Basic Information about Polymer Clay

Polymer clay is available in most craft stores under the names Fimo, SculpeyIII, Premo, and Cernit, just to name a few. It's a kneadable substance that becomes hard after curing it in an oven, at temperatures between 212 and 275 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on type and color. Translucent and white clay or mixtures containing these colors should be cured at lower temperatures than the darker colors. All brandnames need to be thoroughly conditioned before use, even the very kneadable ones, otherwise the endproduct is less reliable and more prone to bursting and breakage. SculpeyIII is a good material to start with, as it is soft and very easy to condition. Also, it is the cheapest product, sometimes selling for as little as $0.75 for a 2-oz package. Items made with Fimo, Premo, and Cernit are more durable, which makes these products more suitable for delicate items. Premo is very easy to condition and available in 30 colors. Some colors may even seem too soft. One remedy is to roll the clay out and let it leach out some of its plasticizer on a sheet of plain white paper. One doesn't need many different colors as most colors can be mixed from the base colors. A good set for beginners contains black, white, red, blue, yellow, gold, and translucent. Premo is available in 2-oz blocks in craft stores and in 16-oz bricks from suppliers such as Polymer Clay Express (see links page).

Basic Tools

Large ceramic tile to work on
Non-stick rolling pin, drinking glass, or plastic core of faxpaper roll
Home-made needle tool
Craft knife
Tissue blade or wallpaper blade

Wish List

Many polymer clay enthusiasts also use one or more of the following:

Pasta machine for rolling (and conditioning) the polymer clay (Atlas brand recommended)
Polymer clay extruders
Caulking gun to facilitate extruding clay from extruder (Sears Newborn brand recommended)
Carving tools (dental tools work too)
Cookie and aspic cutters
Objects with different surfaces found around house and workshop which help create interesting surface textures

Remember to use above tools for polymer clay only and not for food.

What to Make with Polymer Clay

I would recommend starting with easy projects There are several good books on polymer clay in the bookstore, but for starters, you could try one or more of the following:

Marbled and Decorated Beads
Exciting things happen when you take two or more pieces of conditioned clay (see above) and roll them out together, twisting and pushing. Stop rolling before the colors are thoroughly blended and you have marbled clay. Cut your roll into tube beads or tear off pieces of clay and roll them into small balls. Or decorate plain beads with tiny balls or strands of clay, use a stamp or dental tool to make indentations, dust with Pearl-Ex powder, etc. Pierce a hole with a needle. Best technique is to pierce from two sides and enlarge the hole with a thicker needle or wooden skewer. One way to get uniform beads is to cover wooden beads. Brush them with Sobo glue, and wait a few minutes until the glue is tacky. Apply a thin layer of polymer clay, taking care to smooth it out to prevent bubbles. Push onto metal knitting needles and bake.

Rolled "Paper" Beads
Roll clay real thin, preferably with a pasta machine. Cut a long narrow triangle, say 1 inch wide at its widest and 8 inches long. Roll around a metal knitting needle. When you want a thicker bead, just make a longer triangle. The possibilities are endless. Bake them right on the knitting needle.

Pendants and Pins from Small Cookie Cutters
Nothing could be easier! Use a strong clay like Fimo or Premo. Roll clay out to desired thickness and use a cookie cutters to cut out your shape. Cut through plastic wrap to a different edge. Use your imagination to decorate your shape. Press tiny objects, like beads, in the clay or use a rubber stamp to "carve out" an image. Rub on Pearl-ex powders or Powdered Pearls for a special effect (remember to protect with Future or finish of your choice in that case). To make a pendant, pierce a hole near the top (I use the empty ink cartridge of a ball point) before baking. To make a pin, bake your creation first, next "glue" the pin back with a little TLS (Translucent Liquid Sculpey) or with Super Glue as high as possible on the back of your shape. Cover with a thin layer of polymerclay, which will secure the pin back. Bake, embellish the back further, for instance with paint or a gel pen. As an alternative, you could glue leather on the back to secure the pin back.

This page was revised on:
December 20, 2006

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