POLYMER CLAY HACKS, TIPS AND TRICKS

 

polymer clay hacks 

What is polymer clay?

Polymer clay is such a great idea to start work with. polymer clay is a mouldable plastic made out of polymer polyvinyl chloride the best part of working with polymer clay is you can remold it if you are not satisfied with your work until it is baked and it doesn’t easily harden on its own, it needs to be baked to fully harden. you can easily create some really beautiful things like buttons, earrings, pendants, charms, and many more. Once the polymer clay artwork is baked, you can easily personalize your craft by painting, drilling, buffing, or sanding it. you can use mica powder, glitter, or leaf foil to make it more attractive. If you haven’t tried crafting with clay, what are you waiting for?

Working with polymer clay is an easy task but you need to follow a few measures while handling the clay.  If you are a newbie to Polymer Oven Bake Clay, you will be looking for tips to help you with your creations. We are putting together our quick and amazing polymer clay hacks to ease your task with polymer clay that you can use for your craft In this article, here are a few of my favorite polymer clay tips, trick, and hacks :

1.  Wash your hand before using polymer clay: Polymer clay is very sensitive to dirt or natural oil or grime. so it is very important to clean your hand or gloves properly before working with polymer clay, especially while working with white or light color polymer clay otherwise your end work will have some dirt or fingerprint marks. Also, make sure to clean your hand if you are switching colors. Lastly don’t forget to dry your hand properly. 
2. Best work surface for polymer clay:  One will find many tutorials on youtube using wooden blocks, ceramic or acrylic sheets, or silicon mats as working areas for polymer clay art. It is better to work with smooth and stiff surfaces like ceramic tile for rolling and cutting tasks on polymer clay. As per my experiences, I won't suggest using wooden blocks for cutting polymer clay because every time the small wooden chunks stick to the clay.  Again don’t forget to use a clean surface for your polymer clay work and remember that clays will dull or even remove the finish from a fine wood surface.                                                                                                               

   

   polymer clay working sheet

   
   
3. Creating your own custom-colored polymer clay:   Did you know you can easily mix different colored polymer clay? Mixing colors makes the project more exciting as you can experiment to come out with a whole new range of polymer clay colors. I really love mixing clays to make new colors, especially for canes or kaleidoscopic canes. you can mix polymer clay of different colors and brands to create your very unique color polymer clay. This can be done easily using hands and mineral or baby oil if needed( means to smooth the clay of different brands ).   Here is the link to a few youtube tutorials for mixing polymer clay for new colored clay              
   
   

            

   
   

4. Storing the polymer clay: Polymer clay can be reused till it is not baked and it will stay soft for a very long time under the right conditions. So it is very important to store the leftover clay properly for reuse. Use re-sealable baggies or fishing tackle box or any section closed container to keep dirt, air-borne particles or hair, or other color polymer clay away from your clay. Keep the clay away from extreme heat as it will be a little difficult to condition the clay                                  

   

   storage box for polymer clay

   
   
5. Hardening the clay: Sometimes clay became too soft while conditioning or due to wrong storage. To make your clay hard for a better result, leave it in the freezer for a few minutes. Now the clay is in good usable condition. Or you can do this hack also Put the piece between two sheets of paper or keep one side folded and place a heavy book over it on top. Leave it there for at least 30 minutes.
6. Working with tools: For cutting the polymer clay, metal or plastic tools can be used. If the clay sticks to the cutting tools while cutting it, use corn starch or baby powder to make your cutting tools nonsticky. Remember to clean the powder or corn starch with a clean soft brush from the clay after cutting and before baking.                                                                                        

   

   polymer clay tools

   
   
7. Baking precautions:   Always follow the directions on the package of your polymer clay for baking it. temperature and time are the two important factors while baking the clay in the oven. Every brand of clay has its own predefined temperature to bake the clay. If you are working with a different colored brand of polymer clay together for your project, then it is better to go with minimum temperature to avoid the burning of clay. Bake polymer clay at 110 degrees Celsius for 10- 15 minutes. Baking the clay at a high temperature may burn the clay piece. Don’t use the polymer clay oven for other cooking purposes or use parchment paper while baking it. Parchment Paper is safe in the oven at clay temperatures.                                                                                                       

   

   baking the clay

   
   
8. Too hard clay:   If the polymer clay is too hard and crumbly to work on, add a small amount of baby oil or mineral oil, or vegetable oil while conditioning the clay. This will make it softer and easy to work with. Add drop by drop to soften the clay or the clay became more sticky.                   

