This is a gadget I splurged on before I had my shoulder surgery and I have to share with you what a wonderful splurge it was. I got it from Wal-mart and I think I paid about $35.00. It's a Black and Decker food processor. Now I never had that much trouble conditioning my clay. I usually beat it with a mallet, cut into small slices and then feed it thru the pasta machine. My problem is making my specific (and repeatable) color combinations. You may have read in earlier posts about my problems getting colors to match and how I need a lot of clay when I am doing my face canes. Well I used the food processor to grind up the clay. I first weigh the clay on a cheap diet scale to get the right proportions for the color I need. I grind it up and the food processor mixes it up so well that I can dump the "clay beads" into a bag and each handful that I pull out to condition pretty much has all the colors dispersed throughout. I don't even have to condition all the clay at one time. I have found the colors to be close enough. Well I just thought I'd share this tip with you.
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I LOVE my food processor. it is one thing as a caner I pretty much won't do without.
ReplyDeleteDo you run the "clay beads" that you get after processing through the pasta machine afterward...or are your rolling them into logs? I just wondered, because if I use my food processor then I can't figure out an easy way to get those clumps together to get them into my pasta machine to make a sheet.
ReplyDeleteDoreen, I put the "beads" in a ziplock bag. Then I take out a handful, scrunch it together and then use my acrylic roller on it. It is messy and I end up with bits of clay everywhere. I try to flatten it out so it's close to being twice the thickness of my second setting on my pasta machine. I don't use the first (the thickest) because it strips the gears too easy. Once I get it going then I condition with the pasta machine. I hope this helps.
ReplyDeleteYou are awesome! Thank you so much for sharing your tips and cane making techniques.
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