When starting to learn to make your own polymer clay jewelry you might be wondering what equipment – tools, components and materials to prepare for a good start. Probably you don’t want to spend too much money before you know what you really need. But how to figure out what you need before you even start? That might be a bit tricky because all the shops offer huge variety of all the cool stuff which looks so good and definitely would be nice to have, I know..
In this article, I want to share with you what to prepare for a successful start, what to buy and what you definitely can find at your home. Later on you will know your favorite techniques and what you are good at so even the shopping gets easier.
How much polymer clay is good to buy at the beginning?
Buy approximately 5, maximum 10 packages of polymer clay, choose colors which you like and which are fitting to each other. Some suppliers also offer bargain packages that contain more colors. Definitely buy white color clay, maybe even in a bigger package. As a little helper for color combinations I use online color pallets. These might give you an idea which combinations look good in general and they are pretty inspiring too.
Buy good quality clay. Cheap clays are not good to work with and that might discourage you in your new hobby.
What tools and equipment will you need?
- acrylic roller
- slicer
- cutters of various shapes – you can also use cookie cutters
- glass or a plain glossy floor tile – it is good for pressing the clay and it’s easy to clean (optional – depends what you plan to make)
- standard papers – some clayers use the tile as their working surface, we use papers
- skewer, toothpicks, needles and pins – for making holes in charms and beads, they are also good for shaping
- interesting textured objects and textiles (e.g. lace) – you can find them all at home. (here are few examples of household items used to create textures on polymer clay)
- glue
What beading tools and components are good to have?
- basic set of beading pliers
- basic ear-wires
- basic ear-stud findings
- head & eye pins
Polymer clay for beginners – few colors are enough.
Some of tools suitable for polymer clay beginners.
Some of my cutters for polymer clay jewelry making.
Earring components for beginners.
Basic beading pliers.
And the best for the last… 🙂
Do you need a special oven to bake polymer clay?
No, you can use the normal kitchen oven! Because baking has high electricity consumption, I recommend to bake a bigger batch altogether. When you finish one piece, just put it on a baking tray and so on until your tray is full. Preparing all the pieces might take you several days which is absolutely OK, the clay can wait a bit in the baking tray.