   

   soften the polymer clay

   source 
9. Taking care of polymer clay tools: Keep your polymer clay in a clean and dry place to avoid any dirt or hair. Sharp tools should be placed properly avoid the reach of children or toddlers. Don’t use polymer clay cutters for other purposes like cutting cookies or cutting fruits.
10. Avoiding air bubbles: Try to avoid any air bubbles while rolling and conditioning the polymer clay. If you are using a hand roller, use parchment paper while rolling the polymer clay sheet, it helps to remove air bubbles. Place the fold first into the pasta roller machine and allow it to press together to avoid bubbles After baking if you find any bubbles on the final work, pop it with a toothpick just after baking or when it is hot. Popping the bubble when the clay is cold won’t work
11. Cleaning the polymer clay piece: To remove fingerprints or dirt from your polymer clay artwork before baking it, genetly rubbed the dirt surface with alcohol on cotton. You can also go for other option like nail polish remover or baby wipes poured on ear cleaning buds.                     

    

    cleaning the polymer clay

    
            
12. Conditioning the clay: To condition the clay, slice and chop it with a blade or with a processor. If conditioning the clay with hand, roll the clay into a snake, ball it up, and roll it out again. Repeat these steps many times till the clay gets smooth enough to cast any shape.                          
    
    
    
    
    

POLYMER CLAY CONCLUSION 

Using these simple tips will help you make your crafts more efficiently. Do try these simple hacks and let us know which one is your favorite!

polymer clay hoop earring

Get more ideas!

POLYMER CLAY TOOLS FOR BEGINNER

 

polymer clay tools for beginner

 To get your work done with polymer clay in a professional way or you planning to sell your polymer clay projects on an eCommerce site or in your own shop, even if you have just started using it or you're an expert, all you truly gone need is some polymer clay basic tools. Polymer clay is wonderfully resilient, pliable, and easy to mold into any shape. When the polymer clay is baked, it becomes strong and firm but not that hard means it can be broken. Tools are needed to make your polymer clay work easy and look more professional. Whether you are making earrings or patterns or necklaces or any sculpture out of polymer clay, tools help to smooth out the edges for a clean look, add texture lines for pattern-making tasks that give your project a beautiful finish, and more! Just imagine a good project of polymer clay having fingerprints, rough edges, circles, or not-so-sharp square edges as you needed? would it be appreciated by anyone?

Always use all the polymer clay tools for clay work only; do not use them for food or other purposes. Though polymer clay is certified as a nontoxic art supply, still hope one doesn’t want to find cooked bits of hard clay in your next batch of cookies or jams. It is very important to keep the polymer clay tools separate from normal cooking tools. polymer clay does not release fumes but still keeps the tools separate from others.

1. Non-Stick Work Surface

nonstick surface

To start work on any project, we need a perfect surface to have a better result. Same with polymer clay. Before being baked, polymer clay is soft so the surface may get interfere with the project or techniques and makes its stamp on polymer clay. To avoid this surface stamp on polymer clay, we need a smooth clean surface. Using a silicone baking or clay mat helps to keep the polymer clay project surface smooth and surface mark free. The silicon mat won't move while working and can be wiped off for easy clean-up. Remember the silicon mat is that mat cannot be used for cutting the clay. Using a knife or sharp tools may cut the silicone mat so for cutting part in a polymer clay project, an acrylic slab or ceramic slab is the best choice. These slabs are available easily.

SHOP CLAY MAT

2. Acrylic Roller

acrylic roller with slab

Before you begin to work with polymer clay, the clay must need to be conditioned. Conditioning helps to reduce the air bubbles trapped inside the clay. When polymer clay sits, the ingredients used with polymer clay like other colored clay or rhinestones or patterns or beads or metal filings got separated and hence need to be mixed again. Conditioning the polymer clay strengthens and warms it to make it easier to work with to make smooth shapes and textures. Polymer clay can be conditioned by hand without a clay machine or the pasta-making machine. To condition polymer clay with help of hands, flatten it with a clean and smooth acrylic roller. Fold and roll it with the roller again, and repeat 20–25 times until the clay is warm and supple. while folding the clay for conditioning, make sure air bubbles are not trapped between the polymer clay layers. so while folding and rolling, press it properly to avoid air bubbles. You can also knead the clay with your hands in any way that is comfortable for you. while conditioning the clay, one cane tries by creating logs, twisting it, or forming it into a pancake shape or a ball and squashing it flat which is easier and having fun. Several different kinds of rollers like silicon roller, rubber roller, or my favorite acrylic roller can be used for conditioning and shaping clay. Silicone and rubber rollers will help smooth the clay, while acrylic and metal rollers are perfect for _ attending to the clay and making thin pieces.

