Polymer Clay-Things I've Learned in One Year

Check out my products using these tips here: CoraAnnInspiresLLC | Etsy

Must have Tools:

• A Clay Press- I can't stress this enough. It helps flatten clay to the exact thickness. But even if you don't need it for that-it's a great conditioner. Polymer clay can get a little hard over time and this tool will SAVE your hands from trying to knead it yourself back to a softer moldable form. Lastly, it's great for blending colors. It takes a long time by hand to blend two colors together. I purchased this cheap one off Amazon and it works great! Amazon.com: Mont Marte Polymer Clay Press

• Rubbing Alcohol-Drug store find! It helps smooth down imperfections, fingerprints, and helps clean up workspace. Use a basic soft painting brush or cotton q-tips to help with this.

• Basic clay cut out shapes-Not because you need specific shapes but because the circle ones help to maintain perfect sizes when you are needing the same sizes of things. Simply flatten some clay with the press and then use circle cut outs. This will get you the exact same size balls of clay. Try some of these on amazon that don't have a pesky line where the metal meets (trust me)-Amazon.com: Keadic 75 Pieces Polymer Clay Cutters Mold Kit, Round Circle Shape Cutters Mold Ceramics Dotting Baking Ring Mold Cutter Punch Tools for Clay Pottery Craft Handmade with Case I love these pop out push ones used for fondant originally too (Thank me later)-Amazon.com: OGORI 20pcs Mini Fondant Cutters Cookie Cutters Sugarcraft Cake Decorating Tools, Square/Round / Heart/Oval / Five-Pointed Star/Diamond: Home & Kitchen

• Ceramic baking dish: I used an old kitchen one of mine that was starting to show small cracks. Instead of tossing it, I donated it to my clay passion. Ceramic is a great baking surface for clay. It's also good practice not to mix tools with food you cook on.

Great tools to invest in:

• Clay Extruder: Most of the ones on Amazon are pretty much the same. I like this one because it's cheap but also come with some nice additional tools. Amazon.com: 33Pcs Clay Extruder Gun Fondant Sugar Paste Extruder Clay Cake Sculpture Gun,Ball Stylus Dotting Tool,Cake Decorating Supplies Modeling Tool : Arts, Crafts & Sewing

• Polymer Clay tool kit: If you purchase the link above, you will get a good start of tools. However, there are thousands of listings for tools online. I do like the metal tools better as they last longer. The plastic ones will break over time. You can also find tools to use all around your house. Toothpicks are great, razor blades, etc.

• Sander: If you are making earrings or cutting out anything small, a sander is a must. You can use any sandpaper and experiment with different grits. I did come across a gamechanger for me though by accident. Baby nail filer!!!! When I purchased one online for my little and didn't like it for him, I had an idea to use it for my clay. It turned a much hated chore of sanding my earrings into a fun one! I purchased this one off Amazon which has a variety of different grits. And it only cost $19: Amazon.com : Haakaa Baby Nail Trimmer Electric Safe Baby Nail Clippers Baby Nail File Kit Manicure Set, Trim Polish Grooming kit for Newborn Toddler or Adults Toes Fingernails, 6 Grinding Heads and LED Light, Pink : Baby Something to mention with sanding: Dip your grit in water prior to sanding so the dust does not go into the air and into your lungs. You can also grab some disposable masks as well (until the dust settles).

• Tackle Box: Another time saver for me was purchasing a tackle box. It's great to store all your clay and put different colors in different cubbies. You avoid mixing colors, and it's easy to see what you have in inventory. I also have a cubby for all my scrap clay. I have found this way easier than using plastic baggies (and better for the planet, yay!).

TIPS AND TRICKS

Something to mention before diving into my tips and tricks. I use Sculpey Premo and FIMO brand for my clay. I cannot attest to these tips and tricks with other clay brands.

TIP 1: Condition your clay: What does that mean? It means mixing it and warming it up together with your hands so it becomes a nice moldable consistency. Skip this step and you face cracks. Either while you are molding your clay or during baking. This becomes very apparent if you use translucent clay or FIMO effects. So this is where that clay conditioner up top comes in. Invest in one, you won't regret it.

TIP 2: Ceramic is the way to go: Bake on a ceramic surface. Ceramic is good at distributing the heat evenly when baking. BUT you also need to realize that whatever side is facing down on the ceramic will be left shiny since it is against the ceramic surface. Maybe you're okay with that because it's a sculpture no one is going to see the bottom of. But if it's earrings, that can be annoying. So cut out some thick paper with a rough texture (I use my drawing sheets) and put that on the ceramic. No more shiny spots!

