How To Condition Polymer Clay By Hand Without Any Tools
Video #596: If you are a beginner without a pasta machine, here's how to condition polymer clay without hurting your hands... More Info: www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/?... Polymer Clay Tutor.
Topics Covered In This Video:
* In the past I have shown you how to condition clay using various different types of tools.
* But I also know that some of you are just starting out with polymer clay and don't any have tools yet.
* I show you some tips on how to condition clay by hand without hurting your wrists and hands.
* First warm up the clay in your hands or by placing in a warm (not hot) location.
* Some people like to sit on the clay (or put in bra) to initially warm up their blocks of polymer clay.
* Don't squeeze or knead with fingers or thumbs. That will be hard on your muscles and joints.
* Instead, roll and press with the palm or heal of your hand.
* Continually twist and wiggle the clay to wake up the oils and plasticizers.
* Keep rolling and squishing clay with palm until clay is soft, pliable and workable.
* It can take a while by hand, but you still can do a good job of conditioning clay without any tools and without being too hard on your hands.
* However, if you have hand mobility issues, then you are going to have to invest in some tools.
* Using tools to condition polymer clay... like a pasta machine... the NEVERknead... or a food processor... will obviously help speed up the process.
* Related Article: Tools For Conditioning Polymer Clay... www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/?...
* Related Video: Acrylic Roller For Polymer Clay... www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/?...
* Related Video: Atlas 150 Pasta Machine... www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/?...
* Related Article: Pasta Machine Motors... www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/?...
* Related Video: NEVER Knead Polymer Clay Conditioning Tool... www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/?...
* Related Video: Using Food Processor For Conditioning Polymer Clay... www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/?...
* Related Article: Conditioning Polymer Clay Without Trapping Air Bubbles... www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/?...
* Related Article: Hand and Wrist Pain Prevention for Polymer Clay Artists... www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/?...
And... more info about today's video is at my blog... www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/?...
Cindy Lietz & Doug Lietz Social Links:
/ polymerclaytutor
/ polymerclay
/ pctutor
/ polymerclaytips
Polymer Clay Tutor... "Make what you love... Love what you make."
I made my self a small rice pillow, I put it in the microwave and when is warm I place it on top of my stiff clay. I though I share. Thank you for your educational videos.
venusiandesigns Rice pillows work great for warming up clay!
Thanks for the tip 😊
Thanks for the great tip @venusiandesigns
@@PolymerClayTutor Oh!!! That’s great🤗!!!! I have rice pillows, that, I use for my neck and shoulder!!!! I’m an old pro at making those🤣🤣🤣👍
I put the clay in a ziplock bag and dip in warm/hot water !Thanks for the great tips !
I slice my very hard blocks of clay into slices or sometimes I leave them whole just depending. I then take plastic jewelry bags and put the clay inside. I get an old plastic icing container and fill it with very hot tap water and place the bag of clay in it from 10 minutes to 20 minutes or however long it takes to soften it. Its amazing how soft this process makes the clay.
Wow. I see alot of replies here involving warm water. Will surely try that! My clays are so hard to condition T_T
We travel for work and last time I took some clay with me but no real tools. To soften it, I used dental floss to slice the block into thinner pieces, then put it in a Ziploc and put it under my leg to warm it up...just worked the warmed clay in pieces then but them all together. Worked great and sooo much easier on my hands.
redhotsweetpotatoe Thanks for the tips!
redhotsweetpotatoe h
you're amazing!! I found your channel and I feel like I've found the best polymer clay tutorials on youtube!!!! thank you sooo much!!
Huge help! Just what I needed!!
There's something about the way you instruct that makes me listen and I feel like I don't get that a lot in most crafty tutorials. Thanks! I'm definitely subscribing and watching more tutorials!
I agree with this sentiment
I laughed out loud when I heard you say it, because when I have clay that needs to be conditioned I actually do sit on them to soften them up. I usually start a small project (or do the prep work for the project I need the clay for) and while I'm doing that...I sit on the clay. I works every time and it saves my hands.
Thanks so much for this tutorial! I have RA and my hands are 1 of the worst afflicted areas.
