Getting your clay to the perfect thickness can be laborious and time consuming. That’s where pasta machines come in! Did you know you can use a kitchen pasta roller to make your clay sheets?
Whether you’re making very thin clay sheets for folding or decorative purposes, or blending different colours of clay together for a visual effect, the beauty of a pasta roller is that you can smoothly roll your clay and adjust the thickness to suit your requirements.
As they’re not designed as a clay machine, it’s best to roll out your clay into a slab first using a Manual rolling pin. If you try loading a lump of clay directly into a pasta roller it’s likely to jam or damage your machine.
You’ll also need your polymer clay to be soft but not sticky, and remember to clean your machine regularly. If you’re having any issues with using a pasta roller as a polymer clay machine, this handy blog by JessamaTutorials guides you through the most common problems and how to fix them.
Treat yourself to a clay kit
If you’re new to working with polymer clay, the best way to give it a try is one of these fabulous polymer clay kits.
6 of the best pasta machines for polymer clay
Here’s our pick of the best pasta roller machines that are available to buy online.
Please remember that polymer clay is not food safe, so even with proper cleaning it’s not advisable to use the same machine for both clay and food purposes.
You may see product reviews that mention the handle easily coming off, but this seems to be a factor for every machine we looked at, regardless of price. Maintaining a light pressure as you crank the handle should be sufficient to keep it in place while using.
1. Artemio pasta machine for polymer clay
Best for tight budgets
This pasta machine for modelling clay is a great option for those on a limited budget. It would also be an ideal starting point for polymer clay crafters who are after an inexpensive way of experimenting with a clay roller.
This stainless steel pasta roller is brought to you by Artemio who have been producing craft and DIY supplies for over 25 years. It comes with a handy clamp so that you can fix it to your table or work surface, with a detachable hand crank which makes storage easier.
It’s able to roll your clay to nine different thicknesses, but as the product description is very minimal it's not clear what the minimum and maximum thicknesses are. Despite this, it has many positive reviews and would make a great first roller for budding clay crafters.
Pros – Affordable
Cons – Limited information
- Buy the Artemio pasta machine for polymer clay from Amazon
2. Marcato Atlas 150 pasta machine
Best for quality
Pasta machines are quite a specific product (especially when using them for clay), so there aren’t many ‘big name’ brands. One that does come up time and time again is Marcato.
This Italian brand is one of the most popular producers of pasta roller, with their Atlas 150 design being popular with both chefs and clay artists.
It’s made of top quality chrome steel, with the ability to make sheets of 0.5mm to 4.8mm thickness using the ‘Lasagne’ setting. There’s also a whole range of other ‘pasta shapes’ that you can make with the additional accessories included.
With a sturdy build made from quality parts and materials, it’s a pasta roller that will cope with most people’s polymer clay roller needs.
It’s worth bearing in mind that as it only mentions food preparation in the product description, there’s no guarantee that a warranty will be honoured if you’ve been using it with clay.
Pros – Sturdy machine, brand name product
Cons – More expensive option
- Buy Marcato Atlas 150 pasta machine from Amazon
3. Lakeland pasta machine
Best for brand name on a budget
For those of you who like the look of the Marcato Atlas 150 machine but can’t quite stretch to that price, this pasta machine by trusted Kitchen and homewares brand Lakeland is a more affordable alternative.
It’s made from durable and easy to clean chrome stainless steel, and features eight different thickness settings. It’s also double-geared which will help your clay to pass through the machine smoothly and evenly.
Lakeland are also up there as one of the best companies for customer service. Although it doesn't specify that it can be used with polymer clay, you can be sure that you’re getting a good quality product with great customer support.
Pros - Reasonable price, integrated design so no additional parts
Cons - Handle falls off easily when not in use but not a problem if you know about it in advance.
- Buy Lakeland pasta machine from Lakeland
4. Staedtler FIMO Clay Machine
Best for being a dedicated clay tool
We understand that it can feel a little concerning when buying a product for any use other than its original purpose. If you feel this way then we’d recommend investing in a dedicated clay roller by one of the most well known brands in the polymer clay world, Staedtler.
The FIMO clay machine is relatively basic, but it will suit most people’s needs – it’s not like you’re making ravioli with it! As well as the nine thickness settings and tabletop clamp, it also features extra wide rollers (175mm compared to the usual 150mm).
Pros - Official FIMO product
Cons - Comparatively high price tag, doesn’t roll as thin as others
- Buy Staedtler Fimo clay machine from Art Discount
5. DAS smart clay machine
Best for air dry and polymer clay
DAS are another well known brand with both professional and hobbyist crafters. Their air dry modelling clay is a much-loved product and they make polymer clay too!
Their DAS smart clay machine is of course suitable for both types. It’s great for flattening out your clay as well as achieving fantastic marbling effects (simply combine two or more colours together).
Capable of creating clay slab thicknesses of 0.4mm to 3mm, it’s an affordable and sturdy machine. There’s also more clay tools available from DAS if you want to kit yourself out, such as an acrylic roller and metal clay extruder.
Pros – Reputable brand, compact
Cons – Limited product information
- Buy DAS smart clay machine from Amazon
One more for fun – the PME electric roller clay machine
Best electric roller
Got a lot of clay to roll? Then forget hand cranks – embrace technology with this electric roller clay machine!
It’s listed as for use with sugar crafts and cake decorating, but it’s pretty much exactly the same as the other clay rollers in this list, just with an electric motor attached! It does also come with a manual handle and clamp if you feel like going analogue, but the motorisation means you’ll be able to load in your clay with an even feed and consistent pressure.
It might seem a bit extravagant, but seeing as it comes in at a similar price to our most expensive option, it could be just the product you’ve been looking for!
Pros – Electric motor, additional manual handle and clamp
Cons – Some reviews report the motor being bulky and in the way
- Buy PME electric roller clay machine from Amazon
Make your own clay
Did you know you can make your own air dry clay at home? It’s surprisingly easy and uses common kitchen ingredients. Find out more in our how to make air dry clay tutorial.
Look after your tools
The old saying ‘a bad workman blames his tools’ is particularly apt when it comes to using a pasta machine for polymer clay rolling.
It’s important to not overload your machine with bits of clay that are too thick. Take things slowly, gradually thinning your clay sheets with multiple passes of the different roller settings, rather than going straight from the thickest to thinnest settings.
Become a pottery expert
Find out everything you need to know about polymer clay, air dry clay and so much more in the complete guide to pottery from Gathered.
