Baking Polymer Clay in Toaster Oven Without Burning 

So sorry to hear that happened to you! :( I do have several baking videos that should help you have better success next time. Good luck!

I like using this oven amzn.to/2QgOmSJ It is the perfect size and has been working well for me for over 6 years now. Here is my review I did on it back when I got it if you want to check it out: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-uiZMCfE0tec.html

Hi Ellen Hougland Yes Ellen you can use your regular oven if you wish. Thanks for commenting!

Hi bella lobitania it kind of depends on your oven. If it spikes a lot while heating up, then don't put your polymer clay in there until the temperature is pre-heated and stable. But if it just slowly heats up, then it's OK to put them in while it is getting up to temp. Either way, don't set your timer until your oven has preheated, so that you know they have baked for the full amount of time. Do use an oven thermometer though. Most ovens are not the temp that the dials says.

dream_keeper88 That should work, as long as the cup is heat resistant. You could easily tent the cup wit a piece of tinfoil as well, so it might be a good solution for you. But of course you will need to test it on something that is not super important first.... just to be sure you're getting a proper cure. Let us know how it works for you!

Dancing with you UrCocoaTea !

PolymerClayTutor Hi Cindy! I used this tip, which apparently is called a "heat sink" and it did work great! My temps stayed really consistent & my beads didn't burn or brown. Also, apparently this saves electricity compared to the oven cycling off & on a lot without it. I was reading some comments on another video and a user was saying that they did everything, tent, use an oven thermometer etc & their beads still burnt. Maybe their oven thermometer is faulty. That's not unheard of. As for me, I've been playing around with PC for several years now & I felt pretty confident about my skills. Now I realize that I'm still missing basic info (like this)! I think I'm going to go ahead & order your beginner's course. Because although strictly speaking I'm not a beginner, I am sure I will still learn a few things. Thanks again! ~now Back to the Beads :D~

That would be wonderful UrCocoaTea ! It really is a foundations course so it's not just for beginners. I think it will be great for you. Thanks for your wonderful comment! Here's a link to the course again if you need it: www.beadsandbeading.com/crse/01-more.html

Hi Jacqueline Gomez Sounds like your cardstock got too close to the elements or your oven was hotter than it was supposed to be. What you should do instead is fin a foil pan as a lid. Watch this video it shows what I mean: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3dhqyHEoafA.html

Hi Rebecca McCartney I am not surprised by the packaging changes. Over the years the way we bake polymer clay has changed and so some of the manufacturers have changed their advice as well. I bake Premo and Fimo for 1 hour, no matter the thickness, but at the temp recommended on the pack. And yes I would use the insulating tiles as well. Check out my channel... there are lots of videos on baking and more being added all the time that should help. Good luck!

+ImJymG I suggest using your normal oven then. Sounds like your oven is only for toasting things for a small amount of time. You can also find other toaster ovens with temperature choices though, if you are in america you can find one at walmart/target for 20-30$

They are getting pretty hard to find these days. I had them in my Amazon shop here: amzn.to/2MVVRf2 but they are currently unavailable. :( There aren't any similar products out there either. There is definitely a hole in the marketplace.

I love this convection oven Baking Polymer Clay in a Convection Oven but there are others suggestions on my blog at www.polymerclaytutor.com Just use the search box there to find more info on any polymer clay subject you need.

If you go to Google or some other search engine and put in your question, such as "polymer clay best toaster oven," a bunch of articles will usually come up. Go through a bunch of them and eventually you will either get an idea of the what the answer is for you or you'll find a very professional comparison that will answer the question well.

Hi Veola Sutherland are you using an oven thermometer? Your oven may be a lot hotter than your dial says it is. Also, it is not a problem to bake in your regular oven if you want. That is what most people do until they get a separate oven. If you find there is a plasticy smell in your oven after baking, then you may want to clean your oven before baking food in there. You can also bake inside a roasting pan with a lid, if you don’t want to have to clean your oven all the time. The manufacturers say that the product is safe to use, and it is certified non-toxic, so it should be fine.

If you find your oven is spiking, you may run into burning clay problems, I would try and use a more stable oven to bake your polymer clay.

Most brands of Polymer clay have been certified non-toxic to use in your home oven. If you have any concerns you can look at the Safety Data Sheets for the brand you're using.

Paper is fine in the oven at the low temperature that we bake polymer clay at. Just make sure it isn't near any elements or the walls of the oven and it won't burn.

Sorry to hear that happened to you. ☹

Not that I have ever heard of. Paper combusts at 451F and polymer clay bakes at 275F so there is no issue burning as long as it is nowhere near the elements. Of course you need to be smart about it.

you can make one out of aluminum foil baking pans, and tea light candles underneath (2 is good). Or a pop can with 1 tealight there is a video on youtube about it, but I find the baking pans work best.

You can boil water in a pot and put a ceramic plate on top of it, then put a paper and use some corn starch or baking soda to cover your pieces. Then cover the plate with the lid of the pot and start boiling the water. Try to maintain the temperature and boil for 45 min to 1h. Even if you over bake, it shouldn't be a problem, it won't burn, or it is less likely to burn out your art work.

Hi crafty day you might be able to use your snack toaster if it holds the correct temp (use and oven thermometer) and there is enough room to tent your pieces.

Thx PolymerClayTutor

It sounds like you got the paper too close to the element, which I did warn about. I have another video where I use a tin foil pan as a lid instead which sounds like a better solution for you. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3dhqyHEoafA.html Sorry to hear about your beads. Hopefully you can find a way to salvage them.

@@PolymerClayTutor Unfortunately there is no way to salvage them, but that's ok, live and learn. I do think as well that the paper was too close to the element. thanks for the reply

Hi Jennica Gradlie I am sorry to hear that happened to you. You could tell your grandma they were raisin earrings... :) Yes, the Toast setting was the problem. Toast is at something like 400 degrees F instead of the 275F that it should have been. Make sure to get an oven thermometer when you bake next time and follow my other baking advice. Don't give up... it will be better next time. Good luck!

Thanks so much for your response! I made my grandmother a new pair, made sure to put the dial on "bake", and it was fine. :) I do not have an oven thermometer yet but I hope to get one soon.

craftzy jenzy There is some videos on bubbles in clay and on baking clay in my channel that you should check out. That should help you to solve your bubble problems.

+Kathleen Anderson Yes it is always best to be cautious and that of course is my advice. There has been much talk about burning clay being 'toxic' but there is conflicting information about the smoke being just an 'irritant' rather which can bother small pets and people with breathing issues, but that it is not actually 'toxic'. From a logic point of view, think about this... polymer clay has been around for more than 50 years and many people have had the 'opportunity' to burn it... if the burnt clay was toxic, wouldn't have there been many injuries/illnesses resulting in many law suits over the years and a banning of the product all together? I have not heard of a single incident in my years of doing polymer clay, so my concerns are very slim. But if you or anyone else has any concerns, a dedicated oven with good ventilation would be the best way to go.

+Kathleen Anderson The clay is certified non-toxic and was designed for use in your home oven. If you are worried about it, you can bake in an enclosed pan. See my other videos on baking for more information.

I've never heard that one. I'm quite sure the only issue is baking clay ON things that you use to prepare food (not cooking food on the baking pans/trays that you use to bake your clay pieces) As Cindy mentioned polymer clay is meant to be cured in an oven so I think you may have gotten some incorrect info.