Finishing off Softglass Necklace Cords

There are so many different types of necklace cord options to hang your finished art beads from.  Rather than purchase ready made ones, we prefer to make our own.  It not only helps to keep our costs down but also gives us more control over length, quality and over-all look.

One of our favorite cords we like to use is the Softglass cord from Shades of Clay as it is very soft and drapes beautifully.  Here are some more of our flip flop sandal necklaces all strung on the Softglass cord.

There are several ways to finish off the ends of this cord and so I thought I would share a few ideas here.  These are some spring coils that fit the softglass cord very nicely.   To make them a little more secure, you can put a drop of glue on first and then pinch the last coil to tighten it around the cord.  The loops at the end are for attaching your clasp and chain with jump rings.  (Click here to see them at Shades of Clay -- scroll almost all the way down)

These cord ends are my favorite to use. 

They are a fold-over type and if you can see in the photo, there is a sharp "v" prong that grabs onto the cord so it won't slip out.  (Click here to see them at Shades of Clay -- scroll almost all the way down)

These cord ends are more secure so you don't need to mess around with glue.  To attach them, simply place the cord into the end finding as shown.

With chain or flat nose pliers, bend one of the sides first folding it over the cord.

With your pliers, bend the other side down, overlapping the first fold.

Finish off the other end of your cord in the exact same way and you are done!  These cord ends are quick and easy peasy so you can see why we like to use them.

Now add your clasp with some jump rings.  Here we have a lobster claw with a chain so the length can be adjustable.  You can add a fancy bead or charm to the end of the chain or here we have added our signature bead.

We are working on another option (a surprise) so will share that with you a little later after we work out the details.

Catching Up

I look forward to starting my day every morning at the computer with my usual blog reading and catching up on e-mails.  I find it is a good way to get me batteries charged before I head into the studio for the day.  Polymer Clay Daily is at the top of my read list and yesterdays post gave me the kick start I needed.  She asked if we have designs marinating in our studio waiting to be finished.  Well we did -- and quite a few at that.  I love creating with the clay and after they are baked Dave helps me with the sanding and finishing.  If they are buttons, brooches or earrings they generally get photographed right away and then Dave takes care of the packaging and tagging.  If they need to be put together in bracelets or necklaces, they are put into a special drawer and for later.  Well these pieces had been piling up and so I decided to get at them finally and finish a few off.  Here is one set finished made from a combination of a tessellation cane and Natasha (inside out) beads.  The Natasha beads were made from the left over scraps of the tessilation cane so coordinated quite well.

At times I find I have a real inspiration and make my clay pieces.  When I go to put it together, however, I get stuck as I find it needs something more or it didn't turn out just the way I expected so it sits until I get another idea on how to finish it off.  So these here, for example, are future brilliance just waiting for inspiration.

To Glaze or Not to Glaze - That is the Question!

On several polymer clay guild forums there has been much discussion lately on glazes -- what type to use, what works best, what technique works best.  Since I include finishing techniques in my last three tutorials (Double-sided Textured Beads, Textured Tubes & More, Making Beautiful Buttons), it got me thinking about sharing more in depth on this topic what we use for finishing our pieces and why.

The first question is to glaze or not to glaze?

This all depends on the type of finish you want.  A lot of polymer artists prefer their pieces to be natural and unglazed.  We prefer that at times ourselves -- it all depends on the individual piece and the finished look we are aiming for.  You can get a nice sheen by buffing with a soft cloth or towel and you can also get a high shine if you buff with some sort of buffing wheel.  If you are aiming for this... your piece needs to have a very smooth finish.  This involves sanding your work with different grits of wet/dry sandpaper.  I have also found that the smoother your clay is before baking, the less sanding you will have to do afterwards.  Some people finish with 1000 grit sandpaper, others go up to 1500 or 2000.  I have found that there isn't too much difference in smoothness or shine above 800 grit so it is all a matter of what clay you are working with and your own preference.

Then there is the type of buffing wheels to use.  Dave and I were on a hunt some time ago looking for just the right buffing tool that wouldn't break the bank.  Some of our clay colleagues had fabulous buffing machines that were to drool over but we decided to go simply and make more use of the tools like our dremel, we already had.  I read up on Desiree McCrory's site about her new buffing pad and so we went on a hunt to find the right fabric to make our own.  It is a simple concept but does a beautiful job and leaves a really high sheen!  We use a drill press stand so it frees both hands to buff making it  easier and safer to use.  If you are interested in buffing pads already made, I have them available for sale here.

To Glaze ..... the How and Why.....

So if you prefer to glaze your pieces, many have asked which one do you use and what works best.  This is something that is a little different for everyone but I will share with you what we have learned  from our past experiences.

Some polymer clay techniques using inks, mica powders or chalks, require some sort of glaze finish in order to protect them from wearing off.  One of the newest type of glazes that polymer clay artists have discovered is the PYM11 (Preserve Your Memories 11).  This is amazing stuff and works well as a  sealing agent, especially if you are using inks or mica powders.  It leaves a soft matte finish so if you prefer your piece to be glossy, you can use PYM11 as a sealer and then coat with Future acrylic afterwards.

PYM11 is only available as an aerosol spray so is a more difficult to use on smaller type beads.  It also has a very strong odor so you will want to use this outdoors in the fresh air so you do not breathe in the fumes.

