Mini Polymer Clay Tutorial 3: How to Condition Crumbly Clay
2021 ж. 12 Қар.
10 829 Рет қаралды
Hello weekend crafter!
I have a short video for you today sharing my four favorite ways of conditioning hard and crumbly clay. I know that there are a lot of other clay crafters who share their favorite ways and I'm sharing their links here in case you want a more comprehensive study on this topic.
karenascofield.wordpress.com/...
www.sculpey.com/create/blog/h...
thebluebottletree.com/why-con....
Thank you for this video. I went to dig out some super old clay and I was curious if it could be saved. Sounds like it can! I have most of the supplies, so I will figure out which methods work for me! THANK YOU!
That is great! I hope you do find what works best for you so that you can save those old clay 😊 Thanks for stopping by 🥰
@@CraftTimeStudio I was successful! It was a mixture of clay softener and my pasta machine. But if I could have found a safe space to whack at it with a hammer, I sure would have! 🤣 Took me about 2.5 hours all told.
@@SquishyChameleon oh, I totally understand the hours it took for you to condition. It really does take a while =)
Hi. Thank you for this video. I have just learned of the hammer technique but haven't tried it yet. I made a big mistake the other week by adding too much translucent to two beautiful colours and I ruined them :( so I won't be doing that again, but I've had some real success recently conditioning some very old clay by adding baby oil (I put it in a small spray bottle), kneading it and then using the pasta machine. This is a very cost effective way of conditioning some of the hardest clay. At first I put a bit much oil, so I had to roll out a sheet and leech it for 15 mins or so and then it was perfect to use. :)
Thank you for sharing your experience on baby oil! I’ve heard of that technique before, and I’ve tried it a couple of times. I guess what attracted me most to the hammer technique is that I don’t have to add anything 😊 Thank you for watching and leaving a comment!
I do the same but with liquid clay conditioner (Sculpey brand).
Hi Anj, I just found your channel and it is just what I was looking for. I love your videos, they are interesting, have useful information and you make such beautiful things. Can I ask you, why do you call the lengths of rolled up clay 'logs'? The word for them is 'coils '. I was told that a few months ago by a crafter friend of mine. Your idea of using a mallet to pound your clay is a really good idea. I have never seen that done before, but I have arthritis in my hands so any ideas that will help me condition the clay, are very welcome. Thank you so much for your good advice. I have another question for you, can I use mineral oil or baby oil to help my crumbly clay to come back to life? God bless you Anj and I really look forward to seeing more of your brilliant videos. Thank you.
Hi Carly 😊 Thank you for dropping by! I’m so glad you found my channel. Thanks for letting me know that the official name for the lengths of clay is “coil.” I just normally call them “snakes” or “logs” because that’s what they look like to me 😄 Mineral or unscented baby oil can also be used to soften the clay, and I did try that once, but it was a little bit messy. I understand though that you have arthritis so it might be a better idea for you 😊 Thank you for the wonderful words that you shared here. I appreciate it!
Th You
You’re welcome 😊
Thank you for these tips. I bought some and threw it away because I couldn't do anything with it.
You’re welcome! I was seriously considering disposing the lot of them that had gone dry and crumbly, but hammering was a game changer for me 😊 Hope you find what works best for you.
Use Vaseline on your fingers and massage it into the clay. Little bit each time, not too much... Works Iike a charm!
Thanks for that additional advise!
could you say how many minutes does it take to smooth crumble clay with hand and pasta machine? it takes so long for me. when I haven t used my clays for 2 weeks, all of them becomes crumbling clay. I keep them in a plastic box and cover with a refrigerator bag. I am doing smth wrong? I use cernit btw
I’ve worked with Fimo, Sculpey and Kato. When I use my craft hammer and the pasta roller, it takes me about 10 - 15 minutes to make crumbly clay useable 😊
@@CraftTimeStudio thanks :)
@@snm520 you're welcome!
Fimo soft... or sculpey ||| will be your softest so it's not a battle everytime you pick up your craft
You really do a nice job 👍 I’m curious are you Filipina like me ?if you don’t mind
Thank you! And yes, glad to meet a fellow Filipina. Hello! 😊
I’m so happy to see your video for the first time last night cause I am planning to make earrings and I search at KZhead at it comes up your video yahoo ! So now I am willing to learn because I found you ! Salamat kabayan! I’m proud of you 👍 talentandong pinay 🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭👍👍👍🙏🙏🙏
@@indairheatv8002 thank you for your support!
You need to add a little, and I mean a little bit of oil. Like coconut oil, baby oil, or virgin olive oil. You can always add a little bit more, as needed. Hope this helps.
Thanks for the suggestion! The pounding with a mallet has helped me condition my clay, and so far, I haven’t had to add any oil. I will try it out to see what works better.
actually a coffee grinder works... thanks
Interesting. Do you still get to use it as a coffee grinder after?
from my experience with polymers of many sorts, this brittleness you may be experiencing is, I believe, from the hygroscopic nature of many polymers. In order to reverse the absorption of moisture, raising the substance temperature usually works, especially if you put a silica gel bag, seal them together and give it some time in relatively high temp that doesn't polymerize the clay
Wow, I’ll give that a try. I have a lot of small silica packs stashed so now I have a new use for it. Thank you!