SHOP CLAY ROLLER

3. Sharp Knife Tool

sharp knife tool

A sharp cutting blade tool is needed to cut the clay project smoothly with no drag, which will preserve the colors/design without distortion or to reveals the inner colors of that polymer clay cane or clay kaleidoscope cane. Polymer clay cutting blades are long, thin sharp razor blades made especially for clay cutting.  These blades are without a handle as it is broad enough to hold them. Wipe the blade with a wet wipe to remove any clay build-up as you work, or the clay build-up will tend to pull the clay being sliced. A knife tool is necessary to cut shapes out of polymer clay final sheets or to add detail to a working design piece. 

SHOP CLAY KNIFE TOOL

4. Modelling Tools/ shaper tools

clay shaper tools

While working with polymer clay projects like making patterns with different colour clay or making small holes or dig shapes into it. making it with hands or tools, leaves finger prints or edges or irregular surface or holes. for a perfect final result, we need to smooth the edges or patterns , to clear and and every details , modelling clays tools play this role. A set of modeling tools will give your polymer clay project the texture you want in even the smallest nooks and corners.

SHOP CLAY MODELING SET

5.  Sandpaper

sandpaper

Sandpaper is used after the polymer clay final piece is baked and cooled down. Sandpaper is used to rub away any imperfections in the polymer clay final piece by leaving a smooth surface behind and by giving a professional-grade creation. One of the best tools to do rubbing the clay project  is  sandpaper sheets. It will get rid of things like fingerprints or air bubbles or any extra edges or parts on the clay project without damaging the project. Always be sure to have a wide range of grits for the best results.

SHOP CLAY  SANDPAPER

6. A Slicing Blade

A slicing blade is one of the most useful tools for cutting polymer clay. A slicing blade was used to cut strips from the polymer clay blocks and make straight cuts where needed. A slicing blade also gives a nice, smooth cut on the edges of items. This tool has a very sharp blade. Be careful while working with the slicing blade to avoid cutting yourself with the sharp edge.

shop slicing blade

7. Small scissors

scissor

A small scissor is used to cut very thin layers of baked polymer clay easily, if you wanted to cut out your designs from a rough shape that way and then sand them with sandpaper, rather than using polymer clay cutters on unbaked clay. It completely depends on how you want things to be done with less effort for better results, but a good set of small scissors is good to have even if you are afraid to use the blade for such work.

You can buy a set of small scissors anywhere, or you may use one that is already in your house!  but make sure that if you are using that scissor for clay part should not be used for another purpose. it is available both online and in nearby craft stores, you’ll have no trouble getting your hands on some.

shop scissor

8. Zipper bag

zipper bag

To keep safe your polymer clay projects like earrings, necklace or rings you need a bag. The zipper bag is my favorite for this part. available in various sizes and not a burden to our pocket. The zipper bag keeps safe the project for use when needed. we can keep the unbaked polymer clay also as it keeps it safe from dirt and away from toddlers. 

Shop zipper bag

9. Oven 

oven

Make sure you have an oven! polymer clay needs to be baked after completing the project. polymer clay remains soft till it is baked. it is recommended to use 110 degrees and 10 minutes to bake the clay. baking for a long time may burn the clay.  You can use your home oven for baking the polymer clay project. If you want, your baking plate not to get stamped from the clay piece, it is best to use the parchment paper.

shop oven

10. Varnish 

UV Resin

Adding a thin uniform layer of varnish to a baked design can provide an extra waterproof and hardened layer over the clay, adding a professional and sturdy finish. for this, uv resin or epoxy resin, or mod podge can be used which is easily available nearby.

Shop varnish

11. Piercing tool

toothpick

Use a toothpick, skewer, or our Needle End Pointer to pierce holes in the polymer clay project. A toothpick also helps to remove air bubbles from baked polymer clay projects.

 If you make a buying deal via the links available in this article, I receive a little commission as these are affiliate links, that help support this site. 

