Extruder Checkerboard

The clay Extruder is one of my favorite tools.
So many things are possible with this tool.
Lots of people tell me all of the time "I can not cane".
You can, you just didn't have the right tool.
First step, stop telling yourself you can't.
Step two, find the right teacher.
Step three, find the right tool.
Step four, OPEN YOUR MIND!
Step five, have fun.

This is a way to fool everyone, even yourself.

All links below will lead to my husband's store, if you are looking for these products. Thank you so much for looking.
Thank you so much for supporting myself and my family.

Cernit polymer clay- black and white
Makin's professional clay extruder
Kemper Slicing Blades
1. Condition the white first , a half of package is enough. Get it nice and pliable.
2. Unscrew the handle until it is all the way out.
3. Roll a little log that is small enough in diameter to fit in the extruder barrel and fill it up. Place the square disk that comes with the extruder into the other end.
It is best to roll a log long enough to fill the barrel than to put in small logs to fill the barrel. The little logs will create air pockets.

4. Screw the handle back down slowly and at an even pace. Going slow helps the harder clays not shred on the edges of the square and other disk patterns. Extrude out all the white and then do the same thing with a half of package of black.

5. Press the two square coils together side by side. If using a smooshy clay do not smash together. Gently now.

6. Hold the ends of the square lengths and cut in the middle.

7. Lay one half right by the other half so it goes black, white, black, and then white.

8. Hold each of the ends again and fold gently in half so you can cut in equal halves again.

9. Flip one of the halves over so the pattern on one half is the opposite of the other.

10. Stack one half on the top of the other half.
Match up the lines of the squares as much as you can here.

11. Cut that stacked set in half.

12. Turn one half around 180 degrees horizontally and place on top of the other half. You can click on all the pictures to make them larger.

13. To make the checkerboard smaller press gently on each side of the 4 sides with your finger, one at a time.

Flip the cane from end to end and press on the 4 sides one at a time again.

Continue flip, press 4 sides, flip, press 4 sides, flip, press 4 sides... until it is smaller in size.

14. Ta-dah!!

15. You can also take one of the halves at this point and flip it end to end and place next to the other one.
This will multiply the pattern in one cane which makes it easier to apply to things in a row or border.










Slice off thin slices from the single checkerboard or the double with the clay slicing blade and add to your clay work. Or cut off slices and make beads out of them by piercing them with a needle or needle tool (bug sticker). Or cut off thin slices and bake and use in Encaustic painting, scrapbooking and collage.
OR??????