August 11, 2004

Easy Breezy Canes – YES, You Can Create Canes!

by Amy Koranek

cane \'kan\ n-- a polymer clay rod of two or more colors; the colors inside the rod are constructed in
such a way that when the rod is cross-sectioned at any point, a 2 dimensional pattern is revealed.

Have you ever seen those brightly colored polymer clay canes and thought you
could never make them yourself? Canes can be made quite easily if you'll just
start at the beginning. The canes described in these projects are the most basic
foundational techniques. If you take your time and try these easy steps, you'll
find that you can master these simple patterns. Then when you combine these
simple patterns together, you'll have a quilt-like display of colors and designs.
We’re showing you different varieties so you can begin to get your own ideas
and also to see different approaches.

Once you've constructed several canes, you can use them to make beads for
jewelry projects. You can also use slices from your canes to cover home decorating items. Any item
that can withstand the curing temperature of polymer clay (only 275° F for 20 minutes) can be
covered with your wonderful patterns. Items include
paper mache frames and boxes, wooden shapes like
drawer pulls or finials, glass jars or bottles, and empty
metal cans. The possibilities are endless!

Each cane that is featured here has been worked into a

square cane - when you view it from the cross-section, it
is a square. Making each of your simple canes the same
square shape, makes it easier to use them together later in
a complex pattern.

Sculpey III is the perfect polymer clay for beginning cane making. Sculpey III is soft and smooth and
it's easy to condition and shape. The colors are awesome and inspiring! Sculpey III is also very easy to
slice with polymer clay slicing blades. Once baked, Sculpey III is perfect for thick beads and
decorative items that aren't to be handled often. After you've mastered these techniques with Sculpey
III, you may want to begin working with Premo Sculpey for items
that require more strength and durability.

While making a cane, the clay tends to soften as it becomes the

same temperature as your hands. Allowing the cane to firm at
room temperature will make it easier to slice and use. You may
also find that you prefer your canes to be even more firm for
slicing. Placing them in the refrigerator for a few minutes will give
even more firmness.

Polyform Products, “The Sculpey People”

1901 Estes Avenue, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
Tel: 847.427.0020
Fax: 847.427.0426
Web: www.sculpey.com
 What you'll need for each of these
cane patterns:
--several 1 oz-bars of Sculpey III clay.
--knife for sectioning clay
--baby wipes for clean up
--clay roller or glass jar

Speckle Cane
The Speckle Cane is probably the easiest to achieve. Making this cane first will teach you the
foundational technique for making rods of equal size and length. The colors I used in the sample are
Sculpey III Lemon, Atomic Orange, and Red Hot Red. Any colors will work but I think that the
Speckle Cane lends itself nicely to a monochromatic color scheme.

1. Condition your lightest color first. Then roll it into a rod about 3" long on the work surface. Clean
your hands and work surface and repeat with the medium color. Clean again and repeat with the
darkest color. Working from lightest to darkest and cleaning your hands and work surface between
each color will keep the darker colors from transferring to the lighter ones. You should now have 3
rods each about 3" in length.

2. Gather the three rods together into a bundle.

3. Gently roll the bundle on the work surface until it is one smooth rod. As you roll, don't let the
colors turn. Roll this new rod gently until it's about 8" long.

4. Divide the rod into four sections each about 2" in length.

5. Bundle the four sections together in your hand. Gently squeeze them together. Roll the bundle
gently on the work surface until it is again about 8" long. Always be sure with this cane to keep the
stripes on the outside straight - don't let them twist. When the cane is about 8" long, repeat steps #4
and #5 to multiply the speckles. You can keep repeating steps #4 and #5 until the cane is as speckled
as you like.
Polyform Products, “The Sculpey People”
1901 Estes Avenue, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
Tel: 847.427.0020
Fax: 847.427.0426
Web: www.sculpey.com
6. Once the cane is as speckled as you like, roll it gently on the work surface but
keep it short. The speckle cane is now complete but for the purpose of these
projects, I'll describe to you how to change it from a circle cane to a square cane.
Gently apply pressure along one side of the cane with your hand. Turn it 1/4 turn
and apply pressure again. Repeat this step until the cane has four definite sides.

7. You can now make the cane more square by rolling along each side of it with a clay roller, or glass
jar.

8. Pinch the corners all along the length of the cane with your fingers. Turn the cane and repeat this
process on each corner. After pinching, roll along all four sides again with a roller. This process will
allow you to turn any circle cane into a square cane. Next, we will reduce the cane slightly.

Reducing a cane means making the diameter smaller while increasing the length. By reducing you
can make the details in the cane more intricate. This is a foundational technique that will work with
all cane types.
Reduce the cane by gently rolling along the side with the roller, applying gentle pressure as you roll.
(See step #7.) Then turn the cane 1/4 turn and repeat for each side. Repeat this process on all sides
until the cane is approximately 1" square. The length of the cane is not important at this point - only
the measurement across. Set the cane aside and allow it to firm up while you work on your next cane.