If you want to purchase complete kits for beginner then you can go with this kit

clay tools kit

shop kit

visit my tutorial https://theblingon.blogspot.com/2022/02/how-to-make-easy-diy-polymer-clay.htm

How to Make Miniature Polymer Clay Orange Cane Tutorial

  

Materials required:-

• 1.    polymer clay
• 2.    clay tools
• 3.    craft knife
• 4.    sandpaper
• 5.    needle
• 6.    oven
• 7.    parchment paper
• 8.    aluminum foil

 

Steps to make the orange polymer clay cane

1. choosing the polymer clay

to make orange clay cane, we need orange, green, white, and translucent color polymer clay. before using the clay, conditioning is needed to be done to make the clay smooth to mould the shape.

2. making the base

start with using the orange color clay to make it a cylindrical shape with low height like shown. cut this shape with the help of a craft knife into 10 pieces of tear shape.

3. working on making the orange slice.

now make a white polymer clay sheet of 0.3 cm thickness. roll this sheet on orange tear shape like in the image. do some of the remaining shapes. after covering each shape, joint the shape to form a circle shape. now cover the shape with a white sheet and then one orange sheet.

4. rolling the cane.

after completing the cane, roll the cane with a clean hand on an even surface to make the orange cane of required thickness. I preferred for small orange fruit slice.

5. taking the whole orange

cut 1 cm from the rolled orange polymer clay cane. now roll to cover both ends of the cut slice and roll it with a gentle hand to form a sphere. with the help of the needle, make a small poke on one side and mark plus symbol with the knife. now make a small ball of green color polymer clay and put it over the hole.

6. finishing the whole orange.

using the sandpaper, roll the whole orange clay over the paper to get the original orange texture.  now cut the whole orange from mid.

using a needle marks line on the orange part to get the original look on orange pieces.

7. sealing the cane.

it is totally optional as already your polymer clay cane is looking stunning and beautiful. for sealing, varnish or UV resin can be used.

 

 

 

 

 

HOW TO MAKE AN EASY DIY POLYMER CLAY KEYCHAIN

 

Here, I share with you a very simple polymer clay tutorial. If you are a beginner at working with polymer clay, this DIY keychain tutorial is a perfect place to start with. In this DIY craft, you need to do cut and bake the polymer clay. Polymer clay is easy to work with if you want to start as a hobby or a business, so I think you will love these polymer clay keychain tutorials.

 

Why Polymer Clay?

Polymer clay is such a great idea to start work with. polymer clay is a moldable plastic made out of polymer polyvinyl chloride the best part of working with polymer clay is you can remold it if not satisfied with your work until it is baked and it doesn’t easily harden on its own, it needs to be baked to fully harden. you can easily create some really beautiful things like buttons, earrings, pendants, charms, and many more. Once the polymer clay artwork is baked, you can easily personalize your craft by painting, drilling, buffing, or sanding it. you can use mica powder, glitter, or leaf foil to make it more attractive. If you haven’t tried crafting with clay, what are you waiting for?

If you haven’t seen my polymer clay beads tutorial, I’ll link that here for you.

 I share simple 7 types of beads designs in that video and you don’t want to miss it.

 

Supplies for Polymer Clay Keychain

•  polymer clay color: purple and white
•   acrylic roller
•  keychain holder
• craft knife
• a toothpick, skewer, or needle
•  parchment paper

 

Step By Step Polymer Clay Keychain Tutorial

 

1. Break Up The Clay

Take 10 grams of purple color and  20 grams of white polymer clay and condition them properly. For conditioning the clay, you can do it by rolling it and knitting with your hands or can be with the rolling machine. Conditioning makes the clay smooth and easy to use for the modeling parts. Conditioning the clay avoid the bubble or blister that form while baking as improper conditioning makes air space in the polymer clay craft piece.  The polymer clay is well-conditioned when you can easily roll out a long coil and bend the clay without any cracks or rough edges.

If you do happen to make air bubbles, simply pop them with a needle or craft knife.

 

2. Rolling the Clay

Make a small ball of both colors of clay separately. let’s start with the white clay ball. Roll the white conditioned polymer clay ball with the help of a roller on a ceramic or glass tile piece of at least 0.8cm thickness. Make sure that no air bubble traps inside the clay while rolling. If you do happen to make air bubbles, simply pop them with a needle or craft knife.

 

3. Cutting Shape Out of It.

After rolling a thick white sheet with the help of the craft knife, cut a rectangular shape out of the rolled white polymer clay sheet. For reference, you can choose the size 2.5x5 cm or 5x5cm if you are a square book shape lover.

