How To Revive Old Polymer Clay Canes
Video #359: In this video I'll go over several different methods and treatments for reviving your old polymer clay canes that may have cracked or become hard and brittle. More...
* Dandelion Fluff Ghost Cane.
* Old and cracked cane sections treated with the following clay softening products and techniques... Sculpey Clay Softener... TLS (Translucent Liquid Sculpey)... Kato Liquid Polyclay... Fimo Mix Quick... Sculpey Mold Maker (Super Elasticlay)... Warming In The Oven... Warm Water Bath.
* Showed and discussed which of the above treatments worked best for reviving old and cracked polymer canes.
Brought to you by Cindy Lietz, Polymer Clay Tutor. There's more info about How To Revive Old and Cracked Polymer Canes at my blog. If you are interested, here is the direct link: www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/?...
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Ignore 13floater, Cindy. I'm a lifelong teacher and you do a great job. Why do people think that it's OK to make such criticisms publicly?--especially when you've generously shared this information free of charge. Please continue to keep your videos informal and spontaneous. Also, punctuating your words with hand motions is a good thing.
Thank you for your feedback 13floater. I agree I could get better at saying less Ums and Ahs (as well as not talking with my hands so much). I'm not nervous, I'm excited! Although it would be nice to remove the mistakes, we feel it would take away from what its like to sit down and learn with me. Just trying to keep it real!
Flush that "floater", Cinday! You're amazing and helpful just the way you are! DON'T CHANGE...just keep making more videos!!!!🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
I love that you do all of these tests and share them with us all :)
My very first experience with polymer clay was buying a block of FIMO black from a craft store that was selling out. The clay was the only black color in stock and they had had it in a window that got full sunshine during the morning time, although it was coastal sun. When I unwrapped it, it crumbled. I added vegetable (Canola) oil to my hands and began gathering it together and then rolling it. I was able to make it into chunky surrounds and it cured correctly. Since that was the very first time I ever worked with any polymer clay, I don't know how much the chunky-ness was inexperience and how much was just the consistancy of the rather (by then) oily clay, but the pieces are now about a year old and seem to be holding up nicely--if not beautifully!
+SeawardCreations The chunky-ness was because of impatience. ;)
yes I would try these methods because I have cans and cans of old canes. Been packed away for a long time. Thank you Cindy.
You're welcome! You deserve these kind of comments. You're a hard working crafter! ^^
Thanks for another practical tutorial.
I like the idea of reviving. I have pretty canes that I used very little of. I'm going to try this. Thanks :)
Thank you PeachPuffcx, that's sweet of you to say!
Such a pretty cane, a pattern worth saving :)
yes thank you I like the idea to be able to revice as I am not a great cane maker and hang on to the ones I like maybe far to long so this is awesome thanks
Thank you for the great tests and reviews! I would try the warming method before using the old canes as scrap.
love all your great tips.
With any old cane the secret is warmth and patience. I hold them, VERY gently twist them back and forth(gentle being the keyword, too hard and it will crack and crumble), stroke the outside as you would when reducing. All you're doing is getting warmth into the centre of that log of clay. Either of the warming methods you showed will also work. You will feel when the inside starts to yield. Also cracks aren't the end of a cane. Just fit the crack back together and press(obviously trying to keep your pattern in register if that's necc). It will knit back together once the interior material has warmed up
This is now 2018, so I'm a bit late coming to this tutorial. ;) But I've seen polymer clay artist rescue old canes just by putting them into their pockets or even into their Bras for a while. No doubt you've already worked that out for yourselves by now. Another thing I found helped old canes was leaving them on USB mug warmers. They don't get too hot, and as long as they are protected from moisture loss the cup warmers can help a bit. :)
Thank you so much, you are great to watch and listen too! I am new to this and you saved my first project right at the point where I was going to throw it away.
Dayna Garcia That's wonderful news! Thanks for letting me know!
Love the new hair Cindy! Missed your tutorials. Thanks for this as always informative video.
Thank you Theresa but this video is over 7 years old, so the haircut is no longer a new one! :) Glad you found the video helpful though. Just goes to show that most polymer clay info is the same no matter how long it has been out there! :)
Love you hair cut, so cute!
Love this! Im gonna watch some more! I just subscribed!!!!
