Working with polymer clay

[YESINDIDI]

Yesterday I spent some of the day experimenting with polymer clay and have decided that I like working with shrink plastic much better.

I researched some old threads here and found some very helpful info about coloring techniques and using a pasta machine. After the clay is baked are the pieces supposed to be flexible? The pieces I made yesterday are still a bit flexible. They are 1/4" thick and I baked them 30 minutes and then added 10-15 more baking time. I think 1/8" thickness would have worked better for the project but I was following instructions in book I have.

[mndnco]

Flexability depends on the brand of clay you use.
Most brands cure stiff.
A good clay will have a little give to it so it doesn't break.
Anything under 1/4 inch thick risks breakage. I don't recommend it.

[serialpurrs]

I haven't had room to play with clay yet, but I do know there's a clay out there which remains totally flexible after curing time. http://www.sculpey.com/Products/prod..._superflex.htm

[MSBetsyZ]

Some ARE more flexible than others, which is why that can be a factor in choosing different brands for different types of projects. Some, like FIMO, dry stiff and are harder to break. Some, Like Premo!, remain pretty flexible after baking.

One thing a lot of people don't realize is that the conditioning of the clay actually affects the end result. If you skimp on conditioning, the baked project will not be as strong. That's one way the pasta machine comes in handy....you can knead to your heart's content and not tire your hands! Not to mention being able to get completely consistent thicknesses...

I agree that 1/8" is too thin if that's the total thickness of the piece. If you are layering onto another piece, 1/8" is great.

[mndnco]

Quote:

Originally Posted by serialpurrs

I haven't had room to play with clay yet, but I do know there's a clay out there which remains totally flexible after curing time. http://www.sculpey.com/Products/prod..._superflex.htm

It's called Sculpey SuperFlex.
It's not very strong...

[YESINDIDI]

Thank you for the help. I have several different brands and think I used FIMO and it is a little flexible after about 40-45 minutes of baking. I did condition the clay several times using my pasta machine. The first few times the clay crumbled but I thought the clay was old because I've had it around a while.

[mndnco]

Fimo is the crubliest! Which makes it hard to work with. It does cure very strong though.