I'm Ginger Davis Allman and I write The Blue Bottle Tree, which is full of polymer clay information and tutorials. It's the go-to website to find your answers for such polymer clay mysteries as how to bake the clay properly, what varnishes to use, which is the best brand of clay, and which tools you really do need. Come visit me at www.thebluebottletree.com.
Thank you! I'm new to polymer clay and I'm using Fimo soft and it's sticking to the acrylic surface. I was using the blade flat to scrape and getting all sorts of distortions. Thanks for this tip!
I'm glad it was helpful. You might want to skip the acrylic surface and go for a glass or glossy ceramic tile. You'll have much better control and it won't get all scratched up.
I see i commented on this video already but i have a new idea. I don't know if you take requests or suggestions for video topics but id love to see a video on how to mix tints into translucent clays including with a polymer clay color too and not just with dyes and inks. It's annoying trying to figure out the mix ratio. I did look at your website with the blue translucent premo circles but mine came out looking hella dark in comparison to all yours even though we're both using the same clays, cobalt blue and translucent premos. Specifically i used white translucent premo but i hardly see a difference so by preference i stick to white translucent since it's a little on the whiter spectrum. I also rolled them at #2 thickness because it's the thickness of all my color mixes but i hardly think it would make much of a difference in translucency if i rolled it at #1, i just know the thinner the clay the more translucent so i keep that in mind. I bake everything for an hr so i don't know if that plays into why they're not as translucent, but i doubt that's the problem because i have a plain baked piece of white translucent rolled to the same thickness and baked for the same amount of time and i can see words through it on book pages.... Besides mines looking as dark as regular cobalt blue rather than the aqua color blue on your circles, mines aren't that translucent to begin with, it's there but not like your examples where you can see it getting more and more lighter in color and more translucent. How i mixed mine was cutting squares in 8ths and adding more and more translucent triangles cut and adding each time it to 1 cobolt blue triangle trying to make a gradient of progressively more and more translucent swatches. I suck at figuring out what was stated in instructions unless i see a visual example. I didn't do the full 5 like you did, i did only 4 and my 4th one is the most translucent of them all and it's not that translucent at all, it just shows shadows behind it but nothing looking like my fingers behind it at all, just blurry shadows. I'll keep the 4th one since it is a kind of translucent, it's similar to how a papaya cut in half looks like say if you made a miniature papaya for doll houses, that level of realism translucency for a papaya, but i didn't achieve anything as translucent as say like grapes, orange slices, strained glass or anything like that. The 4th one was mixed with 4 to 1 translucent and cobalt blue. I guess i have to go with far greater amounts of translucent, and this time going by 3s rather than adding one extra translucent like i did with these.
How can you tell if a machine is a 'new' one (online)? Most photos on shops online do not show the underside or give a production date. Nowhere near me has any instore to look at one... (I am in Australia)
Very useful thank you! Is sanding and buffing compatible with clay painted with acrylic paint? Is it also compatible with non flat surface clay pieces? Thanks
Wow! And here I was planning on ordering a UV Resin kit to start my polymer clay journey! Thank you for the info! I just happened to come across your website then noticed you have videos here on RU-vid so I just subscribed. I was actually trying to find the difference between Sculpy PREMO brand's regular translucent and white translucent after baking and clicked on your website. I am happy I did and look forward to learning more from your expertise! Thank you!
Welcome! I don't prioritize RU-vid, but you'll find everything on my website and some on the other main socials. I also share exclusive content in my emails, so you might want to get signed up for those, too!
Awesome! I’m always nervous to store clay in plastic containers because I’ve had a few bad experiences so I use WAYYy too many zip baggies and I honestly hate it because it just looks like a pile of garbage on my desk. THANK YOU!!!!
Do they need to be sealed after baking if you’ve applied them just to the surface of the clay? Love using my metallic rub ons post bake but they seem to need a sealer.
They generally bond the the clay quite well and don't rub off with gentle wiping. However, they're just a thin layer on the surface and will therefore be fragile against scratches or heavy wear. In that case, several coats of a hard varnish will give you a bit more durability.
No, it is not brand-specific, I have BickKrylic and it dries sticky and it does not make a difference which clay I use, sculpy or fimo, it just sucks! I have had minimal success thinning it with water, but finding the just right consistency is hit-and-miss at best. It can be cleaned off though with alcohol, a buffing wheel, and some patience, all is not lost, just a little time lost is all. Then go get some Varathane Polyurethane Gloss and get happy. I am referring to polymer clay stones like faux turquoise, I don't know about anything else like paintings or such.
Are you supposed to put the sealer on before or after baking? For context regarding polymer clay jewellery covered in mica powder (before baking). I've baked heaps of pieces and only realised after that the mica powder rubs off after wear..
Hello, I've read your article about cutters but I can't find the solution to my problem. When I use cutters on polymer clay, the pieces come out with a sunken center. The cutters I use are sharp. This happens with both soft and rigid clay. Could you tell me what the problem might be?
When the cutter pushes through the clay, that excess clay has to go somewhere. It tends to mound up a bit around the edges, making the center look sunken. This is accentuated by cutters that mash the edges rather than cut, or when the clay is super soft. The solution is to flatten the pieces after cutting by laying paper on the top and rubbing the tops ever so gently with something flat like an espresso tamper or even an inverted tile.
I have a disability and can't use the pasta maker anymore for my clay and find hand conditioning very difficult. Do you have any alternative ways you can suggest?
Question: Do you need to preheat the oven before you put the pieces in? How soon can you add new pieces to an already warm oven? Thank you for posting!
I always recommend preheating because many ovens spike super intensely as they preheat. So get your oven stable first, then put your pieces in. This is where a thermometer comes in. Open the door very quickly, minimizing heat loss.
@@seapossumsforrest8162 Yay! By the way, the videos here are just quickie social media leftovers. My website is where the juice is. Hundreds of in-depth articles about polymer clay. thebluebottletree.com Enjoy!
@@thebluebottletree Aaaaahh gotcha thanks! I notice when using an extruder that if it’s the slightest too firm, shapes like the square come out with cracks/splits along the corner edges. Doing it really slow usually helps that, but ow..
@@ION400 Yeah, just the nature of the beast. Polymer is non-Newtonian and it gets super stiff and will crack when you put rapid pressure on it. The solution is to make it warmer, less viscous, and move it more slowly.
How long do you bake the 1.4mm clay for please, the instructions just say how long for a quarter inch, it's Fimo soft earrings I've made which is 110° for 30 mins for the 1/4 "
I also think in the beginning color recipes are great for someone to see how different colors work together, and to get over the fear of mixing in general. 😊
YT is annoying that I can't upload a full caption. Have a look at the full post on Instagram. I explored this in more detail where I had more characters spaces! Though, there's no need for fear. It's just clay!
This particular pattern is done with a technique called mokume gane using a branching texture sheet. While I don't go into detail on this particular pattern, it does include the information required to make something quite similar.
Do you have to bake it longer on a ceramic tile than on an oven tray? i found mine came out softer and more flexible than previous times I have baked on a regular tray
I'm still trying to figure out how to judge whether the clay is too soft or not. If i use a shape cutter on a slab and am unable to lift the cut piece without it distorting a little, is that too soft? I need to be able to lift and transfer the cut pieces to my baking surface without them distorting. 🤨
To an extent, it's personal preference. Blade skills are learned, and newbies will struggle with distortion. But going firmer with your clay is nearly always a good idea if you're still finding the shapes distort easily. They should pick up like a piece of cheddar cheese, not like a slice of American, if that makes sense!
