QA

Can You Use Water With Polymer Clay

Yes! Oven-bake clay can be painted after curing. We recommend using water based acrylic paints. If you seal the piece with 2 or 3 thin layers of Sculpey Glaze, you can use any type of paint.

Can you use water to smooth polymer clay?

Sandpaper is used to sand your clay after it has been baked, however you must make sure that you are using Wet/Dry Sandpaper so that you can keep the polymer dust out of the air and use it with water.

Can you get polymer clay wet?

As polymer clay is a waterproof oil based material it can get wet, either in it’s baked or unbaked state. Water can however make the clay a little more brittle, if a design is submerged after baking.

How do you get rid of air bubbles in polymer clay after baking?

During the mixing and conditioning process, if you spot any bubbles in your clay, pop them with an exacto knife or sharp tool and then push the air out and smooth over with your finger.

Can you use Mod Podge to seal polymer clay?

Mod Podge is a decoupage medium that paper crafters use as a “sealer”. Therefore new polymer clayers sometimes advocate its use as a glaze, sealer and varnish as well. But Mod Podge does not make a good polymer clay glaze or varnish.

Which is better Fimo or Sculpey?

As it is based on true colours, Fimo Professional is perfect for colour mixing. Firmer than Fimo Soft. Premo Sculpey. Quickly reaches a workable state with minimal conditioning and remains soft and pliable.

Does polymer clay break easily?

Polymer clay beads should be bendable if they are baked correctly. Under-baked polymer clay won’t be bendable. It will be brittle and easy to break.

Why am I getting air bubbles in my polymer clay?

Those bubbles are caused by trapped air in your polymer clay. When you fold over your strip of clay and insert it in your pasta machine fold last, a little pocket of air gets trapped in the fold. If you keep doing this over and over, more and more air gets forced into the layers of clay.

How do you know when polymer clay is done baking?

#3: How Do You Know When Polymer Is Done Baking? When polyclay is cured correctly, your cooled piece can be marked when you press a fingernail into it, but your nail won’t sink in. It will be difficult to break, but if it is thin it might bend easily. It will break or cut cleanly, without a crumbly texture.

What causes air bubbles in clay?

Inserting the folded side of clay at the top can cause air to be trapped in your clay. Air bubbles most often occur when scraps of clay are reconstituted back into a larger mass of clay. I often see people grab these scraps into a tight ball, much, as they would when wadding up a sheet of paper before throwing it away.

How do you keep polymer clay flat when baking?

To prevent brown spots from oven spikes, tent your work with aluminum foil pans or an index card. To avoid flat spots on beads, bake them on quilt batting or a bead baking rack. You CAN bake your polymer clay more than once! This is a common practice for intricate pieces.

What can you seal polymer clay with?

Wax is the best polymer clay sealer to use if you want to perfectly maintain the texture of your work. If you’ve sanded and buffed your bead, the wax will give a wonderfully warm sheen. If you don’t sand and buff, it will give a more matte finish.

Do I need to seal acrylic paint on polymer clay?

Polymer clay’s natural qualities make it perfect for sculpting this style of sculpture. No varnish or sealer is needed, just a strong brand of clay (such as Premo) and your imagination.

Should you paint polymer clay before or after baking?

Polymer clay doesn’t shrink or expand as it cures, meaning you can paint it before you bake. Unbaked clay may create a better bond with paint as it cures. Test different types and brands of paint to find the best results.

What kind of polymer clay is best for jewelry?

Recommendations. The best brands of polymer clay for making earrings and jewelry are Sculpey Premo, Fimo Professional, and Kato Polyclay. Or, if you want a softer clay with a matte finish, consider Sculpey Souffle. Additionally, if you want translucent and specialty colors, try Cernit.

Is Premo or Fimo better?

Premo is not the best polymer clay for caning, keeping a consistent color repertoire across your portfolio or warm climates. Fimo Professional is a great all round clay, good for beginners, works with any polymer clay technique and in all but the most extreme climates. Its also good for color mixing.

What polymer clay is best for sculpting?

Sculpey is a popular choice for its strength and beautiful colors. It was developed as a result of artists’ ideas of the perfect polymer clay. Although it may seem stiff at first, it is easy to use and stronger than the Sculpey III. It holds sculpting lines well and also is used as a “backing” with other clays.

Why did my polymer clay crack in the oven?

Many countertop ovens lack proper seals that ensure a consistent temperature. The absence of seals can cause your oven’s temperature to swing wildly, with your oven’s temperature dipping down and then spiking up. These temperature fluctuations can lead to an uneven bake and cracked clay.

Can you bake polymer clay on glass?

Lots of artists like to use glass work surfaces. They are easy to clean, easy to find, and work well with oven bake polymer clays. In fact, if you are making window clings with Liquid Sculpey you will want to make them on glass so that they will be smooth enough to stick to windows when they are done.

Can you cut polymer clay after baking?

Once baked it can be carved, sawn, cut, drilled, glued, painted, sanded, and buffed. It is compatible with – and often bonds to – objects and other materials that can withstand the low baking temperature required to cure the clay.

How thick should I make my polymer clay earrings?

Q: How thick should polymer clay be for earrings? A good rule of thumb is about two millimeters thick.