Flexible Clay Gadgets: Magnet and Clip

Pointing Hand Magnet

Materials:

8" of 1/16" diameter aluminum or copper wire
strong 1" x 1/8" magnet
20-minute 2-part steel epoxy putty
Sculpey Super Flex Bake and Bend 16 oz. kit
pliers
chopstick or knitting needle
vinyl gloves
ceramic floor tile or similar work surface

1. Fold wire in half and clamp loose ends with a pair of pliers. Use a chopstick or knitting needle to twist the wire together (figure A).

2. After twisting, fold over the loose wire ends so they form a base (figure B).

3. Put on vinyl gloves and kneed the two-part steel epoxy together to obtain a uniform color.

4. Stick the wire onto the magnet using the blended epoxy (figure C). It will set in 20 minutes.

5. Remove vinyl gloves and blend equal amounts of red, yellow and black Sculpey Bake and Bend to form a brown color. Make enough to cover the wire.

6. Make about a 1/2-inch-diameter tube of brown clay about 3 inches long and blend in a 1-inch length of beige clay. After blending, roll flat with roller from kit (figure D).

7. Wrap flattened clay around magnet/wire armature and smooth the join (figure E and F).

8. Make fingers by pinching and rolling the beige clay with your thumb and forefinger. Remember that the thumb will be shorter and angled away from the other fingers. You only need to make a thumb and three fingers because it is a cartoon hand (figure G).

9. Make a tube of white clay; flatten it and wrap it around the arm to form a shirt sleeve (figure H).

10. Flatten leftover brown clay and wrap it around the white sleeve and the brown clay. Blend the brown clay into itself to form a coat sleeve.

11. Make a small ball out of the brown clay; attach it to the white sleeve and dimple with the chopstick to form a button (figure I).

12. Bend the fingers in a pointing position. Bake for 20 minutes at 285 F degrees. Let cool in oven, and there you have it!

Tips: You can make several hand magnets with different gestures. Try "thumbs up", a peace sign or a flat-handed "stop". I've tried using a stop hand on my freezer door to remind me not to eat too much ice cream...it didn't work.

Materials:

wooden clothespin
Sculpey Super Flex Bake and Bend clay 16 oz. kit
ink marker
aluminum foil
ceramic floor tile or other working surface
knitting needle or chopstick

Steps:

1. Make two 1/4-inch balls of white clay and attach green strips for pupils to make eyeballs.

2. Roll and bend two tiny cones of white clay to make teeth (figure A).

3. Bake the eyeballs and teeth at 285 F degrees for 15 minutes. Let cool in oven.

4. Separate the clothespin and lay one of the wooden pieces pincer side down on the tile. Condition some green clay into an oval and press it around the pin (figure B).

5. Flip the clay around to view the encased clothespin. Use the notches as a guide to shape the body of the gator. Make the clay thick at the top and sides at the tip of the pin and at the second and third notches. The pin almost looks like a gator as seen from the top. This is a great guide for where to pinch in the snout and the neck. Raise the clay away from the end of the wood in the mouth area to expose the pin (figure C).

6. After shaping the gator's body, pinch the clay to create nostrils and eye sections.

7. Press the pre-baked eyeballs into the sockets and the teeth into the mouth (figure D).

8. Flatten small short tubes of green clay and attach them to create eyelids. Start with the lower lids and overlap the upper lids (figure E).

9. Roll a ball of aluminum foil around the surface of the gator to texture his skin (figure F).

10. Make two nostril holes with a knitting needle.

11. Bake at 285 F degrees for 20 minutes. Let cool in oven.

12. Remove the wooden pin and replace with a whole clothespin that you have drawn teeth on with a marker (figure G and H).

Tips: You can use anything to texture the gator. Try the skin of a lemon or orange. A thimble's texture can look great as well. You can also try adding glass beads to the skin of the gator to decorate him. Make him your own!