Sculpey Polymer Clay Tutorials

Sculpey 102 - Tiny Ripple Blade Technique Guide

by Marie Segal

This little tool is one of the most amazing products to be found on the market today; it is inexpensive and makes a multitude of different effects with very little knowledge or prior training. The little ripple blade comes with the 3 pack of blades that Polyform products sells for the suggested retail of $9.99, the package comes with a stiff 6” blade that is great for cutting straight sheets of clay or can be used also for slicing larger canes or slicing sections right off the bricks or blocks of clay, it also comes with a 6” flexible blade that is great for cutting curved items as the blade can be flexed quite a bit and it is the best for cane slicing with the least amount of distortion, and last but not least is the 4” mini ripple blade, which can be used the same as other ripple blades on the market but I find that for smaller over all design for jewelry and smaller pieces of work this is a better blade by far for it’s ability to keep a smaller pattern that is much better for earrings and smaller beads and such. I also found that when stacking sheets of clay to cut with the ripple blade had to be thinner and more of them for my best effects, but we will get to that later.

The small ripple blade is also a great blade for cutting the edges of sheets of clay for a different edge, just think what you could do with a flexible cutting blade like this, now the edges of your brooches could have a scalloped edge, the skirts on your dolls could have a ruffled edge, and the possibilities keep coming just from that application. But what the mini ripple blade does as a cutting blade for canes and stacks is even more amazing.

Here are just a few things to get you started:

Cutting into existing canes:

If you have left over canes that either you don’t care for or that have outlived their existence you can always ripple them.

I cut off sections of the cane until I get a surface that I like. This one is cut directly in the center of the cane. If I have lengths of cane I cut them in to 1 ½”sections to work with.

I then either make another cut in succession about 1/8” in thickness. If I make a cut that I don’t like I can put the cane back together because of the ripples it will go back together the way it came apart. Press it together and cut from another angle on the sides of the cane.

Once you have a slice that you like you proceed to run the ripples vertically through the pasta machine on the thickest setting. Turn the sheet ¼ and run the ripples horizontally through the pasta machine on the 2nd thickest setting. Turn the sheet again ¼ and run the ripples vertically through the machine on the 3rd thickest setting. Turn the sheet again ¼ and run the ripples horizontally through the machine on the 4th thickest setting. You can keep rolling you sheets thinner if you like but remember to turn the sheet and the thickest down each time.

When you run the ripples through the pasta machine vertically on the first run through you keep the design tighter and if you run the ripples through the machine horizontally you will spread the design out. What ever way you decide to go horizontal or vertical you turn the sheet one quarter and the thickness down one notch each time you roll the sheet through to spread the design in as even as manner as possible.

Cutting the surface of square canes:

Just start cutting one side (but not the faces of the cane) of the cane to see what you get.

Roll the slices through the pasta machine as above to make your sheet.

Here I am turning the block of cane and cutting another side of the cane, there is not much difference because the cane is multiples of a same image.

But if I keep slicing off pieces until I have about a 1” block, I can make a rippled focal bead and have a good amount of slices to play with to make other beads.

Even just playing with the slices before you run them through the machine is a interesting way to play with texture and images, you never know you may not want to make anymore beads but make some wall pieces for yourself and all of that from a cane you weren’t even going to use.

That right there is what makes this such a valuable little tool for the whole package of blades price. And I have more things to do with it to tell you. With all of the cuts below you will need some type of pearl or metallic for the best effect, you can also add an equal part of translucent to your pearl or metallic color; this will intensify the effect of the cut by spreading out the mica flakes. All of these sheets are also rolled through the pasta machine as above and the texture you see is an illusion because the sheets are flat and have no bumps in them after they are rolled down in thickness. This is called Mica Shift.

Straight cut:

Condition and roll out on the thickest setting some gold or other pearl clay into a sheet. I have used gold and black in equal parts mixed together.

Cut a sheet of clay that is about 1 ¼” by 2” long.

Press the sheet of clay firmly to a slick work surface so it will stick, lay the blade on its side and cut level to the surface of the sheet and drag the blade down the sheet to cut off the top surface and ripple it. Hesitating will stick the blade into clay; move boldly and firmly through the sheet, it may take a little practice. Cut the sheet of clay off the work surface and run the ripples through the machine on the thickest setting and continue to flatten it out more as in the instructions above.

Cross cut:

Same as above, but you are going to be cutting across the surface again, the horizontal, right through the vertical ripples to form little raised boxes.

Diagonal cut:

Same as the cross cut but you are going to cut from the diagonal sides. Start at the top corner right or left and cut through the surface to the opposite bottom corner. Cut across the primary cuts from the opposite top corner to the opposite bottom corner and roll down in the pasta machine to spread the design as in the instructions above.

Waste made:

With the left over pieces that you have from making the above cuts lay them on a sheet of clay, it doesn’t matter what thickness the sheet is, but when you roll it and the slivers you placed back on the sheet, roll through the machine on the same thickness that the sheet was to start with. You can then make the sheet larger and thinner by rolling to spread the design evenly as above.

Spiral cane cut:

Condition and roll out two or three colors on the 3rd thickest setting in the pasta machine. Cut out rectangles that are 1 ½” x 2”. Stack them on top of each other; I have used Pearl Green, Turquoise, and Purple. Roll the length of the stack back through the pasta machine on the 3rd thickest setting. Cut the strip in half and stack one half on top of the other so that pattern of the colors repeats.

Run the length of the strip through the pasta machine on the 3rd thickest setting. Then turn down the setting on the pasta machine to the 5th thickest setting and run the length of the strip though. Tuck in the end and roll up the whole length of the sheet as tight as you can get it with out distorting the roll.

Flatten the roll with you thumb until it is about ¾” wide.

Cut this in half and stack one on top of the other. Turn the one half so that both cut edges of the roll are on the same side. Press the two logs in to a squarer shape.

Turn the log up on the rounded ends and cut through the face in front of you. Cut the sheets about 1/8” thick or a little bit thicker. Cut two sheets and place them together in the center and roll the ripples vertically through the pasta machine on the thickest setting.

Continue rolling out as in the instructions above to expand the design.

Stacked sheets cut:

Condition and roll out two sheets of clay, I have used turquoise and silver which is not the best for photography, but beautiful to use on glass containers. Condition and roll out two colors. Cut out a sheet of each color that is 1 ½” x 3”. Stack one on top of the other.

Turn the pasta machine setting to the 3rd thickest setting and roll the length through the pasta machine. Cut the sheet in half and place one on top of the other so the design repeats. Roll the length through the pasta machine on the 3rd thickest setting and then turn down the pasta machine to the 5th thickest setting and roll the length through.

Cut the sheet in half and stack so the design repeats.

Cut the stack in half and stack one on top of the other.
Cut the stack in half and stack one on top of the other.
Turn the stack up so it is sitting on the flat cut edge. Cut through the side of the stack. Cut the sheets about 1/8” thick or slightly thicker.

Cut another sheet and place the two facing centers of the sheets together and roll through the pasta machine on the thickest setting.

Continue to turn the thickness down and roll through on each thinner setting as in the instructions above.

Continued on Part II - Examples, Color Suggestions, Hints and Tips