How To Reduce A Polymer Clay Cane

[@PolymerClayTutor]

Hi Kim Calliham,a lot of full time professional cane artists prefer to use Kato Polyclay for making canes because of its firm consistency. Others prefer Fimo Classic or Premo Sculpey. I like to use Premo for all my polymer clay work (including canes) because it is strong, beautiful and and has a consistency that will work for most applications. If my Premo is too soft, I can always firm it up by leaching it (see video on leaching in my channel). Resting the clay, like you suggested also helps.

[@hollysmith2697]

I truly appreciate all of your knowledge and talent! I have been stalking your page for the past few month's...doing my best to not give up. After watching many other artists as well I am having such a hard time with complex ( kaleidoscope) canes and making it more frustrating is trying not to destroy the cane while filling in. Unfortunately no matter how slow I go and try my best...a simple flower cane I tend to destroy by the completion if not soon into reducing. Can you suggest possibly any educational books or videos? Thank you

[@AspieGamerGirl]

Thank you so much. I was making my 1st cane and the clay in the inside was separating and creating gaps. I have seen other people roll it but this technique worked better for me :)

[@yelloworangered]

I just rewatched this because I was disappointed in a spiral cane that turned out all weird. The problem was my technique - viewing this again it made me see that I was just plain wrong in my approach and that was the problem. I'm going to try another spiral cane asap. Thanks.

[@PolymerClayTutor]

That's the spirit! am glad to hear that you saw where you were going wrong and are willing to try again. All skills take time to develop and a few little tips given to one with a learning mind, makes a the difference in your end result! Thank you for your comment!

[@yelloworangered]

Thank you for the encouragement. I had to laugh at myself because I wondered how I remembered it all SO wrong from the first time I watched the vid. :)

[@enns5366]

Thank you that's been making me crazy not knowing how they got down that small. It's so freaking cool how you do that.

[@bonniefaltz9505]

Okay, this answers my question on your extruder cane video. Now I see how to reduce a regular cane with keeping the details. thank you again for sharing your knowledge. Can't wait to try one!

[@egduf8]

this is the coolest thing i've ever seen in my entire life

[@PolymerClayTutor]

:)

[@FabJewelrytwofriends]

I needed this as I am still trying to make canes and have them come out the same all the way thru the cane. thanks Cindy

[@cindylietz7299]

Happy to help! You can go faster if the clay is nice and warm all the way through but in most cases, slower is better when reducing canes. At least in my experience.

[@PolymerClayTutor]

Hi Camille Llamas, I do plan to do a Mini Tute on reducing square polymer clay canes. Make sure you subscribe so you don't miss it when it comes out. Thanks for commenting!

[@aniaoiko8096]

your videos are great!! Thank you so much... I have done the mistake with the different hardness and it almost cost me my entire cane.. I have been trying to make some flower canes myself and I really like this eastern lily... is it possible for you to make a tutorial on how to make the cane? It is different from all the other flower canes that are kind of symmetrical...

[@glittergirlglory4320]

Do you bake polymer clay to make beads? and how do you put holes in them, and how do you make it shiny so it stands out as beads for jewelry making

[@PolymerClayTutor]

Hi Tait Rowley, I am not sure what you mean. This is a non-paid tutorial.

[@cindylietz7299]

Thank you Sherry! Can't wait to see your egg covered in Easter Lilies. That is an excellent idea!

[@damegayle1]

I haven't worked much with polymer clay and I was wondering why you keep that bell shape on the ends as you are reducing the canes? Also the easter lilly is beautiful. How do you create such a beautiful design. I don't understand how you put it together!

[@yelloworangered]

I have that question, too, why the bell shape on either end of the largest cane size?

[@urbanpuppet]

This is the most helpful tutorial I have found about reducing! Thank you so much!

[@lezro44]

Thank you!! I always wondered how to do this REALLY, you showed it very well. I think the multi-size idea is great and wouldn't have thought of it myself. Super videos!

