[Grace] resin-like clay

Product Information

When buying a sealer for air-dry clay you have several options available. The most commonly seen being; I’m very sad to say that at this point of my Crystal Clay experience I ran out of blanks to fill but still had lots of clay and stones left over. It’s been a week or more since I was last able to set crystals into clay and I now find myself looking around the house for things to cover in clay and sparkle up. It doesn’t just have to be jewellery items. Fridge magnets? Mobile phone covers? I need to do more. Now…..where’s the cat?….he’s been looking rather dull of late…..

Next in line in terms of price would be polyurethane and acrylics. Poly is slightly more expensive but not by much and provides a much more resilient finish. Both can be had as liquids or in sprays, and come in a wide variety of finishes. Measure the two parts into a marked medicine cup. Don’t dump out the first part before adding part two. Just add it to the top, using the correct lines on the cup. (eg. pour part A to the 10ml marking, then add part B to reach the 20ml mark) Try to use measuring cups that don’t have little tabs around the inside bottom. That makes it hard to scrape out the resin. Air-dry clay has a much softer feeling, like Play-Doh or Model Magic. It’s more moldable than pottery clay and is more flexible to work with. The real art of this particular product is in the placing of the stones into the clay. I’ve seen pieces where anything goes regarding pattern and these can be very eye-catching but I’m not very confidant in my abilities to pull that off so placed the stones in a regular and symmetrical pattern. I became more adventurous with my second attempt and chose a heart shaped pendant which I filled to overflowing with gold clay for a nice big fat chunky pendant and placed the stones to make a flower with a decorative trim at the three corners of the heart. Resin can make a good shiny coating, but if your item has a lot of texture, you’ll be happier using a varnish for this. Even light-bodied resin is still quite viscous and can make subtle texture disappear.I had heard that it was possible to make a marbled effect by combining two different colour clays so, being an adventurous “try anything once” kinda girl, I had to give that a go. Once I’d reached a comfortable level of skill with the clay I set about making purple and silver marble.

Resinsare quite hard after curing and are crystal clear. The surface will be extremely glossy and can’t be easily peeled or lifted from a project. While you can apply resin to curved pieces, it is an advanced technique, so I only recommend applying resin to flat pieces until you have a really good feel for how to use it. Resin is lovely on sparkly or mica-covered projects as it will intensify the sparkle. Resin is a rewarding finish, but it has a huge learning curve, and your first few projects will likely incur a few tears and swear words. Always apply resin after baking your polymer clay project. It cannot be baked. There are three types of clear-coat resins as follows. UV resin uses ultraviolet light to trigger, or catalyze, the chemical reaction that causes the resin to become hard. You can use a light with a special ultraviolet bulb, such as a nail lamp or an ultraviolet flashlight. Because the sun also emits ultraviolet light, you can use the sun to cure your UV resin as well. I have the Lisa Pavelka UV Light and it works well. When varnishing flat pieces, our choice is most often spraying. Once you develop the technique it is really fast and easy to do. The secret is using long sweeping strokes. Because it’s just a thin skin, varnish conforms to whatever texture or flaws you have on the surface of your clay and can therefore accentuate flaws. You should make your surface quite smooth before baking and applying varnish. (You can also make your polymer clay smooth after baking by sanding it.)

Resources, guides & advice from the jewellery making experts

The first thing is you can’t rush the drying of your clay. Our best advice is to allow your air-dry clay projects to dry according to the manufacturer’s recommendations and then give them an extra 24-48 hours to make sure it is completely dry. Resin is a wonderful material that does what it does very well. There is no substitute that matches it exactly. But by understanding which features you’re seeking, such as gloss or protection, you can make a better decision about which resin alternatives you want to use for your polymer clay work. Personally, I use all of these finishes (including resin) for different projects because they have such different features, results, and appearances.

Because waxes apply as a microscopically thin layerto polymer clay, they will do nothing to protect mica powder, glitter, paint, or metal leaf from wear or abrasion and can even remove them. You will not get a glossy shine with a wax. Instead, you’ll get a burnished sheen, but only when used on an already smooth surface.Wax applied to a textured surface will be white and unattractive. Regular and paper air-dry clay can be warmed to 200 degrees Fahrenheit (93 Celsius) to make them dry faster. However, any hotter than this and you risk them catching on fire. Air-dry clays can be very flammable. This is especially true of paper clays. This includes artists’ varnishes, wood varnishes, glazes sold by the clay manufacturers themselves, and even floor finishes. These products are typically clear to milky white liquids. Some are off-white. Once dried, most willform a stretchy plastic filmover your work. It’s best to use a soft brush and apply several thin coats. Brush strokes can be an issue with this category of finish. Applying varnish to heavily textured projects canresult in pooling and air bubbles. Varnishes do not camouflage surface imperfections such as fingerprints. Rather, they accentuatethem. Varnishes are inherently glossy, but can be made to have a satin, semi-gloss, or matte finish by using matting agents. Matting agents are particles that dull the shine of the varnish. Always stir these containers before use, as the matting agent can settle in the bottom, leaving just the glossy varnish at the top of the bottle. I’ll now break down this Varnish category into two types, Acrylic Varnish and Polyurethane Varnish. Air-dry clay is wonderful to work with for novices and experts alike. Many of the techniques you can use with it easily transfer over to working with ceramics and pottery. This makes it an ideal introductory medium for people just starting to explore working with clay. It also makes air-dry clay an inexpensive way for experienced crafters to perfect their skills.Resin flows like syrup, and if your surface isn’t level, the resin will spill over and make a mess. Make sure the table you’re pouring onto is level. Acrylic paint will seal air dry clay but only to a certain extent. Most acrylic paint is water-resistant but will not make your air-dry clay pots waterproof. Unlike polymer clay, air dry clay is water-soluble. To be made waterproof it has to be completely coated with a waterproof coating like epoxy or polyurethane. Most Acrylic paints, including outdoor acrylics, are water-resistant not waterproof. Will Air-Dry Clay dissolve in water?

I’m adding this as a catch-all category because there are some glues that can be used as a polymer clay glaze, sealer, or varnish. Mod Podge Correct any flaws that you find now. It will be much more difficult to take corrective action later. Move your project from whatever working surface that you have been using and place it on top of the paper covering your baking sheet. Depending on how moist you work your clay and how long it has been setting, you may want to let your piece firm up before transferring it. Common brands of epoxy resin are Envirotex Lite, Easy Cast, Amazing Clear Cast, Little Windows, and ICE Resin. Doming, Coating, and Casting Resins Yes, many air-dry clays are flammable. That is why they should never be heated past 200 degrees Fahrenheit (93 Celsius). Exceeding these temperatures can result in the spontaneous combustion of your work. Does baking air-dry clay make it stronger?

Doodlecraft

While not strong enough to display outside without an additional sealer, acrylic paints work great for decorative pottery you plan to display inside your home.