Thank you so much. That was helpful.
Very helpful tips. Thanks
Thank you! Hope I can start with polymer clay soon.
It’s so considerate of you to help us newbies with polymer. I’ll definitely try your method. Initially I was squeezing the clay and I’m feeling arthritis. Your method is more akin to a wrist massage rolling it! 😃
Happy to help! 💖
This was extremely helpful. I think I will try to warm it up trying one of the suggestions in the comments, then condition by hand and roller.
Was a very helpfull video, thank you!
Thank you so much, I just got new clay, and straight out of the package, it was hard and a bit crumbly. It was expensive, so I didn't want to get rid of it. I tried adding a bit of water, and after watching this, I tried rolling, and it really works! It took some time, but it works great! Thank you so much.
Love all ur videos Cindy.. Helpful... 💖💖💖
omg thank you! I'm an experienced resin artist but just beginning polymer clay. I have EDS and my fingers have literally dislocated while trying to condition hard clay lol. Warming it up helps so much, and rolling with my palm.
Thank you I am so new at this . i subscribed and looking to all your videos
really amazing I love your videos , which type of polymerclay do you use?
Very useful! Thank you
What a great tutorial! I'm new and while I have a lot of tools, I don't have a pasta machine, yet (well, at least not one my husband will let me sacrifice to clay work). I also have arthritis so your tips were very helpful. Love the computer fan tip, too. Thanks!
Thank you so much!
Hi, I'm new to Polymer clay and I am wondering how long does one need to condition the clay for? Thank you for the videos.
Most helpful video I found on flattening a block of hard polymer clay yet! Thank you thank you
You are more than welcome! Thank you for commenting!
Thanks.. can I use rolling pin for expand it.
thanks really helped me
Glad to help! Hey you make lures... I hear that fishermen use a powdered heat set paint called Protec on their lures. I have also heard that some people are using it on polymer clay. Have you tried it on lures and/or polymer clay? I would love to get your feedback on it, if you have.
no it is not something i have tried, but it sounds interesting, generally I use polymer clay to create master to copy with moulds, but i have in the past made lures from it just using the basic colours, but I do have some powder coat and may give it a try at some point, thanks
Thank you soooo much for this tutorial and demonstration! I am starting to use this clay to make feet for gnomes. I will definitely check out your website!
Great information! I was thinking about tossing this stuff because I don’t own machine. You saved me from making a mistake
So happy I was able to help! 💖
The perfect video i needed! ;)
Great information Mam
Great Thanks
Thank you so so much My hands are sore right now for the exact reason you described. Shannon
Shannon Pratt Hope this helps next time you condition clay!
Okay awesome! Thank u
Thanx. I am a beginner. Today i struggled a bit... this will help alot in future
god bless you!
I'm a newbie. This is the first of your videos I've seen, but I've been reading some books and it seems what I want to do is the opposite of what the books show. I want to make a stamp/die with a raised pattern of a leaf or tree on it. Thought I would scrape away at the clay to "deboss" the design and then bake it. Do you have any videos like this? Thanks.
Thank you! Your tutorial was inclusive and simple. (We're using our little batch of Polymer Clay to make a paw-imprint of our pet, who died today. A fine, little memorial for her; she was a cool beast.)
So sorry to hear :'( My kitty died too this year about 6 months ago, after 18 years! We didn't do any paw printing though I wanted to, but I was just too devastated and didn't want to disturb her poor little lifeless body, I'm still so sad ! :( :(
Thank you
I love your videos. Thank you
You are so welcome!
Thanks you.
Omg thanks so so much
Will thee clay harden back up once conditioned ?
How do you clean your pasta machine? Do you take it a part? I do not keep the front or the back roller covers so mine is easier to keep clean. Any suggestion would great...
Thanks for the tips, really helpful. How do i condition older clay that's a bit crumbly?
I have several videos on condition hard clay with different tools.
where did you get your clay machine from Please ?
How do you do layers on clay
Thank you for your advist
Always welcome!
can you put it in warm water?
