
After molding all of the leaves and flower parts, place the parts as shown in
the diagram on a smooth baking surface, with the largest leaf cluster on
the bottom. Add the remaining leaves and flowers as shown. Flower F-1 is the
last part to be added.
Press the parts gently to make sure that the leaves and flowers are lightly
bonded.
Mold the hummingbird using black. Before removing the humming bird from the mold
reinforce the beak with the 1” piece of 24 gauge wire as shown. (The steps shown
below are done in white clay in order to show the wire embedding more clearly.)
Step One: Press the clay into the mold, smoothing the back.
Step Two: bend a small loop in one end of
the 24 ga. wire as shown.
Step Three: Lay the wire on the molded part as shown.
Step Four: Press the wire into the clay.
Step Five: Continue to press the wire and move the clay over the top of the
wire, embedding it fully in the clay. Smooth the back again.
Step Six: Demold carefully. The wire in the beak will help to strengthen it.
Place all parts on a baking surface. Brush parts with mica powder as shown.
Hummingbird
Macro Pearl - belly and under tail. Russet - throat and under chin. Spring Green
head, wings, tail. See the diagram above.
Flower Cluster
Gold - Flower centers and leaf veins. Spring Green - All leaves. Super Russet -
Open petals. Pink Grapefruit - Long trumpet part of flowers. (Optional: you can
eliminate the Pink Grapefruit and use gold on the trumpet areas if desired.)
Bake according to manufacturer's instructions. Set aside to cool.
Paint eye and beak of bird black. Varnish the front of the pin parts. Do not
varnish the backs of the pins at this time.
SIDE FACING TRUMPET FLOWERS: Using the head pins, make the stamens. Make two
long and four short ones. Short: Thread one 4mm bicone onto the head pin.
Add 4 light green delica beads. Cut the excess wire leaving 1/4” to 1/2". Glue
short stamens into the trumpet flowers using Super Glue as shown. Long:
thread one 4 mm bicone onto the head pin. Add 7 light green delica beads. Cut
the excess wire leaving 1/4”. Glue into the center hole of each trumpet flower
as shown using Super glue.
FORWARD FACING TRUMPET FLOWER: Make circle of bicone beads. Thread five 4mm
bicone beads onto the 26 or 28 gauge wire. Form the beads into a circle, pull
the ends together and twist, securing the five beads in the circle, bend the
twisted wire down and back. Cut the wires leaving 1/8” of twisted wire sticking
out past the beads. Glue the twisted wire stem into the hole as show in the
diagram. Center bead: thread one 4 mm. bicone bead onto a head pin. Cut the
excess wire from the head pin allowing enough wire to go through the circle of
bicone beads and into the baked clay. Glue this bead in the center hole using a
tiny bit of super glue.
Chains and Dangles
Insert the eye pins in the leaves and beneath the hummingbird’s feet as shown in
the diagram using Super Glue.
Prepare the chains: Link a jump ring into one end of each longer length of
chain. Link each of these chains to the leaves in the flower cluster. The longer
chain goes on the left.
Keeping the chains untwisted, gather the three chains together (one 4 1/2”, one
4” and one approx. 3/4”) and join them with a jump ring. Link the jump ring into
the loop of the eye pin under the foot of the hummingbird as shown. Link the
other end of the 3/4” long chain to the loop of the eye pin under the foot of
the hummingbird on the right side as shown.
Prepare the dangles: Thread one AB Crystal or glass drops 10 by 6 mm onto a head
pin. Bend the pin at a 45 degree angle. Cut the excess wire, leaving
approximately 1/4” wire. Form a loop. Make two dangles. Link each dangle as
shown. One is linked to the flower cluster. The other is linked to the center of
the chain hanging between the short length of chain between the birds feet.
Finishing
Glue the longer pin back to the back of the flower cluster. Glue the shorter pin
to the back of the hummingbird.
Varnish backs of pins.
Optional Metallic color application. If preferred, you may eliminate the mica
powders and use metallic acrylic paints to drybrush the parts after baking.
Optional colors:
You may use any color combination you prefer to make the pin.
If using PMC to make the pin, lightly oil the mold before every molding. Be sure
the parts are well bonded before firing.
Design by Penni Jo
An original design from SweetBrier
Studio™
A subsidiary of Miss Martha
Originals, Inc.
P.O. Box 5038 - Glencoe, Al. 35905
Telephone 256-492-0221 - Fax 256-492-0261
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