Polymer Clay 101

All the information below is protected by the Creative Commons license.

Polymer Clay 101 by Angeli Sobrepena is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.

WHAT IS POLYMER CLAY?
Part I of a series, a Handmade Pilipinas post

Polymer clay is an oven-baked material that you can mold or sculpt into anything under the sun. It comes in a rainbow of colors which you can mix into limitless color possibilities. Polymer clay is sold under different brands, all of which have different characteristics. Which brand to use will depend on what your project is.

Unlike other clay materials (earth, air-dry, toy modeling clay), polymer clay cures in the oven. Much like baking cakes and cookies, baking polymer clay is an exact science. It needs a specific baking temperature and baking time. Set the temperature just a bit too low and you’ll end up with a brittle piece. Set the temperature a notch too high and the clay will boil or burn. Proper baking will be discussed in a later entry.

What tools/materials do I need to work with clay?

Over the years, I have amassed quite a collection of different clay tools and equipment. But for a beginner, you only need simple items you can find around the home. No need to shell out big bucks.

1. A proper work surface
Polymer clay contains chemicals that can damage certain surfaces, so always make sure your table is covered with glass or acrylic. I used to protect my work surface with a simple glass jalousy (piece of window). A ceramic tile will also work. Never work with clay on a wooden surface – the clay will not only stick to the wood, it will also damage the finish. Also never work on plastic table tops – certain types of plastic melt when they come into contact with clay. Only use glass, ceramic, or acrylic (plexiglass) surfaces. If you don’t have any of these, you can tape a sheet of baking paper onto your table.

2. Roller
If you want to make flat sheets of clay, you will need something to roll the clay with. You cannot use the typical rolling pin used for baking, because the clay will stick to its surface. As discussed above, use glass, ceramic, or acrylic materials when working with clay. Any smooth cylindrical object will do, as long as they’re made of those materials. But when I was starting out, I used to roll clay with an old aluminum spray bottle that used to be my spray-on deo (Nivea, hehe), because I didn’t have the money to buy tools yet.

If you have the cash, there are acrylic rolling pins made especially for clay. These range from P350 – P650 locally, or around $6 when you buy it online.

3. Texturing tools
Any found object can be used to help you form your piece. You can use a toothpick, needle, or pin to make holes into the clay. For texture, I use a typical toothbrush (dedicated to clay work of course). Buttons with interesting details can be pushed into the clay to add patterns.

Again, if your budget allows it, you can buy ready-made texture sheets. I bought mine at a bookstore many years ago.

Additional tools and materials will be discussed in the future.

Read Part 2 of this series here.

All the information above is protected by the Creative Commons license.

Polymer Clay 101 by Angeli Sobrepena is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.