Polymer Clay Heishi Beads Tips & Tricks

[@Candice1965]

These beads are so popular nowadays. 8 years later, they are as popular as ever. I enjoyed this video 🙂 Thanks for sharing !

[@PolymerClayTutor]

Hi ksterk9463, that black necklace you saw in the video is a steel neck wire. They come with clasps and come in lots of colors and styles. You can find them lots of places online, including places like Fire Mountain Gems. I like the clean look of them too. I think you will love all the options that are available to jewelry makers now!

[@PolymerClayTutor]

Hi Martha D - yes there are many ways to go about making Heishi Beads... what ever works best for you is the best way to go :-) My video above is about using "ugly" beads that would otherwise never get used... as a starting point for making Heishi Beads.

[@horneyal1]

N PolymerClayTutor

[@kathyskiados8570]

I am shocked . . never thought I could reuse my ugly beads by cutting them up. I just brought out a bunch of them to cut up. Your videos as always so informative! Thanks so much!

[@cmbooks2000]

Hi Cindy. This vid is a godsend! I've got years of "wonky beads" where I didn't have the heart to throw them out. I'll try this and see what happens. Thank you.

[@ealter2636]

Hi! Just came across this video - terrific. I did do it with a slight twist, don't have a toaster oven, just a regular oven so I tried heating the bead by placing it into heated water. Brought it to a boil, but used a meat thermometer and checked the little cup I used and it was about 160 degrees F. It worked great. Now I know what I can do with some of those beads I'm not too thrilled with. gonna share this with HOP.

[@E_Brxcelets]

This was TEN years ago but still so good!!

[@energyhealer39]

Wow! This is great! I've never heard of this. I have a lot of messed up beads to work with.

[@123sharkeater]

WOW! I am so glad to have found this. I now know what to do with all those crazy mistake beads. I am still learning and I am going to try this. You just inspired me to go one step farther than just looking at those crazy beads I made and just had no idea on what to do with them. Thank you.

[@PolymerClayTutor]

Hi Tanja van den Broek, somewhere between 100C and 130C would be fine for this technique. You just need to warm the clay back up. Google has a great Celsius to Fahrenheit conversion tool, you'll want to try next time you need to know what the right temp for you will be.

[@ettiennemoore7632]

Thanks! Great tip! I have quite a few beads that did'nt quite turn out the way I planned but could'nt bring myself to throw away. This is such a great idea. Thanks again! Great Tutorials!

[@gelfling55]

Cindy you never cease to amaze me ....I love this video and I have a jar full of wonky beads I didn't know what to do with. Now I know. I just adore your video's ....Keepem comin girl...bye for now and Happy beading

[@PolymerClayTutor]

Hi Art Junk, as long as your clay has been fully cured in the first place, you could put them in boiling water to soften them instead if you like. That would work beautifully!

[@kimhuff]

Another great video Cindy. How did I get so lucky to have found you on the Net. You not only make this stuff fun, but you training is very educational and your tips and tricks save me money. Big kudos to both you and Doug.

[@Benniesden]

Cindy I look forward to your tips. Love the tip for old wonky beads.Thanks

[@diamonzone0808]

LOVE this idea for old tube beads!!!!

[@heartieone3]

Very nice. I knew polymer clay could be warmed up and cut but I didn't think about making these types of beads. This is a great idea and thanks for sharing it, Cindy!

[@nancystamey6702]

Your tips are always great and I'm glad I came across this one I've been beading for awhile and I never throw anything away but you always have those that don't come out the way you would like now maybe I can give them a new life Thanks

[@jasminetaylor6210]

I achieved the same result baking new clay at 275 for 10 minutes. Thank you so much!

[@ksterk9463]

Thank you Cindy! I appreciate it! Love the Heishi beads - can't wait to try it!

[@kaybarriere]

Cindy, this is so useful. Thank you Thank You Thank you Thank you.

[@PolymerClayTutor]

You are more than welcome Kay!

[@dragonflygrandma]

GREAT! Thank you for all your great Videos.

[@ronieGirl327]

I find just running them under hot water for a bit helps get them soft and pliable also. it helps me reform anything that got out of shape. I also used that truck to add a dome effect on a round bead I forgot to put on the light before baking. I just did it after and under hot water then turned the cold water on to set it again. :) works great.

[@Carbinecat1]

That's a great idea. I have a ton of those laying around that were going to the landfill.

