How I clean my Polymer Clay Pasta Machine
How do I get my pasta machine clean enough to get no dark splodges on my white polymer clay? In this short video I show the techniques I use. Nothing more than tissues and a small tool, and leaving the machine in situ too. Obviously check with your own machine’s warranty and manufacturer’s cleaning instructions before you decide how to clean yours. But using my method, I can keep my whites and translucent clays nice and clean/clear.
Once you have nice clean machine, you can always have a go at some of my polymer clay tutorials 😉
The pasta machine I use is an Atlas machine, at home I use the 180 (a wider machine) and when travelling or on workshops, I use the 150. I have always used the Atlas machines and I find them very good for Polymer Clay. However, there are other very good makes, such as the Imperia machines, and of course those made specifically for use with Polymer Clay.
Ginger Davis Allman, from The Blue Bottle Tree has a number of articles on Pasta Machines - thebluebottletree.com/?s=past... which should prove helpful in choosing a machine.
If you like my work, then please do have a look at my website, www.fionaabel-smith.co.uk/ and follow me on Facebook / fiona.abelsmith and Instagram. / fionaabelsmith.artist
I also have a number of Polymer Clay Tutorials to buy, both in my Etsy shop, PolyOriginals - www.etsy.com/uk/shop/PolyOrig... where I have more tutorials in a PDF format, and as a video tutorial here - polyoriginals.thinkific.com/co...
The music from the video is English Country Garden by Aaron Kenny and is available from the KZhead Free Audio Library.
Thank you so much for watching.
Thanks for all the feedback you are giving, and the very useful additional tips :) For anyone who has a chance, do read through some of the comments below for information on other things people do/use to help clean their machines. Plastic sewing needles, plastic knitting needles and bamboo skewers all appear to be good choices and widely recommended :)
I run old white clay through my machine every time I use it. And then I run a folded paper towel right through it. I don't get a build up of crud. I think the secret is that I never put in a sheet of clay that is more than five inches wide. Running clay all the way to the edge of the roller is how it gets pulled into the machine. At least that has been my experience. I'm not a high-volume user however.
Good tips, and good to know, thanks Jude 🙂
wadge = bunch. Improving my vocabulary again!
ha ha, it sure does, wadge, or wad means exacly that :)
Thank you for sharing this, Fiona.
You are welcome, thanks so much 🙂
Thanks, Fiona! A lot of us will have been glad to see this :D
Thanks so much Janet :)
Thankyou so much for all your videos, really grateful for all the info!❤🙏
Thank you so much :)
Oh my goodness, this was so helpful! Thank you!
So glad it was useful, thanks Barb :)
Thank you for this very informative video 😊
I am so glad it was helpful, thank you Kelly 🙂
Lovely tutorial…motivated me to go in and clean mine!
ha ha, thanks Kathleen :)
You are my hero. I absolutely love and appreciate your videos. I learn so much from you. Thank you so much!
I am so glad it's helpful, thanks so much Pamela 🙂
Thank you! This is a life saver! 💜
you're welcome, glad it was useful :)
Thank you so much Fiona, this is of great use 💜 it was one thing I was getting very confused about with the many differing version's out there!! So again thank you for this 💜
So glad it was helpful, thanks Tracey :)
Thanks for that, Fiona. My pasta machine is desperately needing a good clean and it has been driving me to distraction. Now, I’m going to try this.😀
Thanks so much Anne :)
Hello! New subscriber here! I appreciate all the information you put out. Thank you SO much, you have made my clay journey enjoyable. 😊
What a lovely thing to say, thank you very much, and I hope you continue to enjoy your polymer journey 🙂
Thank you Fiona! I usually clean my pasta machine like this between colors, but every few weeks/months I take it apart and am really fast with it now. However, as you mentioned, no more fenders on my machine because I couldn’t get them back on again. Love all your tutorials
Thanks so much Suzanne :)
Once again Fiona Thank you so much for showing me this quick and easy way. My husband has learned to dis assemble the pasta machine, but, he is not here when I need to use my translucent or white! Lol. XO Esther
Brilliant, thanks so much Esther 🙂
Thank you Fiona, these are great tips and ironically I just received my electric pasta machine today..I'm so excited. Stay safe and well.