[@tantesherry]

Love getting a close up view of your Easter Lilly Cane and can hardly wait to learn how to make it. I'll use it to cover this years Easter egg for my nephew Jason - one each year since he was born :D ps - your colors are perfect

[@sylysyly9759]

How do you store all those? Can you keep polymer in a baggie until you're ready to bake? Will they dry up? Did you have a video before this to show how to put that flower in?

[@PolymerClayTutor]

Ania Oiko - Glad to hear you are enjoying my videos. Thanks for saying that. In regards to the Easter Lily Can Tutorial... I'm one step ahead of you. It has already been created as a 6 part paid tutorial series... very affordable :-) There is more info at my blog (the direct link is in the "More" description box above. Or Type "Easter Lily Cane Tutorial" into the search box at my PolymerClayTutor blog.

[@charlottephillips4272]

That was amazing. I would like to know what kind of pasta machine you would recommend. I would like to spend around $100.00. Your channel is so good I watch it every day.

[@rmilstead2]

This was so great! I tried my first cane this afternoon, and it was looking great until this step. I just rolled it out on the cutting board in about 2 minutes, and my pattern got all distorted. No biggie, was just a test run. Now I'm fired up for another go. I am confused about one thing in this video however... While reducing, you periodically pick up the ruler to measure the height... ... why?

[@PolymerClayTutor]

Glad to hear you're learning about caning Bob, it is such a rewarding skill to develop! The ruler thing was just to a way to show the progression of the cane reducing... that it was getting longer and skinnier as I was going along. It wasn't a necessary step in the process, so you won't need to worry about that. I think my cameraman (my husband Doug) suggested I do that... it isn't something I normally do when I'm reducing canes.

[@kimcalliham3074]

MY QUESTION , IN YOUR OPINION: WHICH BRAND IS BEST FOR CANING? OR ARE ALL BRANDS GREAT AS LONG AS THEY SIT FOR MORE THAN 24HRS? THERES SO MANY DIFFERENT ANSWER BUT YOUV'E BEEN AT THIS MANY YEARS. ?

[@PolymerClayTutor]

Hi EDLAS P, I have a paid tutorial on my website for that flower cane. Go to the link in the description for my blog and type 'Easter Lily Cane' into the search box at the top of the blog page. It will take you to more information on how you can buy the tutorial. Hope you like it!

[@PolymerClayTutor]

Hi rfinney97, watch the video again and you will see exactly how I reduce my polymer clay canes. Thanks for commenting!

[@415mazer6]

I noticed the other smaller canes are a different design, why?? Also is there a video on working with the different colors and blending them, IE - the yellow going into white - gradations of color? Thanks

[@EmilyBarrett53]

Teardrop and skinner blend tutorials would be best for gradations

[@frenca2020]

Hello and thank you for lovely videos just I have question - at the end of your videos you are saying see you at the next video of these series but there is no that number of the video on your video list ? Thank you !

[@PolymerClayTutor]

Hi Gitta G. thanks for your comment. For the videos that are a tutorial series, those you have to pay for the rest of them, that is why you don't see the next videos in the series. They are extremely reasonably priced (usually under $10) though so if you are interested in watching the rest of a particular series, follow the link that is in the description box below the Introduction Video you watched and you can purchase it there. Thanks!

[@PolymerClayTutor]

Hi CraftTutorials419 here are the answers to your questions: I don't know what editor my husband uses for the videos. Polymer Clay is not expensive, if you wait for the sales that Michaels has every month or so. And, if you watch my "buying Polymer Clay" video in my KZbin Channel, you will see many places to buy polymer clay.

