Print PDF
Favorite
Email
Step 3Making The Whorl
This isn't too tough. The only real trick is keeping it an even thickness and making sure your hole is dead center.
The polymer clay came in a rectangular 2oz block. I used 1.5oz for this whorl. Again, is just felt right. There are lots of different weights available on commercial spindles. The nice thing is for this one you can either make a heavier one if you feel like you need it or make a whole new spindle.
You can use a jar lid or even a round cookie cutter to keep the shape nice but as long as it's balanced it doesn't make much difference. Polymer clay is pretty stiff at room temperature so I didn't bother rolling it into a ball first and simply shaped it by hand keeping it even by eye. Since polymer clay is relatively tough stuff once it cures and your spindle won't be spinning with enough RPM to worry about wobbling unless it's very out of balance.
The clay I used cures in the oven at 275F/130C per 1/4" of thickness. So I tried to keep it right at 1/4". I have done cup shaped whorls and ones that thin toward the edges without trouble. Just keeping it simple this time.
Once you have the whorl shaped in a disc you simply eyeball the center point and gently work the spindle through the clay. It will cup slightly but that's OK. You need to be very careful not to make the hole bigger than absolutely necessary. Polymer clay shrinks slightly when you bake it and if you haven't made the hole too big you get a nice slip fit that's just right without needing anything to secure the whorl.
After you have made the hole gently flatten the whorl back out carefully avoiding deforming the hole. This will also "shrink" the hole ever so slightly.
Now bake the whorl however the package tells you to. Be careful to follow the directions. Most polymer clay will burn and get ugly or worse if baked too long or too hot.
(Most people who spin either own one or "many". I'm in the many camp. Though, I think I only have half a dozen at the moment.)
The polymer clay came in a rectangular 2oz block. I used 1.5oz for this whorl. Again, is just felt right. There are lots of different weights available on commercial spindles. The nice thing is for this one you can either make a heavier one if you feel like you need it or make a whole new spindle.
You can use a jar lid or even a round cookie cutter to keep the shape nice but as long as it's balanced it doesn't make much difference. Polymer clay is pretty stiff at room temperature so I didn't bother rolling it into a ball first and simply shaped it by hand keeping it even by eye. Since polymer clay is relatively tough stuff once it cures and your spindle won't be spinning with enough RPM to worry about wobbling unless it's very out of balance.
The clay I used cures in the oven at 275F/130C per 1/4" of thickness. So I tried to keep it right at 1/4". I have done cup shaped whorls and ones that thin toward the edges without trouble. Just keeping it simple this time.
Once you have the whorl shaped in a disc you simply eyeball the center point and gently work the spindle through the clay. It will cup slightly but that's OK. You need to be very careful not to make the hole bigger than absolutely necessary. Polymer clay shrinks slightly when you bake it and if you haven't made the hole too big you get a nice slip fit that's just right without needing anything to secure the whorl.
After you have made the hole gently flatten the whorl back out carefully avoiding deforming the hole. This will also "shrink" the hole ever so slightly.
Now bake the whorl however the package tells you to. Be careful to follow the directions. Most polymer clay will burn and get ugly or worse if baked too long or too hot.
(Most people who spin either own one or "many". I'm in the many camp. Though, I think I only have half a dozen at the moment.)
| « Previous Step | Download PDFView All Steps | Next Step » |
 |
Add Comment
|