How to Use:  Lay your pieces out onto a paper lined tray.  Spray your pieces very lightly.  Allow to dry  (a few minutes) and then turn your tray around so you are spraying from the opposite direction and give a light spray again.  Turn your pieces over and repeat for the other side.

Pro:  Makes a great sealer when using mica powders, chalks and especially inks. (See note below)

Con:   Only available in an aerosol spray so is a little more difficult to use on smaller type beads.

Type of Finish:  soft matte

Diamond Wood Finish by Flecto is the only type of varathane we consider safe to use with your polymer clay. We have tried various other brands (such as Minwax acrylic) and discovered they are not all the same.  They would peel and wear off and I'm glad we only experimented with them in a small way first.

The Diamond by Flecto is available in glossy, semi-gloss and satin finishes.  It is also available in an aerosol spray which is great for larger type surfaces.  In many of our pieces like our animal prints, we prefer to use semi-gloss as it actually gives more of a soft satin gloss look and isn't overly shiny.  I fill a small jar to use from instead of using it straight from the can.  If it gets a little too thick, you can add a little water to thin it out and it will apply much easier.

How to use:  A good quality clean soft paintbrush is the key.  If you do not use a good brush or have too much varathane on your brush, it will cause streaks.  Apply several very thin coats, allowing to dry thoroughly in between.  You might still notice a bit of streaking after the first coat but that will eventually lesson after each application.  After your pieces are dry, you can harden your finish a little more by baking your pieces at 200 F for 12-15 minutes.  This also helps get rid of any small streaks that might still be showing.

Pro:  Dries very quickly between coats and leaves a nice finish.

Con:  Not so good on items with a lot of mica powder, chalks or inks as a sealer.

Type of Finish:  semi-gloss to satin

The other type of glaze we use is Future -- which is now called Pledge with Future.  You can see by the photo that I still have the old style bottle and how little we've used over the past 5 years or so!  A little of this goes a long ways and one bottle will seem to last forever!

This is our preference when we want our pieces to have a permanent high shine.  We especially prefer to use it on pieces that require more wear and tear like pens or mirror compacts.  If our pieces have mica powders, inks or chalks applied, we generally spray them first with the PYM11 and then coat with Future to add the shine and add a little more protection.

How to use:  You can use a clean soft dry paintbrush or some people like to use q-tips.  Both work good but I prefer a brush.  Apply several thin coats, allowing to dry thoroughly in between.  Future takes a little longer to dry so takes a little more patience.  I found that if you apply the next coat too soon, it leaves a lot of streaks so I have to wash it off or sand it and start all over so is best to allow to dry completely between coats.

You can also harden your finish more by baking again afterwards at 200 F for 12-15 minutes.  This also helps to bring out a little more shine.

Pro:  Makes a good hard finish and works well for sealing pieces when using mica powders, chalks, etc. as well as long wearing items such as pens (see note below).  Should also mention that it has a very nice and pleasant smell.

Con:  Very time consuming as several coats need to be applied with lots of drying time between coats.

Type of Finish:  glossy to super glossy

Note:  Working with mica powder pigments

If you are using mica powders to your piece, they must be applied on raw clay before baking or they will not stick.  Rub the powders into the clay with your finger rather than just "dusting" them on with a brush to make them "stick".

After baking, wipe off any excess powders with a soft dry cloth.  If there are any loose mica powders on the piece they can prevent it from being sealed.

You can then continue with applying your favorite sealant.  If you want it to be more durable, spray with PYM11 first, allow to dry and then apply several coats of Future Acrylic or Varathane.

If you are using the brand "Pearlex", you do not have to seal as they contain a resin, however, if you apply future acrylic or varathane afterwards, the colors will "pop" more.


I hope this helps answer some questions you might have regarding finishing your pieces.  Feel free to ask any questions or leave other tips and tricks in the comments here.

Finishing Touches

Now that we have recovered from all the excitement of the World Masters it is time to catch up on the many things on my to do list.  I've been sorting through our latest pieces that still need finishing off and taking photos as they are completed.  There are so many ways to finish our pieces and so how do we decide?

When we look at a finished clay piece we like to feature it in it's best light.  Some of our pieces are purposely designed to hang on a nylon coated stainless cable.  We like how it causes you to focus on the bead or pendant and the cord is almost invisible.  We will try our pieces on a variety of colors to see which gives the best effect as in the ones in the photo shown below.

I cannot believe how light and comfortable the cables are.  I made one of these for myself and I had to keep checking to see if it was still in place.

I love making these stripe blends and have created bangles and beads for bracelets and earrings to match.

Another type of cord we like to use is the "softglass" which is like a rubber cord but has a silky look and feel to it.  You can see how they look with the variety of pendants below.

At times the cable or softglass cord just doesn't seem to fit with certain pieces.  I'm always scouting around for just the right materials.  I found these beautiful organza ribbons and a light bulb came on!  I pulled out my sewing machine and stitched some into cords and voila!  Soft, elegant and yet comfortable.

So how do we decide on what to use?  This part is generally a joint effort between Dave and I.  We sometimes create a prototype first and I will actually wear it to "test it out".  We will take note of how it fits or if it hangs properly.  Sometimes we are satisfied and other times we go back to the drawing board  if it needs any tweaking.  I have a drawer full of these prototypes that have become part of my wardrobe.  I must say my hubby has a keen sense for design and style and I tease him that he has a pretty "good" eye for a straight guy!  It is really great to work together like we do and bounce things back and forth.