I am working with polymer clay. how do I keep the waves out using my acrylic roller?

Question

when i roll out clay I get waves. how do I stop these?

Answer 1

It could actually be a number of things.

It may be that the surface you're rolling on is sticking to the clay a bit or the roller is sticking to the clay... or that the clay you're using is too sticky or warm... or that you're trying to roll a fairly thin sheet and that's hard to do evenly, especially if it's large.

The best way to flatten clay into sheets with a hand roller (as opposed to a pasta machine) is with a set of "guide rails," on either side of the clay and the same height as you want the clay thickness to be.
Also place a sheet of paper (or parchment or waxed paper) over the clay once it begins to form a sheet so you can remove the clay from it without distortion later by flexing the paper and peeling off the clay.

Or just cover the clay with paper, etc. as above, but without using guide rails.

You may also want to place the clay on a surface that it won't stick to very well (slightly textured like melamine or a slightly pebbled plastic cutting board, for example, or even paper... not anything slick and very smooth that it can form a vaccum with), or powder the surface or the clay a bit (using cornstarch, for example, applied with a fluffy brush or a ponce ball), or keep picking the clay up and turning it over like pie dough (probably also powdering a bit).

Or you may need to use a larger diameter roller (like a straight-sided drinking glass or jar) or a longer roller, so that you can roll more easily over the entire amount of clay in one smooth pass, rather than having too much of a change in speed, pressure, or motion.

Some clays are rather soft (Sculpey, FimoSoft, especially) and will become sticky and even softer from handling or from warm hands, or on warmer days, etc., so it can be good to refrigerate or freeze those clays awhile --10-20 min-- or just let them sit an hour or more, before (or even at some point during) the rolling to firm them up a bit, which will also probably allow you to create more even sheets.

The other possibility is just to buy a pasta machine for making sheets, which you will definitely want to do anyway if you end up doing much polymer clay.
A pasta machine not only makes beautiful even sheets of clay (for themselves, or stacking, or use in various techniques), but it also conditions clay, mixes new colors, and makes special color-gradation sheets ("blends") much more easily and quickly than a roller, as well as other things.
If you don't want to spend much, you can buy an inexpensive pasta machine (for example, an Amaco --at Michaels it would cost only about $15 with one of their bi-weekly newspaper ads for 40% off one item ), or find one at a thrift store, garage sale or the very back of someone's cabinet (can't be used for food after using for clay though). An inexpensive machine will be fine as long as you use it correctly and don't stress it (see pasta machines page below for more).

You'll find more info on using hand rollers with polymer clay as well as using pasta machines and guiderails, on these pages at my polymer clay encyclopedia site:

http://glassattic.com/polymer/tools_Dremels_worksurfaces.htm
(... click on the subcategory called *Rollers & Brayers* ... and possibly also on *Work Surfaces*)

http://glassattic.com/polymer/pastamachines.htm
(... all about pasta machines, brands, etc.... and also click on *No Pasta Machine?...Other Ways* )

P.S. If you're rolling out only a small thick pad of clay rather than a whole sheet, another good way would be to *press* down on it with something stiff and flat rather than rolling over it... I like to use a small clear acrylic block (mine's about 3/4" thick) so I can see through it as well, but other things would work too.


HTH,

Diane B.

Answer 2

i'dddd press gently.
or stop at a thrift store an pick up a pasta machine..that can roll the clay like ddddough an dd leave no lines............waves!