sue’s news

For my buddies on the City-O-Clay polymer clay listing: Here’s how I made my DIY “cookie” cutters. (These are intended for cutting shapes in polymer clay; no representation of their food safety is made )

Materials: Piece of tin roof flashing, about 49 cents at hardware store
Tools: Tin snips, file, pliers (little jewelry pliers are nice for tiny shapes)
Safety: Eyewear and gloves

Feline observer optional.  Long as he doesn’t eat the clay.

Steps

Cut a strip off the flashing. It cuts easily, but care is needed to get a nice straight line. Edges are sharp and can slice up your fingers easily.

File down sharp edges or burrs. Feline observer should be briefly evicted during cutting and filing unless he has eyewear.

Seal or crimp the ends together. I have read that it helps to do this step before bending. Haven’t done it, but I bet glue would work. You’d have to clamp it and let it dry thoroughly before bending, though.

Bend it, shape it, any way you want to. Little jewelry pliers help here. I did a Texas shape because after Nora Jean mentioned it, I really wanted to try it out!

When you are on the Gulf Coast part, you should pause and sing:

The shrimpers and their ladies are out in the beer joints
Drinking ‘em down, for they sail with the dawn
They’re bound for the Mexican Bay of Campeche
And the deck hands are singing adios, “Jole Blon”
— “South Coast of Texas,” Guy Clark

For comfort’s sake, I plan to bake a clay handle onto the back of any cutter I use a lot.  That makes one more reason not to use these on food or around kids — sharp edges, glue and other non-food-safe materials.

They are sure helping me in my polymer clay amusements, and if they are useful to others, that is even better.