Tips and Techniques For Using Your Pasta Machine
Maureen Carlson
Add to My Michaels
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What is a pasta machine doing in a craft supply store? Read this article to find out why, and much more. For instance, did you know that you could make flattened sheets of polymer clay that have the look of watercolor papers? Or that you could make designer clothing for little clay people? And how about using polymer clay shards as scrapbook embellishments? After reading these tips, your pasta machine will be more than just a fancy rolling pin. It will be your most valued design partner. Don’t throw away those scraps of leftover polymer clay. Save them in a bag to use as design elements for your next project. That one leftover millefiori slice or mokume gane strip may be just the colorful accent that you will need for your next designer sheet of clay. * * *
Pasta machines have become a staple of the well-supplied polymer clay workstation or studio. But when I first started using polymer clay in 1979, I used a rolling pin to flatten those thousands of sheets of clay that became my little clay characters. It just didn’t enter my head to try a pasta machine. It wasn’t until the mid 80’s that a student convinced me to try one, and my clay life has not been the same since. For the past 20 years, polymer clay users have been searching kitchen stores, appliance centers and even garage sales for pasta machines, sometimes with very little luck. But now things have changed. Pasta machines specifically labeled for craft use were introduced into the craft market in 2004 by AMACO. It just made sense to have a pasta machine in the same store as crafts. Pasta machines are used for all types of clay as well as for embossing designs into soft metal sheets such as ArtEmboss by AMACO. The focus of this article will be the use of pasta machines with polymer clay. Basic Use
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Pasta Rolling
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| | Pasta Rolling Setting: A knob on one side of the machine controls the distance between the rollers. Each brand of pasta machine has a slightly different way of marking the dial. The knob on the AMACO pasta machine is marked from 1 to 7, with 7 being the widest setting. To change the setting, pull out the knob and turn until it slides into a notch. To save on excessive wear to your pasta machine, always start with the widest setting on your machine. Dial down to a narrower setting on the next pass of clay through the machine. If your clay is very, very soft, you might want to lay it between wax paper before you use the narrowest settings on the machine. Very thin sheets of clay can become quite unmanageable by themselves. Clay thickness: Forcing too thick of a piece of clay through the machine may damage the gears. Warm or condition your clay first, then flatten slightly before rolling it through. Or, if your clay is already quite soft, slice into sections and roll one through at a time. If you have to use great force to turn the crank, the clay is either too thick, too cold or too hard.
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Clean Machine
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| | Cleaning the Machine You shouldn’t have to use more than a dry paper towel for cleaning your pasta machine. An area that collects clay is the narrow ridge underneath, near the rollers. Wipe that area carefully, rubbing firmly, especially if you are switching colors. Take care not to roll the clay backwards into the machine. This can jam up the rollers and create a messy pile of trapped clay. Never dig under the roller with a hard or sharp object, as that can scratch the surface of the rollers. Most of the trapped clay is forced away from the rollers as they turn, so just leave it there. Now let’s make some patterns.
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| | Mixed Clays One of my favorite techniques is to create patterned sheets of clay from leftover scrap clays or from my favorite mix of colors. Gather colors together, then mix slightly. Roll mixed clay into a log and twist a few times. Use your hand to flatten log to the thickness of a fat pancake. Roll the pancake through once, then fold and roll again. Repeat this, folding it in the same direction every time, and keeping the fold at the bottom as you roll. Each time that you fold it, keep your favorite side on the outside. This repetitive folding creates stripes, but if you continue too long, you’ll have a solid-colored sheet of clay. It will be totally blended. The trick is to stop when the layered and striped sheet is the best possible color. And, who can guess exactly when that will be? That’s why I love this technique so much. It’s like a little mini adventure.
  
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| | The photo below shows some of the variety of colors and patterns that can be achieved using this technique. The patterns are never exactly the same twice. 
These sheets of clay make perfect “fabric” for little clay people, too.
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Striped Layers
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| | The stripes that are made from mixed clays are much looser stripes than the ones in this photo. If you like very precise stripes, flatten different colors of clay, then layer them. Trim edges, and slice. You can cut and dice these stripes in many different ways. You can also flatten the stack of clay before slicing. You could even roll the whole stack through the pasta machine to create very thin layers of color.
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Designed Sheet
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| | If you want to be very intentional about your design, lay dots and ropes of color onto a plain sheet of clay, then roll that sheet through the pasta machine. Look in your scrap pile and add a stray millefiori slice or a trimming from another project. Use a small grater to add some bits of texture. Repeat this as many times as you like. You can also fold this sheet and repeat, as we did with the mixed stripes.
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Watercolor Clay
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| | To achieve a watercolor effect, make a design sheet, as in the picture above, but fold it a different direction every time it goes through the machine. The changing of directions keeps it from forming stripes. Each time the clay sheet goes through the machine, another layer of color will peak through. The trick is to know when to stop!
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Use a pasta machine with texture plates to create very detailed designs on plain or patterned sheets of clay. First, flatten a sheet of clay. Apply baby powder or cornstarch to the clay surface that will touch the texture sheet. This keeps the clay from sticking into the grooves of the texture sheet. Lay the clay onto the texture sheet, then roll it through the pasta machine. Use the same setting that you originally used for rolling the sheet of clay.
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Recondition Dry Clay I’ll end this article with a practical use for the pasta machine. All polymer clay will eventually get old or dry - just like paint or glue, even if it is sealed in bottles. But you needn’t throw out that old clay. Take a second piece of polymer clay that is soft. It can be the same color or a nice mix color such as white or translucent. Pick up the dry clay with the sheet of soft clay, then pass it through the pasta machine. Repeat as necessary to mix the clay. Eventually the soft clay will blend in with the drier clay.
 
You can also partially mix the clays, leaving the drier clay as a design texture. Just be sure that the clay is thick enough to provide strength, as the clay will be weaker in those places where the clay is not blended. * * * And now we go back to the beginning of this article. Because, after blending all of this clay, you will need to wipe down and clean your new favorite tool, your pasta machine.
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| | * * * Learn about Skinner Blends with Maureen Carlson. Click here for another informative article from Maureen Carlson about Push Mold Techniques. Try this Clay Decorative Pin Project using both the Skinner Blend and the Pasta Machine techniques.
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