oooh lucky you, have fun with it :)
@@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals Oh my hands will thank me :)
Awesome information I’ve never seen the backward rolling of the handle to get the clay out. What an awesome idea. You mentioned at the beginning for people not to do anything to void the warranty. Pasta machines are made for pasta Which is much softer than Polymer. If you damage your machine and you’re trying to get a replacement do not tell them you use polymer clay because they will not cover anything in your warranty. A second piece of random information. I have either contacted or researched every major pasta machine brand. None of them in the packaging with the machine when you get it or on their website have cleaning instructions of how to clean their machines other than wiping it off. Which is kind of gross because if you’ve ever bought an old machine that have been used for food and open it up there’s all kinds of dried flour up inside. I use a bamboo skewer where you use your cable needle. Thanks For a great video.
That's really useful info, thanks so much Jan, and yes, the bamboo skewer seems to be a great tool which a lot of people are using :) It is great all the ideas of how they clean their machine, that people are adding to this stream :)
Another thing I tell people when they do take your machines all the way apart to make sure they take pictures at every stage period so they can put them back together I see so many people have taken apart and I can’t figure it out. Once you do it once or twice it’s easy that first time is scary
@@janmontarsi.-blendangles7960 Too true, I have taken a few apart now - but the Atlas only once ;) and we covered doing it on one of our local meets a few years back too. It is also much easier to put back together if you have a spare pair of hands to hold things in place for you ;)
This is great! It was recommended on various KZhead’s to clean with a wipe and alcohol. It works but certainly doesn’t get all the clay out. Since I live in S.Florida rust can be a problem so I’m definitely going to try this. Great tip with clay as well.
I'm so glad it was helpful, thanks so much :)
Thank you so very much for this Fiona. Cleaning my machine is always something I do not look forward to. It's just this side of impossible. This gives me hope. LOL!! I have gone so far as to soak it for days in a 5 gallon bucket of soapy water and I must say that didn't even work and I was without my pasta machine for a very long time. Drove me mad. So I don't recommend it. LOL!! I am very grateful for this. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Oh my goodness, you have been going above and beyond - wow. I really hope this helps, it has always worked for me, and as I say, if you start to do it regularly then it really means when I need to have some pure white clay, I can get it clean enough really quickly, and without too much hassle. :)
I clean my machine like this. I use a mirror to see what's in there. I do that because I don't want to unclamp it all the time. I also have a dental tool that I use to get tiny bits out.
Brilliant, I am glad I am not the only one ;) and yes, like you, I really don't want to be unclamping my machine all the time ;)
hi Maggie, I also have dental tools that I sometimes use, but be careful because you could marr the surface of the rolers. a good tip is to cover the metal part of the dental tool with masking tape! you could also use a wooden skewer or toothpicks.
I'm off to grab some tissues!! Thanks so much Fiona - I'm about to give this a go!
Thanks so much Jill :)
Coool my new machine I am getting for Christmas will stay amazing now. ❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
Fantastic, thanks so much 🙂
Thank you Fiona…!! Great information!! I’ve watched people take these machines apart and it just scares me to think I might not be able to get them back together again…!! The cable needle is genius!! I have wiped my rollers down many times with a soft clean cloth and still could not get all the clay off. Your tips have helped immensely…!! Thank you again🤗😘
I am so glad it was useful, thanks Susan :)
Thanyou this was helpfful.
I am so glad, thanks so much 🙂
What a wonderful how-to video. Thank you. We both own the exact same Marcato machines. Perhaps it's the calibration on mine or the brand of clays that I use, but I have yet to be able to get it down to the number 9 setting without rippling or shredding my clay. So, I'm cleaning the machines at the end of each clay session. Your tutorials are the best. Can't wait for the next one!