Nice
Do you recommend adding mineral oil? Somebody told me that if I added a little bit of mineral oil to it, it would make it more conditioned. I have some old clay that has hardened quite a bit and that’s what I was told.
Hi Cindy, hope you are well. Have you ever used D-Limonene to smooth out your pieces? My doll's head has cellulitis (LOL) and when I hold it to smooth one area, the other side gets marked! It's driving me crazy! I am usiing Super Sculpey. Please, help meee!! :-)
Thank you 💕
You’re welcome 😊
Mam I am starting miniature art work in this way will I be able to manage like this . Miniature art of people who give me there pictures to make into 3D model please give me any suggestions how to start in home .
my finger joints thank you for this video!!!
What if u haves really old clay?
WOOW ive been doing it wrong thanks for making this video and teaching me
Happy to help!
I love your videos. I am 17 and have been doing polymer clay for about 2 years now, but I was wondering if you could do a mokume gane tutorial?
Tabor Cody Hi! I have done several mokume gane tutorials. GO to my site at www.polymerclaytutor.com and do a search there to find more information on that.
Thank you!!!! I was worried i couldn’t condition my clay :D
You’re welcome 😊
Hey I just got some clay, while rolling it and kneading is it meant to feel sticky? Cause I am trying to still figure out how to keep the clay smooth while I work on it.
Some clays are sticky and some are not. I suggest you try a few different brands to see which formula you like to work with best.
I'm a beginner and enjoy your videos, tell me which of your videos should I watch first?
Thank you, the thought of spending more money on things just about puts me off doing things.
While standing, I apply a lot of pressure with my acrylic roller and start rolling. Similar to what you're doing with your hands, but I use my roller with my body weight. Goes a lot faster for my, and easier on my hands. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
me too!
The best way to get conditioned clay fast is mixing it with another clay, like mixing colors. But if you want to use it straight from the package the 1 color, I'd use a little piece of translucent maybe...or condition a small piece first very very well, maybe even use a tiny bit of baby oil, and then use that to mix with the rest, with a rolling pin.
Thank you for this tip, sometimes the easiest way it is the best way! I personally hate when clay it is so hard that you need to spend lots of time to soften it because it is such a waste of time, now in winter I put it for few minutes on the heater but I will definitely try your way rather than use quick mix or oil etc... Have you tried the fimo professional yet? thanks
Chiara B You're welcome. No I haven't tried Fimo Professional yet. Still need to pick some up.
thank you (:
No problem 😊
If clay is crumbling, very hard, brittle..If Mineral oil will work..to make it malleable..please respond
I would love to see demonstrations on Pardo Clay conditioning. Since it is a beeswax product can you use the same kind of products to condition it if it's too dried out or old. I've seen a lot of complaints about it in this regard and since it comes from so far away there's a stronger chance of getting old clay. I love what you do. Thank you.
Rose Abbott Thank you. I will have to look into that since I haven't really worked very much with Pardo. Softening it may need different supplies.
Un toquesito de vasenlina en tus dendos mejora la suavidad
I'm a beginner. My conditioned polymer keeps sticking to my acrylic roller 😢 how do I stop this!?
plz do a how to do a butterfly
Pleaseeee do fimo soft clay! It's really hard
doe a anyone ever use the air-dry clay for sculpting instead of the baking? if not why..thanks
wonderful video - thanks so much. . . you are so clear and speak at just the right speed - and you give reasons for what you are doing, which i always need to know. . . Can i soften with vaseline, as it is so much cheaper? I'm just doing it for fun. . . thanks again, alexa :}
use baby oil :) I think vaseline may work too!
thanks much :}
Alexa Penn No you cannot use Vaseline to friggan condition your Clay! You can only use liquid clay or Vaseline to soften your clay when it's hard and dry, which is not the same as conditioning it when like shown in the video. There's a major difference between softening your clay when it's too hard and dry with Vaseline, and conditioning it. Using Vaseline IS NOT a substitute to condition it, and when you have to use Vaseline to make the clay soft and stretchy you STILL have to condition your Clay before you can use the Vaseline.
