You can generally store unbaked polymer clay in plastic ziploc bags and any plastic box with a 1, 2, or 5 on the bottom. The floss box below works very well.

soften hard polymer clay - The Blue Bottle Tree How to soften hard polymer clay - The Blue Bottle Tree

There are many specific tools you can buy at craft stores to use on Sculpey clay, like craft knives and rolling tools. using Sculpey Diluent in the same way, which can usually be bought from suppliers of Sculpey and made for this purpose or for reviving desiccated Sculpey. The stronger brands of polymer clay are durable enough that you cannot break them with your hands, even when used as thin as 1/16″ (1.5 mm). Of course to have this kind of durability the clay must be properly baked, which leads us to the next point. 2. Underbaking Polymer Clay Light colored or translucent polymer clay will commonly discolor and darken during baking. This is not the same thing as burning. To prevent this, first make sure that your oven truly is baking at the correct temperature. Then cover your pieces to prevent the oven’s element from toasting your polymer clay project. For more info on covering clay and preventing browning, see my class on Baking Polymer Clay. 4. Using Nail Polish as a Polymer Clay Glaze The photo above shows the test I make after reconditioning any old Super Sculpey. I do this in 50g pieces, because I’ve found that I can comfortably enclose this amount in my hand. I usually keep the hardened/dried Sculpey in my closed hand for a few minutes first because this minimal heat will begin to soften it, at least enough to make rolling easier. I do the rolling on a clean polyethylene chopping board, first rolling out gradually into a thin string, winding this together again and repeating. The slight texture of the chopping board not only makes rolling easier but also contributes to the ‘tenderising’ process. If the Sculpey has become so pliable that it can be bent into this curve readily and without fracturing, and if I can ‘smear’ the other end with the fingertip evenly, the clay is ready to use.When I started working with polymer clay, I made a lot of mistakes. (I still do, by the way.) But experience has taught me a few things and here are some mistakes that I no longer make. (These tips apply to all brands of polymer clay, not just Sculpey. Read on if you use any oven-bake clay brand!) It is so sad to work hard creating something that breaks when it’s worn or used. It’s even more horrifying to realize that you’ve sold something that is made from weak clay and won’t be durable. Not all polymer clay brands are created equal and each has its uses and purposes. For making things that are thin or have areas that are thinner than 1/4″ (6mm), make sure that you’re using a strong clay such as Premo, Fimo, Pardo, Kato, Cernit, or Souffle. Sculpey III, Original Sculpey, Super Sculpey, and Bake Shop are all quite brittle after baking and should not be used, unsupported, in any area thinner than 1/4″ (6mm). These weaker brands do have their uses, however, so save them for other projects. Here’s more about choosing the best brand of polymer clay for your project. After baking, you can drill, carve, sand and paint Super Sculpey clay to create the unique piece you envisioned. Many people assume that baking longer times at lower temperature settings will solve this problem. It’s common to read recommendations in forums to set your oven to, for instance, 215°F (100°C) and bake for an hour or so. Will this work? Well, it might work for a specific person because they’re compensating for an incorrect oven. What they think is 215°F might actually be 275°F in their oven. But when others follow this temperature advice, they end up with fragile, brittle, underbaked clay. Here at Dryad Education, we have over 30 years of experience supplying the highest quality materials for excellent value for money and exceptional customer service from our UK, Ireland, and Dubai distribution centres.

Super Sculpey - 454g Pack | Dryad Education Super Sculpey - 454g Pack | Dryad Education

