Heishi Tutorial collage

Here's a nice little tutorial that I made on using scrap clay to make Organic Heishi Beads. The steps are as follows- 1- Chop up scrap clay, here I used old cane ends plus bits of white and translucent clays. 2- Add inclusions, I used coffee grounds and embossing powders, but you could add spices too. 3- Press together to form a rectangle or log. It's important not to blend the bits, just get them to stick together. This will take a bit of pressing and turning. It helps if you warm the clay first with your body heat. 4- If you made a large log, cut it into pieces 5- Pierce the cube with a metal knitting needle or wood skewer, then begin to round the corners so it can be rolled. 6- I elongate the clay on the rod by rolling, then pushing the clay against the needle. When you roll, it makes the inner hole too sloppy ,so pushing the clay back on the needle helps to tighten everything up. 7- When I reach the length of the needle, I remove it and use a long wooden skewer to finish the lengthening process. 8- Bake on a accordion folded cardstock for at least 50 minutes. 9- Let cool, then if desired sand and buff the rods. You could leave them as is too, for a matte look. 10- When finished put them back in the oven for 5 - 10 minutes. Remove them, one at a time and slice them with a sharp rigid blade while still warm. They cut very easily. 11- The completed Heishi Beads

Done