Alexa Penn Also it literally doesn't cost a dime to open you package of clay and condition it, all you're literally doing is getting it warm and rolling it around in your hands or sitting on it. So no Vaseline isn't sooooo much cheaper to use as you claim it is, especially when it's not conditioning the clay at all! Vaseline makes polymer clay so soft and liquid like that you can literally put it in a home made minj icing bag and pipe "frosting" onto a polymer clay cake, or make water with it. So since it makes it that soft/liquid like you can't use to it for anything besides making "frosting" for cupcakes/cakes/cookies, making water, making hair.
i still don't know how to make the darn clay malleable - how long does it need to be 'conditioned'?
Thanks for this! So it's ok to condition clay multiple times, like each time you get it out to do something with it? Can it get overworked?
No not really... sometimes if you work it a lot it might get really warm and sticky or you might trap more air into it, but you can just let it cool and pop or pull air bubbles out, so don't worry about it.
@@PolymerClayTutor do you no longer work in clay? I don’t see any recent videos, hope all is well 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
@@wtglb Thank you for your kind words! We stepped away for what was supposed to be a short while, to upgrade our website and business and it has taken way longer than expected. We shouldn't be too much longer now, before we are back.
@@PolymerClayTutor Thanks very much for the response, I’m not on FB but found your website, I will subscribe to your channel. I’m looking to buy a machine, do you still like the Atlas 150?
Can you use a heat pack to rest it on for a few minutes.?
Yes, but just be careful that it doesn't get too hot or you will harden and partially cook your clay.
I know this is an old tutorial but just wanted to say I've been getting sculpey and it's been great but where I buy it is a bit of a drive. Today I ran out of yellow to mining a project so tried a closer store, they had fimo, omg fimo is as hard as a rock!! Not a fan! Back to sculpey next week.
Veronica Higgins help me my Sculpey keeps cracking no matter the length in the over
Is "conditioning" just "thoroughly warming", so that. ounce per ounce, you have to do it over each time you work with it? Is there a temperature "threshold" beyond which it begins to cure? Will freezing hurt it? Thanks! Your videos are fun to watch!
How to flatten out clay? I need it very very thin. Almost like paper?
Use a pasta machine first, then roll further by hand, or I like to stretch it as thin as I can before it tears.
@@PolymerClayTutor thank you
Can I use a heat gun for a few seconds to warm it up to soften my polymer clay? Thanks
You could but you'd have to be extremely careful not to partially cook your clay. If I was going to try that, I would use a blow dryer in stead of a heat gun. Less chance of screwing it up! 🙂
Can modeling clay be baked or dry by itself.
No, modeling clay can't be baked and it would never fully dry and be properly hard. :-)
I did what you did and said but it fell to bits. It is brand new. I am having so much trouble. Please advise.
I'm thinking the clay has been partially baked by being in too hot a place. If you think it happened at the store, you may consider taking it back, because if it is new, it should not be crumbly like that. Good luck!
Oh my god I’ve been trying for 30 minutes and with a pasta machine and I’m about to lose my mind
A great way to revive old or "dead" clay is to break off a teensy piece and knead it with your hands. Then you take another teensy piece, wrap the worked clay around it, and work the second piece with the first piece wrapped around it. Eventually the clump of revived clay will get bigger and you'll be able to wrap it around bigger pieces of clay.
Thanks for the tip but my clay hasn't "died" but once it does I'll be sure to try this out!
Is humidity/sunlight a factor? I live in the south and it is currently hot as hell, so I’m thinking of just plopping it out on the back porch for an hour lol
It depends on the brand but humidity and heat can be a factor alright. Some clays get super sticky in humidity. And if the temp is too warm (especially for the clays that bake at a really low temp), then the sun can actually partially bake your clay and ruin it. You'll need to be careful if you don't want to wreck your clay.
PolymerClayTutor eek, gotcha. Thanks!
Hello. I am new (in fact, my clay hasn't arrived yet).... lol.... question, how do you know it is well enough conditioned? Is it just till it's soft enough to work?