Our full product range is available for shipment to the whole of the UK. You can choose from 2nd Class or 1st Class Royal Mail or Express Delivery. This polymer clay will stay soft and malleable until you bake it, so you can create finely detailed crafts and sculptures without worrying about the clay drying out. Super Sculpey won't "fill in" after tooling, meaning even the most delicate work will stay intact. The neutral gray color of Super Sculpey oven-bake clay allows for maximum visibility so you can see every detail as you work. Is polymer clay ever too far gone and impossible to be saved? Generally, no. You can save it. It just requires clay softener, time, patience, and elbow grease. It’s annoying, but it’s also very normal for brands such as Fimo Professional, PV Clay, Craftsmart, Hobby Lobby Crafter’s Choice, and Cernit Number One. using lighter fluid or white spirit, both distillations of petroleum. Similarly I’ve heard mineral oil, baby oil or even olive oil recommended. Related to the dust issue is one of making sure that your hands are clean before working with polymer clay. Even when you think your hands are clean…they’re not. And when working light colors such as white or yellow, or translucent, dirt that’s invisible on your hands can end up in your clay, giving your work dirty streaks. Even the blue residue from wearing blue jeans will coat your hands and show up on light-colored clay. So before working with polymer clay, wash your hands well, and don’t forget to clean under your fingernails.

It’s all too common for a newbie to find out about polymer clay and buy everything in the clay aisle at the craft store, assuming that it’s all required for working with polymer clay. Not only can this be very expensive, but you really don’t need most of the tools you’ll see for sale there. Start with some basics, then add more as your experience grows and you have a better idea of what you like to make. The manufacturer warns that there are incompatibility issues between Super Sculpey and oil or solvent-based paints and recommends either priming with an acrylic base first or painting solely with acrylic paints. With a ceramic-like feel, Super Sculpey is available in a semi-translucent beige that, once baked, captures the glow of real skin. SG (‘specific gravity’ i.e. weight per 1 cubic centimetre) is 1.34. This is based on my weighing a fairly exact 100ml volume. I could find no official SG published. There are plenty of polymer clay tools out there, and you want to leave enough money (and space) so that you can buy the things that will bring you the most enjoyment. So, what are the essentials? Here’s what I recommend to buy for your Polymer Clay Starter Kit. And when you do start buying tools, you can often find them quite cheaply when you start looking in creative places. Here’s more about finding cheap polymer clay tools. 9. Embedding Eyepins Without a Kink

Sculpting 101: Newbies with Super Sculpey Polymer Clay Sculpting 101: Newbies with Super Sculpey Polymer Clay

Our extensive range has over 28,000 products, which are constantly tried and tested by our in-house experts, teachers, and artists. Our research and development team continually develops our product range and stays ahead of the trends, ensuring our customers can always access the latest new products and techniques. It also seems like such a good idea to buy a can of spray varnish and give all your newly made Sculpey creatures a nice glossy coat of spray varnish. So simple and so easy. Except that the varnish never dries. There are very few spray varnishes that are compatible with polymer clay. And what works with one brand of clay won’t work with another. I tested many brands of spray sealer on polymer clay and only found two brands that consistently works with all brands of clay. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Parchment paper will provide an extra protective layer for both your clay figures and your baking tray. You can also use wax paper to line your baking tray. [6] X Research source Oil can be added, but only tiny amounts, perhaps 2-3 drops per 2 oz bar. Too much can make your clay weak or result in your project oozing oil. Clay softeners are far superior. To mix these in, you can use a food processor, mix by hand, or use a pasta machine. It may take a long time for the clay to smooth out and mix completely with a pasta machine.Warming your clay helps make this easier. Use body heat, or a heating pad, or submerge clay (in a baggie) into hot tap water.

Super Sculpey | davidneat Super Sculpey | davidneat

If you can pinch together crumbs of the clay and make them workable, the clay is not damaged and merely requires “work”. Liquid clay (any brand) can also be used as a clay softener, but dedicated softener products work better.Let your clay cool for 10 minutes. Leave your figures on the baking tray and let them cool for about 10 minutes. They might still look soft when they are warm from the oven, but they will harden as they cool down. [10] X Research source A better way is to create a small kink in the end of the eyepin, before you embed it into the raw clay. This way it cannot pull out after baking. Here’s an example of what I mean: You’ll know if the clay is “partially cured” because it forms crumbs that cannot be pressed together and even clay softener will not make the clay workable. Fun Projects for Hard Clay