[@kymbee111]

I love your videos. I am fairly new to polymer clay and use it to make fairy houses, boxes etc. But I'm having a real tough time with canes, the problem I can see it different consistency of different colors. Often I need/want to use different types ie sculpey, fimo, premo for different colors so my question IS....How can I make the different colors the same consistency? PLEASE Answer this one as I'm really stuck. Thanks :)

[@PolymerClayTutor]

You might find it a lot easier if you use only one brand of clay in a cane. Some brand are super soft and some super stiff even when they are brand new, so sticking to one brand will help. I have videos on how to soften up hard clay or firm up soft clay, so that they are the same consistency. I would also stick to simple canes until you get the hang of it. Consistency is very important as you have found out. You may also want to start mixing your own colors, rather than choosing colors from different brands. Check out my channel and my blog www.polymerclaytutor.com for more info on all these topics,

[@annetteweadock4949]

Is there a video for this particular cane Cindy?

[@PolymerClayTutor]

I have a paid tutorial series for this Easter Lily cane. Here is the link for more info: www.beadvideos.com/back-issues-03/vol-058/

[@PolymerClayTutor]

Hi Tait Rowley, No I do not have a non-paid tutorial for the Easter Lily Cane.

[@rfinney97]

Do you start from the middle

[@PolymerClayTutor]

You are very welcome glad it helped :-)

[@srnicaaa]

Thank you for the tutorial. I have quite a lot problems with making canes. When I use softer clay, like Fimo Soft, they get distorted really fast. But firmer clays, like Fimo Classic or Pardo Art are so difficult to use... It seems to be impossible to make them ready for use and the canes are SO hard. Also, when I cut the canes, the slices lose that nice round shape. And if there's a white clay in the cane, I somehow always manage to make it "dirty", as my hands catch up the colours of the other clay. Do you have any advice for me? Thanx!

[@EmilyBarrett53]

I put the cane in a fridge for a few hours to get the clay to firm up and use a very sharp blade to get a nice cut

[@taitrowley4408]

Do you have a non paid tutorial for the Easter lily came

[@houndstoothdinosaur]

This was so helpful. Thank you! :)

[@camillellamas6500]

How about square canes? I'm having a hard time reducing them

[@jennifersklener]

Thank you your wealth of experience.

[@555GMaC]

Excellent proved to myself I'm in too much of a hurry when reducing.

[@danielleplant8739]

I tried making a lemon cane once and the colour started smushing

[@terrysanders8041]

That was so cool.

[@yelloworangered]

Wow. Thanks so much.

[@taitrowley4408]

Do you have a non paid tutorial for this

[@USAGEASTERMPLS]

With all the astounding clay how-to's out there, surely someone could dream up a way to make a cane with less clay. I can't imagine using more than a tiny handful of slices for anything I'd make. Is all the rest just wasted? (Except, of course, we all know about "scrap clay" and all its many uses....)

[@EmilyBarrett53]

I only made one cane once and that was a strawberry cane, I used the least amount of polymer clay as I could, it's difficult but possible. I was doing a strawberry dress for a polymer clay figure so I used most of the cane and the leftovers I used for the base of the dress and the hair.

[@meehoseo58]

U got a sub

[@laurenotto8040]

Hi thx

[@madisonmccormick6228]

Wow ur good

[@UsernameBarbF]

I'm embarrassed to ask this question...why don't you just roll in on the surface of your table...checking it often to make sure the pattern remains good? (Yes, you guessed it, I'm new to polymer clay. I'm just contemplating trying my hand at polymer clay so I can't even say I'm a newbie, since I'm not even that experienced yet). Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge.

[@PolymerClayTutor]

Hi Barb F never be embarrassed to ask questions... asking questions makes you smarter. The reason you don't just roll a cane on the table is the inside will get twisted that way. On something really simple like a bulls eye cane you may not notice but on something more complex like a face cane, the image will get all distorted if you try and reduce it that way. That's why you will see most professionals using the squeeze and pull method.

[@sunburst3076]

The way your hands move give me such bad anxiety in combination with your voice; it’s like I’m waiting for your hands to complete a movement and they never do. Like waiting for something to land and it never happens. Not your fault - just weird to me. My heart literally starts beating hard and I get overwhelmed and frustrated lmao