4. Pooping Out the Piece.

Use a sharp craft knife or any plane sheet to pop the piece. Never use your hand as it may defer the polymer clay piece.

 

5. Making Cover Part.

Before working with different colors, clean the surface with a napkin or tape. Now roll the purple polymer clay ball into a sheet of thickness 0.3cm. and cut the sheet of size 2.8x5.3cm or 5.3x5.3cm.

6. Placing The Pages

Leaving 0.3cm space place the white sheet on the purple one and fold the purple sheet like the cover of the book. For more detail, you can watch my youtube video tutorial

7. Making Hole

It's totally up to you. you can drill the hole after baking the polymer clay craft or before baking it. I made a hole between the pages and the cover with the help of a toothpick before baking it. make sure to make a bigger hole as it shrinks after baking.

8. Baking The Polymer Clay Mould.

now place the clay book on parchment paper and bake it in the oven at 110-degree Celsius for 15- 20 minutes. It’s better to bake the clay at a low temperature.

9. Finishing the Baked Polymer Clay Book.

Don’t touch the baked clay book immediately. Leave the baked polymer clay book for a few minutes to cool down. Polymer clay shows a plastic effect when hot, so touching the hot clay make disturbs the shape.

10. Assemble Jump Rings

Using the precision pliers, open a jump ring and insert it through the hole of the clay book. Add two more jump rings to create a chain or place the Eyelets Screw Threaded in the hole like this

 

11. Add the Keyring

Loop the book pendant through the keyring with the jump ring and it really is that easy!

 

12. Sealing the Clay Craft

Since polymer clay book art piece forms a nice, durable finish when it cures, sealing your work isn’t necessary.

However, if you choose to seal your clay book, use a clean brush to apply a thin layer of polyurethane varnish or UV resin to the clay book craft. Allow them to dry before making your own DIY polymer clay book keychain.

Whether it be an accessory for a purse or backpack or a handmade gift, this polymer clay book keychain can be used. you can now try making other keychains and explore different limitless possible creative ideas.

 

 here is the link for youtube tutorial 

 

What else can you use besides polymer clay to make keychains?

You can make keychains out of resin, cotton thread, air dry clay, beads, string, and paper. We have a tutorial for making an easy resin keychain of your own.

 

What is the best size to make a polymer clay keychain?

The size of keychain charms totally depends on your preference. Most people like smaller keychains, around an inch from top to bottom, some really like jumbo size ones.

 

Can you bake polymer clay in your kitchen oven?

Yes, we baked this in the oven at 140 degrees for 10 to 20 minutes. or you can follow the instruction printed on the packet of polymer clay.  it is better to work with low temperatures while baking. high temperature may burn your clay artwork.

 

 

 

 

 

Here are a few polymer clay tutorial safety tips:

1.   Polymer Clay is synthetic and considered non-toxic. it is advisable to keep polymer clay away from toddlers and pets reach that may harm them while taking a tasty chunk out of your polymer clay.

2.    Never eat and work with the clay at the same time. polymer Clay is a little sticky while working so it may find its way into your mouth and food will find its way onto the clay.

3.   Keep Polymer clay tools separate from other tools. use clay tools for clay work only.

4.    Take care while working with sharp objects and blades. like the blade, we use for clay is sharp, it may cut you. cover it properly after use.

5.    Always use a glass or plastic cutting board or a ceramic tile to cut the polymer clay sculpture with a knife or cutter.

6.    Wrap and store the clay in a cool and dry place while you are not working with it as it can be stored for a long time enough to sculpt until it is baked.

7.   When sanding or buffing or drilling the baked clay, don’t forget to use a mask and goggles. tiny dust particle makes its way to your mouth, eyes, and nose.

8.   Supervise young children when working with sharp tools and hot ovens while with polymer clay work

9.   Use a dust-free area while with polymer clay.

10.  Clean your hand properly or sanitize it so that clay doesn’t stick the dirt of your hand and the last color of clay doesn’t stick to the next working polymer clay.

11.  The baked clay becomes like rubber when it comes out of the oven but will harden as it cools down. Handle with care, don’t try to touch it, the clay will be hot as it comes out of the oven.

12. It is a good idea to make holes in polymer clay pieces a bit wider if you want to escape the drilling part later as they tend to close as the clay bakes in the oven.

13. Take care not to trap air bubbles in your clay while you are kneading and folding it. If air bubbles get their way in your clay, simply pop them with the help of a needle or craft knife.