Sculpey® III Asymmetrical Lentil Necklace

Step 1:

Do not use unbaked clay on unprotected furniture or finished surfaces. Start with clean hands and work surface area. Good work surfaces include wax paper, metal baking sheet, or disposable foil. Knead clay until soft and smooth. For best results, clean your hands in between colors. Shape clay, pressing pieces together firmly. Bake on oven-proof glass or metal surface at 275 degrees F (130 degrees C) for 15 minutes per ¼” (6mm) thickness. For best baking results, use and oven thermometer. DO NOT USE MICROWAVE OVEN. DO NOT EXCEED THE ABOVE TEMPERATURE OR RECOMMENDED BAKING TIME. Wash hands after use. Baking should be done by an adult. Begin by preheating oven to 275 degrees F (130 degrees C). Test temperature with oven thermometer for perfectly cured clay. For best results, condition all clay by running it through the clay dedicated pasta machine several passes on the widest setting. Fold the clay in half after each pass and insert the fold side into the rollers first.

Step 2:

Sheet each color through the pasta machine on the thickest setting. Double each sheet so the colors are double thick. To get the pieces proportionately sized, use the graduated circle cutters. From Buried Treasure cut out one of the smallest circles, two of the next smallest, and two of the next size up. Finally cut one piece the next size up from Teal Pearl.

Step 3:

Roll each cut piece into a ball. Then use the Lentil Bead Maker from the bead making kit to turn each ball into a lentil shape. Lentil Bead Technique: place one ball under the center (smooth side down) of the Lentil Bead Maker. Grasp the sides of the Lentil Bead Maker with both hands and swirl it around in circles sandwiching the ball of clay between the tool and the work surface. As you swirl the ball around, it will first take on a bi-cone shape (ball with two opposite points). Once the bi-cone is achieved, keep swirling it around at least 10 more times to make the mica in the clay swirl as well. Then slow down and make your circles very small and apply a little more pressure. The bi-cone points will disappear and you will have a lentil shape instead. The mica swirls should be just visible in the center of each bead.

Step 4:

For the Teal Pearl piece in the middle, we will make a channel hole. Press the medium Etch ‘n Pearl across the top 1/3 of the bead to make an indent.

Step 5:

Sheet another piece of Teal Pearl through the pasta machine to the third thickest setting. Screen the floral pattern onto the sheet with antique gold acrylic paint. Set the screen in water to wash away excess paint. As soon as the paint dries, cut out another of the same size circle you used in Step 2. Place this printed circle over the Teal Pearl lentil.

Step 6:

Smooth the edges with your fingers. Gently remove the Etch ‘n Pearl for baking.

Step 7:

For the remainder of the beads, use the small Etch ‘n Pearl to poke holes in the top 1/3 of each bead. Poke a hole that starts in the front and comes out in the back. This will create beads that will overlap each other when strung.

Step 8:

Here is a photo of how the hole should go through the front of the bead and come out of the back. Also make sure the hole goes through the top 1/3 of each bead so that they will hang as strung and not spin when worn. The final note is that the hole in the Teal Pearl bead goes straight through, not front to back like the Buried Treasure ones. So you’ll need to make sure you’re poking the holes through the top 1/3 based on which side of the Teal Pearl bead they will be strung.

Step 9:

Make sure the holes in the beads are large enough to accommodate the neck chain. You may need to consider removing the clasp from the neck chain and then replacing it after the necklace is strung with jewelry pliers. Bake all the beads following the baking instructions. The beads can be baked on the tuft of fiber that comes in the Bead Making Kit so that they will not get shiny spots from coming into contact with the baking pan. String as shown.