Thanks a lot Cindy
Great video thank you very much and I would definitely try it,Especially after all the hard work you do to create a cane or design,And also the fact that polymer clay can get expensive depending on the color or how much you purchase,So it's a great way to save your old canes thank you for all the information.
I would try the warming of the cane also the TLS sounds good then have them go back as scrap clay. Thank you very much
That's great news Louise!
Thanks for the good advice. I have 10 yo stretched canes and was afraid they're unusable. This gives me hope. Glad this tutorial is still available. 👍Internet
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Canes are a lot of work; I would definitely try to revive one before scrapping it because of the time involved in making it in the first place. Maybe the best lesson of all is to use it up sooner!
I totally agree Laura Hogue!
Thank you. I found this very helpful. I put my clay aside for close to a year to do some other crafts. I thought I might have to throw away all the canes I had made. A lot of work down the drain so to speak.
Thank you so much for all you do. I just watched this and had to laugh. It's 2018 now and your information is still so useful. A month ago I found an old piece of premo I had forgotten I had, but it was the only green I had left anywhere. I used the oven and some liquid clay but got it back for the most part. Useable anyway. Worked out great but I wish I had seen this before that happened. lol. I spent a couple of days pulling my hair out. Thanks Cindy.
Maaaaany thanks for your help teacher!! I love your videos and the way you explain, Subscriptor from now on!! Greetings from Barcelona (Spain) Eve (New in polymer clay!)
You're an amazing crafter! :D
Cindy- This was a great video and was wondering if you have a video on the Dandelion fluff cane you were demoing. I love all canes made with the transparent clay as you can make some really pretty looks with it.
+Terry Wowk Hi there, currently the Dandelion Cane is one of four tutorials sold in Volume-039. Here is the link to where you can buy the volume: www.beadvideos.com/back-issues-02/vol-039/ Thank you for your interest!
I do have a couple of older Christmas canes that I would really love to be able to use. Thanks for your opinions and experimentation.:) I don't have much of each...so I really didn't want to do the wrong thing to revive them. Gonna try the warming first.:)
hi. I just found this through Pinterest. I have a big box full of Polymer clay and most of the packs are open. I haven't done any Polymer work for several years and was worried that my clay wouldn't be any good....a lot of money wasted! this tutorial is a godsend as I now know that I can warm the clay through in the oven (-: all my canes etc won't be wasted either. so a big big thank you!! I have subscribed to your channel and will be having a good explore later. xx
thanks your great
I resurrected a 2 oz fimo found in an old jewelry box that hadn't seen the light of day since probably 1998. While watching a movie on my computer, I broke off pieces and massaged each one adding an occasional drop of Sculpty Clay Softener from time to time. It worked ok, but took a long time. Then I put the small pieces thru the pasta machine a few times. Mushed them all together, added several more drops of softener and massaged it some more. I'm sitting here looking at a nativity scene and Joseph's coat is just the right color. I have a couple more in the same state. Would I do it again? Well, I'm not throwing them out just yet. There would have to be a really good movie on and I would have to have a specific need for that color. As for the comments re your presentation style. I like your enthusiasm, that you're enjoying yourself, that you can laugh when things don't go exactly as intended and that you can say um, grin at the camera and move on.. Your information is useful and clearly stated. Don't wreak it by becoming a talking bobbleheadl". I agree with LindyLooTwo criticism, even constructive criticism, should be shared privately. Any other way is cruel, thoughtless and self serving. You go girl!
Thanks so much for the video. Yes, I am bothering to try to revive some old canes as I am on a limited budget! I also have a problem even working up some new clay initially because of arthritis in my hands so I tend to have my oven on next to me like you and the clay goes in and out as I work. Returning to polymer clay caning after 8 years, some of the clay I used is probably older recipes, but I do manage to revive most by warming. I have also recently discovered Stroppel canes to use up scrap canes, so I cut old canes in thin slices and warm just before I sandwich them in the new clay, and this works. I am in France and have not yet worked out which Saran wrap is best here. I have also read that it is possible to put old clay in a Zip lock bag with a little mineral or baby oil, I have not tried this yet, has anyone else?
Nice video! I wonder if liquid Fimo works for Fimo
Sounds great Louise! Let us know how it works for you!