TIP 3: Baking: Error on the side of baking longer versus shorter. If you are baking at the correct temperature, baking longer is not going to burn your clay. But it will help make sure that the clay is fully cured, is strong and won't break. Know that when the clay first comes out of the oven, it will still be soft. It won't get strong and firm until it has cooled down completely. DON'T touch your clay until it has fully cooled. Trust me, I've learned the hard way. AKA I've broken pieces messing with them before they have cooled.

TIP 4: Baking Tip 2: You can bake twice! Why is this important? Maybe you realized you didn't bake your clay long enough and it's still soft. Bake it again! Or like myself, I bake my doll heads first. Then I mold their hair around their head and then re-bake. This is so I don't smush the head shape as I am molding the hair. Play around with what works best for you. I use Sculpey Bake Clay Adhesive to get a strong bond between my baked clay and unbaked clay.

TIP 5: Painting Clay: This leads me to my second baking tip. You can use acrylic paint to decorate the clay before OR after baking. It doesn't matter. I like to bake my doll heads, then paint, then re-bake. And I can even touch up the paint at the end as well. If you paint prior to baking, you can use rubbing alcohol to remove acrylic paint mistakes. But know, once baked, the paint it pretty much there to stay. You need to use any mica powder prior to baking as well. If you use mica powder or paint, know that you may need to seal your clay afterwards.

TIP 6: Gems, Stones, and Metal: Bake in any stones or metal objects into your piece. At first I was worried that the stones or metal would explode in the oven, but I found this to be untrue. Especially because you are baking at a lower temperature.

TIP 7: Keeping Clay Clean: You can use gloves so you don't get clay on your hands. Or you can choose not to. But I found it easiest to work with my lighter clay first and then go to darkest clay. The clay likes to stick to hands, and you don't want to get different colors mixed together. It's important to try to wash your hands as best as you can between colors to avoid this. A much debated topic is whether clay is toxic. From my research, companies including Sculpey and FIMO were required to take out phalates from their clay in 2006. But do your own research to see what makes you comfortable.

TIP 8: Mixing Clay Brands: I've had good luck baking FIMO and PREMO clays together or mixing them. I just bake at the required temperature for PREMO to fully cure (FIMO is a lower temp required for baking). I've never had FIMO burn like this with one exception: Glow in the dark, OPAL, and translucent clays. They are very sensitive to temperature and baking too long. I only use FIMO with translucent and glow in the dark and bake at the exact temperature recommended and for the shortest time possible. Otherwise, they tend to brown very easily. Not the look you are going for at all. A lot of times, I bake my glow in the dark pieces separately and watch them very closely.

Here's my opal piece I left in the oven too long :(

TIP 9: Adhesive: Super Glue Ultra Gel is the way to go! It seems like there is a debate on whether you should use superglue or E6000 for polymer clay. Here is my take! On the research I have done, you need glue that has some give and flexibility. Why? Because polymer clay is flexible. If you are bonding something flexible to something that is super hard (E6000) the flexible part will break away from the hard part. I have had the best luck with Super Glue ULTRA GEL. GEL is the keyword. It has to GIVE. I have used it to bond polymer clay to polymer clay, clay to wood, and clay to metal with no problems and great luck! One thing to note, if you get it on a surface that is not bonded to something else, it may have a white appearance. Now when I have bonded clay to a clear glass (like my miniature gnomes in a jar) I have used E6000. Because it dries crystal clear unlike the super glue.

TIP 10: Plastic Wrap: A game changer when it comes to polymer clay cutouts. Especially the small intricate ones. The clay tends to stick into the small areas and it is soooo frustrating. Basically, you place plastic wrap over your flattened conditioned clay and use the cut out over it. GAME CHANGER! It stinks cleaning out stuck clay from the small cut outs, trust me. I have also heard you can use cornstarch but have not tried that yet. It seems like it would be a messy clean up. Lastly, tin foil is a great way to hold shapes of clay. You can put it in the oven for supporting your figurines. You can also use it as the center of large figures if you don't want to waste clay.

Thank you for reading my first blog post! Have any comments or questions? Feel free to reach out!

CoraAnnInspiresLLC | Etsy

Emily @ Cora Ann Inspires LLC