How to Make Fimo Beads
The Basics
Fimo beads are made from
polymer clay that is molded and baked. Baking the clay fuses the particles together and makes the beads hard. With the right tools and techniques, you can create a large variety of shapes and designs for your beads. This article is going to focus on the basics of how to make fimo beads.
Preparing the Clay
Soften your clay by kneading small portions with your hands until it is warm, stretchy and moldable. This is also the right time to mix any colors together if you are trying to make a custom color or marbled effect. Make sure to work out any air bubbles. A good way to do this is to roll your clay flat using an acrylic rolling pin or
pasta machine.
Shaping the Clay
Using your hands, a sheet of plexiglass, or bead molds, shape your beads. You can make them into balls, squares, logs of multiple colors rolled together and sliced, or any other shape you can think of. You are only limited by your imagination.
Making the Hole
Assuming you plan on stringing your beads, you are going to have to make holes in them. You can do this before or after baking. The easier method is to make the hole beforehand. To do this, gentle twist a skewer back and forth into your beads. Place multiple beads on one skewer for baking and make sure they don't touch one another. Alternately, you can drill holes in your beads after baking. Drilling is more difficult, but won't distort the shape of your beads.
Baking the Beads
Again, making sure that the beads don't touch one another, suspend the beads on skewers on a
bead baking rack. If you are drilling holes afterwards, place the beads gently between two pieces of cardboard. Bake the beads according to the instructions for the type of polymer clay that you purchased. This usually takes about 30 minutes in your own oven or a
craft oven.
Finishing Touches
Once your beads have cooled, slowly remove the beads from the skewers and sand any rough spots that may have developed from making the holes. Spray them with a coat of varnish to make them shiny, if desired.