I really want her to start posting again because I just started doing clay charms so I really want her to come back!!😍😍
Thank you so much for your sweet words! I will be back as soon as possible. We have been working on a new site and it has been taking all our time. I do have a weekly LIVE Q&A Broadcast on Facebook, if you are into that kind of thing. It may help you. It is on Wednesdays at 11 AM Pacific time on our Facebook Page facebook.com/polymerclay
Great video as always :) I have used baby oil in the past to soften sculpted clay..curious if this would work for canes?
Thanks -- before watching this I would pretty much just smush old stiff canes together and make Natasha beads. But I will try the warming methods from now on. Thanks! This would also perhaps work with clay right from the wrapper which was old and too firm. I can try warming the entire block first, and then use it.
the first block of translucent clay i bought crumbled right out of the package. i mixed it with some colors to revive it. 😋
Nice video. My answer to your question is I would avoid it completely by using up my cane right away. :) I could always make another cane if I needed more for something else. - Heidi
I would definitely try warming it up to revive it there is a lot of work that goes in to making canes............
Thank you Linda. I appreciate your support. BTW: Your comment was marked as spam which is weird.
I think the Ums and Ahs make it a bit more real! It's nice to be advised by a person rather than a robot!
Thank you! i never tried warming in an oven, that's the best idea ever, my son who learns chemistry says that warmth gives the polymers it's flexibility, so i think in order to get into the depth of a cane it's only a matter of how long. i haven't used my canes for about ten years, after a couple of years when i realized i'm on hold i covered them with a nice layer of vaseline and wrapped them with plastic film, they are kept quite good and i believe a little warming will do the rest of the revival.
Happy to help! Just make sure not to get your canes too hot or they will partially bake. 💖
If it was a cane I really liked then yes, I'd try to save it. Have you tested the new Sculpey Liquid Clays on this cane revival technique? What about Fimo liquid gel?
what if you used the softener product you prefer and use a seal a meal to "inject" the cane with the softener you prefer
I have a bunch of old canes, mainly Fimo, I'm planning to recycle into molds for upcoming projects. Your suggestions here are exactly what I needed to move forward into this project. Thanks!
Thanks for trying all those methods, I have a friend who left me with some wrapped clay (never been opened) and it is very hard. Nitasha beads would be great if I could get it soft enought to 'smooch' into a layer. Any suggestions would be helpful and save me lots of money (there are 42 squares). Thank you for the video.
so going by these results, you might get the best results if you used TLS and then warmed it up. i think it would be worth a try.
you could also heat them up with a hair dryer. i use that to help make hard clay softer
What do you have to do to use a Cane that has been stored for months, but it has already been Reduced? Does it have to be conditioned again or just warmed up if it isn’t hard?
Very interesting, thank you! How long did you say you wrapped and soaked these? Because I could imagine, that given the stiffness of the material it would maybe need longer tha a night (?) for whichever softener to diffuse into the whole thing. So maybe a week or two with sufficient amount of softener or liquid clay would work wonders, too?
She left it for 5 days :)
Hi Cindy, Is there a good way to store canes so they stay soft longer. I have a lot of nice ones or parts of ones I will use down the road for compound caning. What do you suggest for storage?
The biggest thing about storing clay canes is leaching and heat. If you can keep those two things from happening, they can sit for a long time (though they will need to be warmed up before using). I just store mine in the same drawers I store my clay. (There is a video in my channel called Storing Polymer Clay that should help.
My answer to your question is YES I would get in action to soften my old canes especially if I liked a specific type very much :) Also I thinked about something and thought why not sharing with you, I do not know if it really works but what if you give it a try! What about adding some glycerine in the hot water! As we know clay has some kind of oily consistency... so I thought that this might help :-) Thank you for your time :)
There's no way to prevent this from happening? You couldn't rub a bit of baby oil on the outside of the cane before storing it long term? I'm fairly new into the polymer clay world, and haven't made many canes yet. --Leslie
Sure I think it's worth trying to save them, all the work and money, seems warming helps and even giving them some gentle smacks if square could help a bit lol. Did you wrap the one in the water, seems like you wouldnt have to really or just put in a baggy
Hi Cindy, Baby oil will work pretty much the same as the Sculpey Clay Softener since they both are basically mineral oil plus or minus an ingredient or two. Try it. See what you think and let us know how it goes.
New blocks of clay can be warmed by sitting on them still in their wrapper I also warm up canes that way if I want to reduce after it has sat and firmed back up. wrap carefully in cling wrap.
My last sculpture cracked a little. I have read some of the forums on how to repair it. Do you have advice?