Thanks so much - oh wow, I have never had that with an Atlas machine :( That's very frustrating for you. Glad the video was useful, although it sounds like you were laready doing a wonderful job of keeping yours clean :)
I also have both of the same machines and when Fiona says her thinnest setting of 9 - I always use mine at 8. It does almost the same thing but at least it’s not shredding my clay.
@@susanchamblee2549 Good thinking :)
New sub here and new to the clay game! Thanks for the tips! I was wondering if you all clean your machines every colour? Cause every time I switch colours I have to clean mine or my colours get all mixed together and ruined! Any tips or tricks to stop my colours from getting mixed would be greatly appreciated ❤️😉
Hi, I am glad the video was useful. I do not clean between every colour, I have learnt over the years that a small amount of transfer doesn't really alter the colout that mush - unless it is White or Translucent. I also condition my colours in an order where the next colour I do is one where a little transfer will be okay. So for instance if I was conditioning, White, Black, dark Blue, Orange, yellow, Turquoise, Light Green. I would start with as clean a mchine as I could and condition them in order, White, orange, yellow, light green, Turquoise, Dark Blue and Black. I hope that helps 🙂
Thank you, Fiona! I clean my machine this way too! And those bits you mention, are really SHARP...! I know...🤪! I have a maybe useful tip... Hélène Jeanclaude uses rubbing alcohol to clean her rollers in between colors. I tried it and for me it works. (She has several tutorials here on youtube.)
Thanks so much, and yes there are many ways that people use to clean their machines and rubbing alcohol sounds good too. She does great tutorials :)
@@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals ....I love her jewelry..!
Fiona, what pasta machine do you recommend and is there a machine with metal blades or plastic blade’s that doesn’t react to polymer clay? Thanks for sharing your time, talent and knowledge with us.
Look at the info below the video - where it says SHOW MORE, and there is a link there to The Blue Bottle Tree, with loads of info on pasta machines :)
Guilty of not cleaning mine often enough! But thanks for the walk thru....I am a bit surprised you dont have a motor though!
Thakns Fran, I actually do, but it doesn't go fast enough for me !! ha ha :)
Thank you. I only needed to cut myself once cleaning the underside. Now I’m extremely careful, use plenty of paper and make sure my fingers are covered work slowly and stay focused. Thank you for stressing that. It was a nasty cut.
Thanks Denise, and I am glad my stressing it came across okay, I was a bit woried about being OTT but I didn't want anyone to cut themselves. :)
No your stressing the danger was perfect. That cut is like a deep paper cut and takes a while to heal. Plus it was on my finger on my right hand which is my dominant hand and made a lot of things difficult to do while it heals.
@@deniseosborne4045 Oh wow, that does sound nasty :( Glad it wasn't done after watching this video, and that you haven't done it since :)
Any tips on how to clean out a clay extruder? I usually have to stick my finger to mote most of it. The biggest problem it’s SO time consuming 😢 i sometimes use the brush that looks a Christmas tree 😂 you know, the one most people use for texturing
Hi Michelle, no, sorry. What you say you are doing is exactly what I would advise, and I must admit I don't generally need to clean my extruder inside. For the threads inside the cap I use a cocktail stick to gently remove the clay, but that is all I do. Maybe it is the brand of extruder you are using? I have only used the Makins ones and my Czextruder, and none of those seem to clog with clay in the way you are describing. Are you a member of any of the polymer clay groups on facebook? If so, I would suggest raising the question in one of those as there may well be someone who has a similar issue and can help in some way. Good luck - I hope you get it sorted as yes, constantly having to clean it would be very frustrating. 🤞🙂
Thank you so much for this. I always take the "guards" off my machines.. I had no idea it can make the machine unstable.. and.. what do you mean by that? I LOVE your cable needle.. where would I find one like yours? thank you ..if you read this. I LOVE your voice.
