to actually cutting polymer clay canes without them *@$^@) crumbling everywhere??? I bought some ready made canes today and want to use them for the egg stuffer swap for the tic tac toe game markers ... so I warmed them thoroughly (very thoroughly - I say on them for 15 minutes while I made fimo poison dart frogs ;)). When I cut them, the outside edge on the bottom (no matter which way I turned the cane) would crumble every time. The clay was warmed all the way through, the center was warm to the touch when I cut into it. I tried a serrated knife and a regular knife. Do I need a blade instead of a knife? Help! I bought 6 canes and cut through 4 and they are not very pretty. I am hoping to salvage the last 2 to make very nice rounds!

I bought the straight blade Bonnie! VERY SHARP..I won't even use it when Lorna is around. But..it makes a HUGE difference!

definitely get the really sharp metal pottery blade thingy!

also, try rolling the cane as you cut. that way the final cut is in the solid middle instead of the crumbly edge.

Thanks for the advice! I will have to go out and try to find a good blade. I didn't think of rolling it when I was cutting but that makes sense too :)

My guess is that the clay was partially cured either before you bought it or when you warmed it up.