[@nicolehoule2785]

Nice tip, I tried and it work...Tank you Cindy for all those nice tips. Very useful for a beginner polymer clay user like me :)

[@tantesherry]

Boy do I have some yucky beads that will benefit from this !!! There you go being "scary smart" again Cindy :) What a super tip !!! thanks for always thinking of ways to keep our polymer clay lives interesting -sherry

[@PolymerClayTutor]

Thank you so much everyone for your sweet comments! Would love to hear about your ugly bead to heishi bead make overs.

[@SuperRocketdog1]

Hi Mo here. Who hasn't got beads their not happy with!lol great idea thank you, your greats

[@QueenIfamaUchefuna]

I absolutely loved this tip, Cindy!

[@PolymerClayTutor]

Yes this technique works great for canes leeloo1993! Just bake properly first and then slice when still warm.

[@joyceparkes2678]

Brilliant 👏 thanks Cindy I have a stash I can use.. woo hoo 😻

[@goodnewsgal9401]

Love your hair in this one...

[@franchesdun]

THANK YOU! I do have some original ugly beads that I did not have the heart the throw away! Now I know what to do with them!

[@PolymerClayTutor]

Thank you for your question! Although I do love to get questions from everyone, it has become impossible for me to answer them personally on my social media sites because of the sheer number of questions that come in. The only place I am able to answer questions now is at my blog (link in description). Use the search box there to find the appropriate post to ask your question on and either myself or another member will do our best to help. Thanks for commenting!

[@carolnelson7107]

Cool idea ! Thanks for sharing how to do it... Yep I got some old 1st time beginner beads.. I'm going to try this on round beads... That's what I have...

[@silviaandres4285]

Hello Cindy. Hoy can I make the hole in the pieces? Thank You!

[@silkysilk40]

so eine super Idee! Vielen Dank Cindy!

[@deannewood4888]

What a great idea !!

[@janpeterson21]

Love your ideas! And you make it look so easy! I’m am getting out a bunch of my yech beads and trying this!

[@lsfein]

This is such a great idea. THANK YOU!!

[@createdwithfire]

I have some old canes that I am going to try this on !

[@grannyjclay-joannieholdhus925]

Cindy, love your hair in this video! You look so young! Love all of your videos!! Thank you!❤

[@PolymerClayTutor]

Well I was 4 years younger when we shot this. ;)

[@Olcikkowa]

I really like this idea ;) and all your youtube channel too, thanks so much for tips :)

[@bubberdoo4]

I do think that is a great idea and yes i do have some of those BEADS and this does help me out alot . thanks for your great video's.

[@jantaylor8896]

Great video another fantastic tip ☺️

[@lynnperez1363]

What is the little white "clip" you're using to close the strings for the little groups of beads? Love your videos! 💕

[@shanm8433]

This is lovely

[@MisKandi]

I'm trying to find the proper needles for piercing raw clay and I am having trouble finding them outside of a kit. Any advice?

[@tejasd6618]

You are doing a great job thanks for the tip

[@angelabarton2551]

Hi could you tell me how long do you heat up baked beads for? ,,,thankyou PS great idea, I may have to make some beads up bake then heat, when cold,🌹🌺🌹🌺👍

[@lighthouselover75]

Love this!! You had mentioned in the past on the temp and length of time you bake your projects..can you touch on that again..I'm new to this and very unsure of bake time. Afraid of underbaking and overbaking as well.help please!!

[@berniceseigel6482]

Great tip!

[@claygirl6133]

Hi Cindy, That's. Great idea and they look good!! Question: What is the name of the clip you have your soft flex wire on? First time seeing them.

[@jrosey9996]

How do I put the centre hole in? Before baking or after?

[@jodyherr3249]

I know you did this video a while back but this would be a great use for scrap clay (I've accumulated quite a bit) after you make/bake a pod bead!

[@PolymerClayTutor]

Yes that would be a great way to use up scraps! You can just marble up some clay and roll logs... then bake... then slice. Quick and easy Heishi Beads!

[@ksterk9463]

Hi Cindy - What is the black material that you strung the beads on? New to jewelry making but love the clean look of the black wire (?)

[@Ikimification]

LOVE this idea thank you!

[@nienkevisser9725]

How did you get the hole in the middle of the tube so that you have beads in the end?

