Polymer clay is a non-toxic man made clay. Unlike organic clays, it doesn’t require extremely high heat from a kiln to make it hard and durable. It also doesn’t dry out like organic clays do; Kept wrapped in plastic, polymer clay can stay soft and usable for years. It cures (gets hard) between 230 and 300 degrees, depending on the brand of clay used. It comes in a wide variety of colors, from translucent to florescent, metallic to opaque, pearlescent to glow-in-the-dark. All brands and colors of polymer clay can be blended together to create palettes of custom shades.
After baking, polymer clay can be drilled, carved, sanded, painted, inked, and polished to a high shine. While raw, polymer clay can be textured, colored with inks and paints, painted with (in its liquid and semi-liquid forms) and treated in a thousand ways and techniques. Raw clay can be added to cured clay and the item cured over again without any damage to the original. Simulating natural materials such as stone, wood, and glass are common techniques for polymer clay.
Click HERE to see a wide range of things I’ve made with polymer clay.
Hi Charlene,
I work in another medium, kiln formed glass. And I have many slumping molds. I was wondering if I could use my napkin holder mold and use polymer clay on it? If so, what material do I use to cover it so the clay doesn’t stick to the mold?
Thank you in advance for your assistance in this matter.
FYI…your canes are going to decorate some wine glasses and votive holders:-)
Hi Rolanda,
Yes, you can use your napkin holder mold, I think. It’s made of a heat-proof material I’m assuming, since it needs to be used in a kiln. So using it in your oven with polymer clay should be no problem at all.
If the mold is made of glass, metal, or ceramic then the polymer clay shouldn’t need any kind of mold release. You could remove the clay while it was still warm (not hot – you risk warping the clay that way). I’d try an experiment with some leftover clay from a different project so you know how the clay is going to react to your mold. If you’re concerned about it at all, you could always wrap your mold in aluminum foil before adding the polymer clay.
Charlene