London Polymer Clay Group

Make little chips of all thickness of your pasta machine, number them according to the gear, put them on key ring so when taking classes you know exactly what is the used thickness on your machine. 

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To clean your pasta machine, use dry tissue and clean under the machine where blades are 

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Keep an old piece of translucent clay to run through your pasta machine each time you change colours. Don’t forget to turn the handle in the opposite direction and run the clay through the rollers from below. This helps to remove those last, stubborn bits of trapped clay.  (I just realised that today actually; I thought my pasta machine was clean but decided to try running the clay through in reverse, it came out filthy!)

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When cutting thin slices of clay, remove the blade from a jewellers’ saw and replace it with your tissue blade. This helps keep the blade rigid and makes it easier to manoeuvre. – this tip was originally from Grant Diffendaffer apparently.

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Clamp barrel of extruder in hobby vice that has rubber jaws, saves on hands. 

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To roll a narrow sheet of polymer or a narrow Skinner blend on a pasta machine, place an old  1.5 v battery at one end of the pasta machine between the 2 rollers and tape across it to keep it in place.  No need to buy expensive gadgets!

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To stop the handle of pasta machine from falling out – place a finger of a latex or plastic glove over the handle and insert.

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Condition your polymer on the 2nd thickest setting of the pasta machine as this avoids damaging the alignment of the rollers when rolling a thick sheet.

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If your rollers are out of alignment a rolled sheet of polymer will be a different thickness across it.  So turn the sheet and roll through again.  The sheet will now be one thickness all over.

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To photograph earrings that have ear wires not studs, use a straight clear plastic drink stirrer supported at each end and hang your earrings.

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Use a piece of plain paper as a disposable cutting board.  The clay is easily turned for cutting from different angles and distorts less when peeled away from the paper.  It also saves the tissue blade from blunting against a tile or glass work surface. 

Use a piece of plain paper as a disposable cutting board.  The clay is easily turned for cutting from different angles and distorts less when peeled away from the paper.  It also saves the tissue blade from blunting against a tile or glass work surface. 

Use a sticky magnet sheet to store cutters on your wall as a display 

Or your extruder bits.

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