Yeah you've got that right... just condition the clay long enough to work with it. If it is a fresh block of clay, you won't need to condition very long at all. Do watch as many of my baking videos as you can and it should help you have more success. Have fun!
@@PolymerClayTutor being stuck at home for a month and a half already with no end in sight to this virus..... I HAVE NOTHING ELSE TO DO except watch youtube videos. Lol. I think I'll be a polymer clay expert before my clay even arrives. Whaahaaahaaa.
@@shanahobbs1046 🙂💖💖💖
I usually have the problem of making the clay too malleable. It gets sticky and is hard to work with. What do you do in that case, let it cool down?
If your clay is too soft and squishy you can remove the extra oils by leaching the clay. Here is a video on how to do it: kzhead.info/sun/Z75ygNGRm4CObJs/bejne.html
@@PolymerClayTutor Thank you. I actually saw your video about that the next day and it really works
okay so its not bad that this clay is basically breaks from being handled?
How about putting it in a plastic bag and into warm water for 10-15 minutes?
Thank you oh my god 😂❤
You're welcome!
I just started using polymer clay, and the moment I took it out of the box, it was quite soft to begin with and quite sticky, until it really sticks to the surface. Any way of making it less sticky? Cause whatever design I cut out, it’s really tough to remove it from the tile surface until the design just gets messed up 😂
You can leech it. Roll out onto printer paper and leave it on the paper for a wee while and you'll notice that the paper is oily. Keep doing this until it's not sticky anymore.
What about a bowl of warm water to warm it? Or warm it under a heating pad just to the point of warmth.
Yes that would work fine. Just be careful that the water isn't too hot, and you accidentally cure your clay.
I've never touched polymer clay, so I don't know if this would work, but kneading it like dough seems to be a logical alternative.
its much more firm than dough, it would be way too hard on your knuckles. Its more rubbery and more like putty than dough.
How do you avoid air bubbles without machinery?
Here are some ideas for getting rid of bubbles without a machine. When you roll out a sheet of clay, with an acrylic roller and see any bubbles, then pull on the sheet to stretch it out a bit. That will help to release the air. You can also cut into the side of any air pockets with a sharp blade and burp the air out as you push the flap of clay back down to the surface. Lastly you can use a very fine pin or needle (like an insect pin or acupuncture needle) to piece a hole in any bubbles to pop them. A thicker needle doesn't work that well because it kind of closes the hole as it gets pushed into the clay. So if you don't have a super fine needle then cutting the clay does a better job.
As soon as i openee my polymer clay's package it was already soft but it is so cracky i cant play with it ! Help please
Hi there, that sounds strange...is the clay soft or hard? Usually it isn't soft and crumbly at the same time.
The question is in a heat test how hot will polymer clay permit???
I tried this but mine breaks into small pieces💔💔 Mine is the kind which is baked and I'm afraid that with heat or warm it will became more tough
Yeah you do need to be careful how hot you get the clay when warming it up, so that you don't partially bake it. Try chopping up the clay into small bits and putting in a ziploc bag with a squirt of clay softener in it and let it sit a couple of days to absorb into the clay. You should be able to take handfuls of the softened clay and condition a little at a time.
@@PolymerClayTutor I'll try that thank you so much💗
So...warming up the clay has nothing to do with temperature of the clay, correct?
It does have to do with the temperature of the clay, you're just warming it up enough to where it's more malleable. You can do that by keeping it under your legs and let your body heat warm it up. Or you can put it in a ziplock and put it under warm/hot water.
I tried the ziploc bag trick and I think it made it worse :( it seemed like it made it harder, so I used baby oil instead and that worked a lot better it actually made it too soft that I had to leech it. I had fimo professional and it was way too hard for me I bought it by accident! But now I know how to condition and soften it properly and have a pasta machine now, since I have some leftover. The reason the ziploc bag didn't work is because I think the water was too warm and some clay can be boiled, so it may have went in that direction and started to harden from the heat!
Just curious...would using a rubber mallet in the beginning be helpful? (Total newbie, here.)
yes definitely!
Your clay is incredibly soft to begin with. Use a harder clay like pearl or translucent, clays that never soften...