Hi Grand Stuba I answered you question below...
I have gotten some clays that were hard & brittle because of age the solid colors i finely "shredded" with a micro fine grater, and added mineral/baby oil, and worked it together until blended, it seemed to help even if it seemed a bit more um rubbery.but i have just gotten a bar of opal Premo& i dont think the opal "glitter" will survive a micro grater do you think just putting it in a bowl of mineral oil after crumbling it ,and letting it soak would work? or should i just leave it whole & try soaking it? im worried because it didnt take much oil in the grated clay to bring it to a state that was almost to soft to work with.
+Tialisa Chapman Hi there, I have several videos on how to soften hard polymer clay that you will probably want to check out. You should get your answer in them.
Thank you!
OH my. First, the sculpey mold maker compound, something I used to recommend to revive old clay, I have since learned to avoid! In time, it turns the clay into rock. Makes cured pieces very brittle. In fact, it's not even good at mold making. Even those turn brittle in time. I don't even buy the stuff anymore. I make a LOT of canes. And I know sometimes, (and why only sometimes is an annoying mystery) But... what I call a "wake up squeeze" is all it needs. and out of room. sigh
Thank you! It's hard for me to find time to go get it cut. Thought it was about time tho... was starting to look like a hobo. lol Have a couple videos that I shot before getting it cut that haven't been shown yet, so don't be too surprised when it is suddenly long again! :)
I don't understand. I guess the clay is unbaked. So it's good. Either way. I baked my pink panther and it cracked some. I filled in the cracks with glue cause it will be painted. Now that the clay has set I think it is strong, I know I could have prevented this. Would it be better to revive and rework the area somehow?
Hi Grand Stuba Sometimes moisture or air pockets in the clay will cause it to crack during baking. You can use some soft clay to fill cracks and then re-bake the piece if you want. Since you have already used glue and it seems to be working, I would just leave it for now and see what it does over time. For more info on baking polymer clay and cracks and other stuff, check out my blog at www.polymerclaytutor.com Good luck!
I bought a few blocks of Kato clay that crumble and will not condition. It was my first time using Kato and I heard it was really hard at first, but I seriously could not do anything with them. I got one block sorted out by adding cooking oil from the advice from someone online, but I think maybe I might need to get some of this Kato liquid clay in the video.
yeah i was working with it too, its very firm i had to add baby oil just a bit at a time, but finally could roll a ball without splitting it, it's a mess, but I suspect the clay sits at this store a long time since even though its less expensive many won't touch it since its a real pain to condition and even then you wont get really soft to work with if you need that. But i want the strength and for it not to bleed in canes.
Thanks Debra, I'm so glad to know that I'm not the only one. I think it's a really great clay once you get it conditioned though. I bought mine online too so it may have been exposed to high heat - didn't think of that until you mentioned it sitting in the store for a long time, which I agree could be part of the problem.
DEBRA POLENZ Fimo is the classic is the best, not too hard but not too soft, and it's the most popular, and I would recommend it.
Hi Nicole, I use Kato almost exclusively. What I discovered recently is that if you mix a small amount of colored Kato with a larger portions of translucent clay you will have a much more pliable product.
Thanks rusti, I will keep that in mind next time I have trouble. Good tip!
i would probably just scrap it. after watching this video i may try the warming method, but im not always the most patient person. lol.
Thank you for your videos. I have a question and looking for a remedy. I have this problem with Sculpey translucent clay. Whenever I buy a pack of it, they always comes hard and crumbles. Then I searched of how to soften clay. The method is to place the hard clay inside a bowl with hot water and at first it worked for me. Then being a stupid I am I tried to do it with 1 whole pack of translucent and placed it in a steaming pot for 5 minutes. I didn't think it would turn out to be worse. When I unwrapped it, the 1 whole pack of translucent was hard and actually feel baked. Sure the inside was soft but the outer surface was really really hard. I know I've done wrong but I feel bad of throwing it and do nothing about it. Still hoping for the way to soften an already half baked clay.
Yeah sadly you baked it alright! But you can still use it... just chop it up in bits and tint it with alcohol ink... then mix it into fresh clay and you can make some wonderful faux stones!
@@PolymerClayTutor thank you so much for sharing your knowledge I will try your suggestion. And thank you for your videos it really is a big help. :)
Thank you for the kind words! 💖
have you tried soaking it on any kind of oil( like linseed or vegetable oil) to try and revive it? I have been using oil to make "super sculptey firm" softer, since the hobby lobby near me seems to have the driest clay on the planet.