[@RD9_Designs]

Still a great tip! Thank you! Rachel D

[@PolymerClayTutor]

Thanks! 💖💖💖

[@omurcex]

Hi Cindy, this video came very handy at this very moment as I have just baked some beads that did not come out as I thought. The only problem is, mine are way much shorter than your long neat beads, which leaves me saying "WTF? How can I ever hold them with my thick fingers and cut them into thin slices?" :-) Can you think of any way to recycle them too? Thanks a lot for your bright ideas and tutorials - inspire me a lot!!

[@ohoudarrushaid2455]

Cindy thanks a lot for the video. What kind of thread or cord did you use to hold them?

[@PolymerClayTutor]

Hi Ohoud A I used a beading wire called Soft Flex. It is a wonderful product for stringing polymer clay beads!

[@kamelliadodunekova4245]

Hey Cindy! Can you show us how to make canes with patterns on them? I really like the one on the picture of the video and I was wondering how to make such a thing. Also, can you show us how to make square beads? Thank you! :)

[@PolymerClayTutor]

Hi Kamellia Kiricheva I have lots of cane and bead tutorials on my blog. Go to www.polymerclaytutor.com and type the word "canes" and "cube beads" into the search box there and you will find lots of info.

[@tanjavandenbroek5898]

Nice! I will try this tomorrow. But just for the European people (as I am), what temperature in Celcius do I need to bake them?

[@MadebyaBEAutifulqueenBea]

How did you make them period? Lol I see that you said that they were old beads, but what if you want to make them, from start to finish like heshi beads? How did you make the hole in the middle of the 'big bead' ?? So many questions. So sorry. My daughter does polymer clay and I do alot of sewing and beading and I think this is a great idea for me to make another project. thank you 💙🐝💙

[@PolymerClayTutor]

Hi there, I have a several bead making videos on my website including a Faux Coral Heishi Bead Tutorial www.beadvideos.com/2011/09/ and a Torpedo Bead Tutorial www.beadvideos.com/back-issues-03/vol-076/ that would teach you how to make beads similar to this that you might want to check out!

[@denise4646crn50]

LOL I LOVE YOUR HAIR

[@poojagupta80]

Just amazing..

[@lighthouselover75]

Thx!! It was a great video!!!

[@lolaost9559]

Awesome!!

[@PolymerClayTutor]

Thanks! 💖

[@CheeryCherios]

How do you go about making a uniform hole through a long cylinder bead like what you did in this tutorial?

[@PolymerClayTutor]

Hi Petrina Chan It takes practice but basically you need a long sharp bead wire or metal skewer, a good eye for finding the center, making a hole from each end and hoeing that your holes meet in the middle. Grab a chunk of clay and make a long log with it to practice on. You'll soon get very good at it!

[@qawse88]

PolymerClayTutor actually ive been struggling with the same problem! :| would love to see a tutorial about that one :))

[@JeannieOnly]

Now I can make my ugly beads beautiful :-) Thanks :-)

[@jasminetaylor6210]

Hi, I'm a beginner. How would I do this starting from scratch? (not using an old bead). I have been unable to locate a tutorial video

[@PolymerClayTutor]

Hi Jaz Taylor If you would like to learn to make some nice Heishi beads (from scratch) that look like Coral I have a lovely tutorial on it. Here is more info if you're interested: www.beadvideos.com/back-issues-02/vol-040/

[@PolymerClayTutor]

Hi Rhonda, I did a video called "How long do you bake polymer clay?" that will answer your questions. Check it out in my Polymer Clay Tutor Channel to see it.

[@stanceonlife7883]

did u glaze the beads before you cut them?

[@PolymerClayTutor]

Sort of, this bead was sanded and buffed to a high shine and then cut. So the shine was there before it was sliced. If you wanted to glaze your bead instead, it would be easier to do before cutting than after.

[@igpress12]

Yes I do have weird beads like that

[@majblomma2000]

Me like! :D I think I have a few of those. Great tip, will try it. :)

[@maryedwards4976]

How can I reuse round beads?

[@louiseparkes3155]

Oh no I just threw away a bead yesterday that I had kept for ages then decided to throw it away as I was fed up with holding onto things. It would have been perfect for this so guess who's going through their rubbish this weekend. Yuck.

[@espiritodosol]

Good idea . Actually lolllll I have some

[@PolymerClayTutor]

bitte schön

[@merryclicker]

No reason why you couldn't just make some nice tube beads and bake them, then turn them into heishi beads. That would be a lot easier than creating the heishi beads from scratch! Plus you could have them to match whatever else you're making.