Polymer Clay Tips - Cane Making

Polymer clay canes are an ingenious way of making many identical (or almost identical) patterns and images. Here's some basic information and a few tips to help your cane-making go more smoothly.

Basic Information
Cane making is based on the millefiori ("thousand flowers") technique used by glass artists. The polymer clay method, though, doesn't require glassmaking equipment or supplies. It's also safer because there's no heat involved - at least not until the end, when the piece gets cured in the oven. The term "millefiori" is still occasionally used to describe the clay method, but most people now refer to it as the making of "canes."

What's interesting about this technique is that canes really aren't that attractive - from the outside. It's the cross-section of the cane that contains the design, and you don't see that until you cut into the cane at the end of the process.

Canes can be small or large, and the designs can be simple or complex. The more intricate ones can take a long time to make - several days, in fact. It's also possible to make a cane very quickly, in just a few minutes. It really depends on the design.

Tips for making better canes more easily
- Use clay that isn't too soft. Really soft clay is easy to condition (knead) and work with, but it can be very hard to keep distinct edges to the different parts of the design, especially when you slice into the completed cane. Soft clay compresses more easily, and that's exactly what you don't want the cane to do when you cut into it.

Fimo Classic is probably the firmest clay that's available in the United States, and it makes wonderful canes. However, it's very hard to condition. Some people just use a "dedicated" food processor (used only for clay) and don't even try to knead it by hand. If you can't get or can't work with Fimo Classic, try Fimo Soft, Kato PolyClay, or Sculpey Premo! You can make the clay somewhat firmer by leaching out some of the plasticizer. Just leave the block of clay on something absorbent, like a sheet of paper (printer paper works fine), for several days. The oily spots on the paper are actually the leached plasticizer.
- Think sideways when you're planning your cane design. Remember, canes are built from one end.
- Don't leave spaces in the cane. Spaces contain air, which will expand when it's heated (during curing). This could seriously affect the design of the cane and possibly even ruin it. Fill in spaces by gently compressing the clay around them or by adding more clay.
- Canes don't have to be round. They can also be square, rectangular, or even triangular. As a matter of fact, if you're cutting one cane into pieces and combining the pieces to make something else, you may need a different shape in order to produce your final design.
- Build your cane big, then make it smaller. Larger canes are easier to work with than smaller ones, and besides, if your design is really complex you'll have a lot of trouble constructing it in miniature. Instead, make it in a size that's easier to work with. Then reduce it by squeezing gently on all sides starting at the middle of the cane and working outward until the diameter of the cane is the size you want it. Remember to preserve the shape of the cane (round, triangle, etc.) while you're reducing it.
- Don't cut into the cane right after you've made it. When clay is manipulated it gets warm - and therefore soft. Let your new cane "rest" before you slice it. Depending on its size this can take up to a day or two. If you're in a hurry try putting the cane in the refrigerator or freezer for a while.

Some people love making canes and use them all the time. Others don't use them much at all, possibly because they seem complicated or too difficult to get right. If you'd like to try cane making but don't want to spend a lot of time - or clay - start with a simple design like this spiral cane and try some of the tips above. They'll improve your chances of success with canes right from the beginning.