Thanks so much. When I have taken the guards off a machine in the past, and then use large quantities of clay through it, it actually starts to twist from the ends, and the handle becomes hard to turn, that's what I meant by stability ;) As to the cable needle, it is widely available from any good store that stocks knitting needles. Mine is a 4mm (which is a size 4 in the UK and a size 10 in the US). :)
@@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals WOW. thank you so much for replying. See how NICE you are?? Love that. I didn't know that about the guards. I haven't had a problem.. YET. Can't wait to get that cable needle. YAY.
@@ameswho9548 You are welcome, thank you :)
If I have a motor on the machine will it still work to clean it that way since it can’t turn counterclockwise? Thank you.
No, I think the motors only turn one way - sorry - I may be wrong, but certainly don't force it to do anything it wasn't designed for. :)
Oh no, It wasn't my intention to use the food into machine then. I own an "old" pasta machine and I wanted to use it for polymer Clay now. Sorry for my bad English.
🤣😂 No worries, yes that is perfect then, just clean away any old oil that gathers at the edges of the rollers, and any food. I would suggest using a bit of scrap clay to go through several times, up and done along the rollers, just to clear up any left over residue - have fun 🙂
@@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals thanks you so much. ❤️👍
I found out the other night how sharp that is
Oooooh no, you didn't cut yourself did you? I hope not 🙁They can be sharp, which is why I mention it so often 😕. Hope all is okay 🤞
Yeah i did but its ok now
@@donnajohnson5092 oh no, but I am glad to hear it is okay now. Hugs 🙃
How do you reuse your machine if you don't clean it after each use. I find if I change clay color the older clay color gets mixed in.
I guess it may depend on your machine, for one, also I am used to a small amount of colour transfer, and account for that in my colour mixing. (Unless I want pristine white.) This is only the way that I do it, if you find that for you, you want/need to clean after every colour, then absolutley do that. 🙃 I know if I did that, I would spend more time cleaning than making things, 🤣😂so that is why I do it the way I do, and just clean the machine every so often, as and when I feel it needs it 🙂
Your grate
Thanks so much 🙂
What type of tissues do you use? They seem crinklier than I've seen
Just a normal, cheap box of facial tissues, available from supermarkets in the UK, so nothing special. Any tissues should do, as long as they don't have any moisturiser in them. I hope that helps 🙂
I just take it apart and scrape the excess off the clean the blades in the sink with dish soap and a scrubby.
I think everyone has their own way of doing it that works for them ;) I want to clean mine in situ, and be ready to go again immediately :) Thanks so much for saying how you do yours, there are lots of comments coming about how people do theirs, so anyone who is interested can read down the comments and choose which ideas they want to go with :) Thanks so much for your input :)
Can a pasta machine be used even if it isn't dedicated to polymeric pastes? Thanks if you want to answer.
When you use it for clay tiny pieces get stick in the rollers, scrapers and general 'parts' of the machine. It is virtually impossible to eradicate these completely. As Polymer Clay is a form of plastic - at its base components - it is definitley not safe to eat. So no, once you have used a pasta machine for polymer clay it should not be used for anything edible. I hope that helps 🙂
@@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals Oh no, It wasn't my intention to use the food in the machine then. I own an "old" pasta machine and I wanted to use it for polymer clay now. Sorry for my bad English.
Thanks! When you say tissue paper you mean for gift wrapping? Not tissue paper for your nose 😅
No, I do mean simple paper tissues for your nose, they are softer than tissue paper for wrapping would be 🙂
But what was the dog barking at? You can't leave us hanging like that!
🤣😅 I believe from memory it was somone delivering something next door 😉🙂
How do you clean between color changes?
I don't ! If I keep my machine clean then I certainly don't clean it every time I change colour, that would be impossible for the amount of time I use it. Doing as I show in the video keeps it clean enough to use swapping colour to colour 😉
@FionaAbelSmithPolyOriginals Thank you, Fiona.
Reminded me of squeezing blackheads! 😁😅
Oh that made me giggle, thanks Melissa :)
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
After consuming so much news on Ukraine. This is nice.
Thanks so much :)