Checkerboard Cane
The Checkerboard Cane looks great in two colors which contrast each other. Try this cane using a
light and a dark color or two colors which are opposites.

1. Condition and shape each color into a fat rod. Remember to work from light to dark and also to
clean your hands and work surface between colors.

2. Refer to Specklecane instructions #6-8 to change your circle rods into square rods. Make your
square rods equal in diameter.

3. Press the two colors side by side and roll over the top of them to make sure they are level with each
other. Cut the two-colored rod into two equal lengths.

4. Group the two sections together with the colors alternating in checkerboard fashion. Press them
firmly together.Refer to Speckle Cane instructions #7 and #8 to reduce the cane to 1" square. Trim the
ends and divide the cane into four equal sections.
5. Group the four sections together again in checkerboard fashion. Reduce again until the cane is 1" in
across. Set the cane aside to firm while you make your next cane.

Polyform Products, “The Sculpey People”

1901 Estes Avenue, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
Tel: 847.427.0020
Fax: 847.427.0426
Web: www.sculpey.com
Jellyroll Cane
The Jellyroll Cane is so easy but it is a very foundational part of making many
other complex canes. It requires you to make sheets of clay instead of rods. This
cane will start out circular but again for these projects, we'll turn it into a square
cane. Like the Checkerboard Cane, the Jellyroll is most outstanding when you use
either light and dark or opposite color combinations.

1. After conditioning each color, you'll need to turn each one into a sheet. Flatten the lighter lump of
clay into a slab. Keep flattening the slab until it's easily rolled over with a clay roller or heavy glass
jar. Roll over the clay in one direction then lift it from the work surface and turn it 1/4 turn. Repeat
rolling and lifting and turning until the clay is a sheet about 1/6" thick.
Clean your hands and work surface and repeat this process with the darker color.

2. Layer the light color over the dark color. Press them together by rolling over the top. Trim one edge
straight.

3. Gently roll the light color up inside the dark color. Work slowly so that you form a firm roll without
trapping air bubbles inside.

4. Squeeze the jellyroll in your hand working from the middle of the cane to the ends to choke out air
bubbles. Roll the cane gently on the work surface to smooth. Refer to Speckle Cane instructions #6-8
to change its shape to a square cane. Reduce the square cane until it is 1" across. Set the cane aside for
a while to firm it.

Pinwheel Cane
The Pinwheel Cane is so easy. It starts out basically the same as the Speckle Cane using rods of equal
proportions. The Pinwheel Cane will look great with any three colors, but I like it best with the
lightest color in the middle. The Pinwheel Cane can also be made with more sides. For this instruction
I used only four sides so that the cane lends itself well to the square shape.

1. Refer to Speckle Cane instruction #1 to make three rods of equal size and length. Refer to Speckle
Cane instructions #2 and #3 to bundle and roll the three colors together. Pinch a sharp point along the
Polyform Products, “The Sculpey People”
1901 Estes Avenue, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
Tel: 847.427.0020
Fax: 847.427.0426
Web: www.sculpey.com
top of each color so that your rod becomes triangular. Smooth the sides between
the points with your fingers

2. Trim the ends of the rod. Divide the rod into four equal sections each about 2"
long. Bundle these together with the light color always in the middle and the other
two colors in an alternating pattern.

Pinwheel Erasers
Any of the canes we have made with Sculpey III can be made with Amazing Eraser Clay as well. The
techniques are just the same and when you're done, you've got your own one-of-a-kind erasers. For
this project we'll make a Pinwheel Cane with six sides instead of four.

What you'll need:

--1 oz. each of three colors of Amazing Eraser Clay - I used --White, Yellow, and Orange
--Sculpey Super Slicer cutting blade

1. Refer to the instructions for the Pinwheel Cane. When you get to step #2, divide the rod into six
equal sections instead of four. Put the cane together in a pie shape with all the white in the middle and
the other two colors alternating around the outside.

2. Press all six sides into the middle. Lay the cane down and press down on the top side. Turn the cane
1/6 turn and press again. Continue turning and pressing until you've pressed all the sides inward. Now
you can gently roll the cane to smooth the outsides and reduce it to the desired diameter.

3. Because Amazing Eraser Clay is much softer than Sculpey III it may be harder to slice. There are a
couple of things that you can do with Eraser Clay to make it easier to slice but these techniques do
not work with any other polymer clays:

Trim the ends of the cane and then bake the OR

whole thing. Freeze the whole cane and then slice it.
Bake Amazing Eraser Clay at 250° for 10 Bake the slices at 250° for 10 minutes.
minutes. Please note that over-baking it will cause it
Slice the erasers apart after the cane is to not work well as an eraser.
baked.

Polyform Products, “The Sculpey People”

1901 Estes Avenue, Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
Tel: 847.427.0020
Fax: 847.427.0426
Web: www.sculpey.com