Estimating What You’ll Get From a Cane

If you make polymer clay canes – as I do – you want to know how much goodness you’ll have to use after you reduce it. Luckily, estimating is an easy job for the average cane.

If I’m using my defaults which may be big for new, hobby clayers and tiny for others. My average new cane is about 2″ in diameter and 2″ long. I generally reduce canes down to half an inch wide. That means my final size is one sixteenth the original size on it’s face and *16 times* as long. You’ll always lose a little for reducing but basically for halving in the face of the cane – from 2″ to 1″ and then 1″ to 1/2″ for mine – you get 4 times as much in length.