Best polymer clay brands? And tips?
There really is no best all around brand of polymer clay. Different formulations are more suitable for different purposes, though. Most people just pick up a variety of clays and experiment for their use. For instance, regular Sculpey is kind of a more basic version, but can darken and sometimes crack after baking. The clay I use the most is Sculpey Premo, which comes in a lot interesting colors and does not discolor much when baked. Some people, however believe it's a bit too soft for their uses. If firmness is preferred, Fimo is a good brand to use. Kato clay is a nice all around colored clay I like as well. You want to be careful about what finishes you use on polymer clay. You can buy "glazes" designed for use with it, but others can be used. I've used Future floor polish which works well and is inexpensive. You want to avoid lacquers, but with other finishes it's best to just test it on a sample and see how it works.
What brand of polymer clay should I look for?
Welcome to polymer clay! There are in fact various brands of polymer clay, and even different lines within some brands. The characteristics of each varies a lot. Sculpey III is one of the 3 main "Sculpeys" and all are quite soft compared to most other brands and lines (original Sculpey being the softest of the 3). Many polymer clayers avoid the Sculpeys except for a few uses, though some clayers who "sculpt" do use SuperSculpey (flesh-colored). Those 3 Sculpeys not only are "soft," but also darken more easily and are brittle in any thin areas after baking, compared to many other brands/lines. If "sculpting" is what you want to do with your polymer clay, you might want to check out SuperSculpey or one of the higher-quality flesh-colored polymer clays to see which suits *you* best (especially if you tend to have hot hands); some clayers even mix brands together. You can read a lot about the polymer clays used for sculpting (plus epoxy clays and air-dry clays if you're interested) on this page at my polymer clay "encyclopedia" site: http://glassattic.com/polymer/sculpture.... (> Polymer Clays For Sculpting) ...and more about sculpting (figures/etc) with polymer clay on these pages: http://glassattic.com/polymer/sculpting_... http://glassattic.com/polymer/heads_mask... (....There are various other pages at my site that deal with sculpting figures and other kinds of items as well, from Christmas/Halloween/Easter/etc items to miniatures, etc.) These previous answers of mine also deal with polymer clay sculpting in particular, if you're interested: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120204161226AAXwZe0 http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120320172107AAXIRFP And if you're interested in all the brands/lines of pre-colored polymer clays and their characteristics, also check out my answer here: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Ah3TmxMH1b9StHBwtkaivEIW53NG;_ylv=3?qid=20091225104704AAIDebT .
Not watercolor for sure. Acrylic is usually the.most versatile.
What can you use as a workspace for polymer clay?
i'm wanting to start making little charms out of polymer clay and I know very little about what you need. It would also help to know the prices ofclay softeners, glazes, tranclucent liquid sculpey, chalk pastels or blending chalks, and liquid silicon at Michaels. I'm trying to get a shopping list built up so I know how much money to save so thanks for the help in advance
What would Happen if u mixed 2 brands of polymer clay?
*Nothing* would happen --well, except that you'd get the characteristics of the two lines or brands in the proportions in which they were used in your final mix. That might mean that you'd get a bit more strength (after baking in any thin areas) from the FimoSoft, or that you'd want to use a lower temperature perhaps from the Sculpey III and also be very careful about protecting the clay while it's curing to prevent as much darkening as possible, or that you'd get more stickiness and weirdness in handling from the FimoSoft or more softness from the Sculpey III, etc. In other words, all polymer clays can be mixed together... it's done ALL the time by those in the polymer clay community. Sometimes it's done for those characteristics reasons, or to mix a particular color of clay, or just because one doesn't have enough of one, etc. There's more info on the characteristics of the various brands and lines of polymer clay in my answers to these previous questions: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;... http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?... And you can read all about baking/curing polymer clay, protecting the clay, how to use various ovens and heat sources, etc, etc, on the Baking page of my polymer clay "encyclopedia" website if it's not already listed in those answers: http://glassattic.com/polymer/baking.htm .
What is the best brand of polymer clay to make jewelry with?
For the best answers, search on this site https://shorturl.im/av9Vy Many times it is personal preference in picking the brand of clay you will use -- if you like a stiff clay to help with details or you prefer a softer clay for ease of conditioning. Different brands will have their pros and cons. They will also look slightly different after baking and this may suggest different finishing approaches -- sanding, buffing, glazing, etc. Sometimes the clay you choose is dependent on the particular project -- do you want an extra light weight or flexible piece? Below are some links to help you decide. And you may want to test out a couple brands yourself -- buy a small amount of different brands and work with them, bake them, see which you prefer. Good luck.
Clay from overseas manufacturers will rarely have the AP seal on it. What does the package say about baking temperatures or other safety information?If you regularly bake in your home (food) oven, I wouldn’t trust an unknown brand in it. If you have a clay-dedicated oven, and an oven thermometer with adequate calibration and ventilation for the room, go ahead and do a test bake to see what happens.
Polymer clay beginner...?
Ok well here's a list: *You need clay (i recommend sculpy for beginners but premo and fimo for kawaii things) *You need an xacto knife or a razor blade (you can get a plastic one if your under age) * for kawaii faces get a ultra thin paint brush or you can use sharpie or sharpie poster paint *if you want to paint on faces pink, white ,and black ALWAYS ^-^ *you also need clean hands so use baby wipes in between clay colors *Also if you want your creations to be charms buy head pins and eye pins also round nose pilers and wire cutters * you will need either sand paper or texture and sanding you can also use a tooth brush ( that you dont use) to texture bread and cake *Also dont use polymer clay on bare surfaces use paper and if you have a marble counter you a=can use that *ALSO GET STORAGE BOXES for all that findings, clay, and tools!
Ginger Davis Allman of the Blue Bottle Tree website has done extensive materials research and testing on bakeable polymer clay (e.g., Premo, Fimo, Sculpey III, Kato, etc.). This link provides guidance on baking polymer clay and the the article on selecting an oven addresses the issue of fumes.Generally, fumes are not an issue unless you bake at too high a temperature. The temperature on most ovens’ dials are rarely calculated correctly and you must use an oven thermometer to ensure that you are not exceeding the appropriate temperature for the brand.Polymer clay of the types I’ve listed above cannot be air dried and must be cured at the recommended temperature for the brand or it will remain soft and/or crumble. There are other types of “air dry” clays that are cured by air (e.g. Makings Clay, Fimo Air Light, etc.). Make sure you know which type of clay you have.