Hi claudiamontanez I have coated my old canes with oil but never soaked them in it. Would make an interesting Test Lab. Thanks for the suggestion!
yeah like the new kato i just got and premo, very hard to condition, almost makes me want to give up, its a mess. grrrr
I take my old clay (which I have lots of) and crumble it with my hands, put it in a disposable container, and cover it with baby oil. Then I let it sit for about a week. I condition it on a piece of cardboard (it's very messy) and I've revived white Premo, translucent Premo, and green Premo in this manner. The cardboard soaks up the extra oil and the color in Premo doesn't get diluted. Not sure about other clays, though! I am sorely tempted to try TLS now, since I have two bottles of it sitting around. Thanks for the video; nice job! I thought the umms were cute and very 'human' and didn't bother me at all. ;)
I've heard that mineral ("baby") oil will work. Anybody ever tried this???
I know this might be a stupid tip but. Use up all the canes ! Make it all so you don't waste canes! That way you have extra beads and stuff for surprise occasions? Just a tought!
Question, if canes can deteriorate like that, why dont just cut them all right after it's finished?
puppiesgoesrawr Because you may not have a use for them right away. (Some canes are huge and produce a ton of slices. If you slice them all up and don't use them right away, they cracking problem is even worse.)
I find that the best method of reviving any clay is by making it relatively thin then putting it under a hair dryer for about 30 seconds to a minute
I order most of my Premo from polymerclayexpress.com and they always seem to have fresh clay. I only keep a small stock on hand so that most of it is fairly soft when I begin to work with it. Still, I do have some dearly loved canes and would hate to toss them, so heating them is probably the best treatment. Thanks Cindy.
LindylooTwo, 13floater was just trying to help and give constructing critisism!
When you are trying to re-soften clay that has been over leached, it is important to just add whatever agent you are using to soften (any of the products I used in the video will work) in tiny amounts at a time so that you don't over do it. Something oil based like Sculpey Clay softener or Baby Oil just needs 1 drop at a time. With liquid clays, try a dime sized drop and with the clay based softeners like Sculpey Mold Maker & Fimo Quick Mix just use a pea sized ball at a time. Hope that helps!
Skip the cane, skip the scrap clay - I never consider anything "scrap". For me, I'd find a fantastic color or two to add in, and make something with the resulting "op-art" or swirls. Canes never really excited me, except to see what kind of swirls I could get from the colors. Even when my swirls and op art get down to the mud stage, I add in brighter colors and go with it all over again. Always random. For dried clay, I just keep squishing the crumbs together. It works with body oil/heat.
It might work Avi2Nyan. Why don't you test it, then come back and tell us how it went?
are u dehydrated u keep doing the dry sound
I guess it would depend on the cane if it was worth saving.
I know you are probably reluctant to recommend the method I use because it involves human body parts but I have had 99% success from placing the cane under my breast or in my armpit (usually under my breast so I can use my arm) for about 20 minutes.
Put your canes in the freezer they come out just as soft as they are when they went in. I wrap mine in foil if I am mixing canes and put all in a Zip-lock freezer gallon size bag. I have canes in there that are almost 10 years old no needing however you will need to let them firm up if you don't it will be just as soft I am not kidding you will mess up the design so easy.
+Lori Strout It is hard for me to understand your sentences without most of the interpunction. But I'm definitely going to try this.
put conditioner on canes before you store them
The description lol reviviving 0.0 xD
fixed :-)
Denise Reyes find BBC documentarys
I have great success with mineral oil and it comes without that baby smell.
Hi. I really love your videos.. I love your enthusiasm & excitement and your dedication to helping other clayers. The ONLY thing that bothers me is..is maybe your nerves or trying to talk while you're filming. All of the "UMs". It you could just delete the ums and ands..your tutorials would be so perfect. Not trying to be mean. Trying to be helpful. I love this one especially!!! So helpful! thank you very much!
This is very bad for your hands. A heat lamp might work.
A heat lamp is a good idea as long as the clay doesn't get too hot and start partially curing. Make sure to keep the temp under 100F and you should be ok.
Idk why I'm watching this 😑
It's really bothering me that you keep snapping your tongue against your mouth. x.x
It really bothers me you are rude