Brilliant! I used the whole egg in vinager as a science experiment with my foster children! It was great fun! Today you brought back wonderful memories and gave me a great technique!!
Great tutorial! You might consider getting some citric acid powder (used for dyeing wool and other animal protein fibre, yarn and fabric). You can mix it to be a bit stronger than the typical 5% concentration of acetic acid in vinegar and it has barely any scent at all. After you remove the inner membrane, that allows the acid to come into contact with all the areas of egg shell that had previously been protected by contact with the poly clay. As you demonstrated, a weak acid soak doesn't do anything to the membrane (might even make it stronger, if my vague recollection from biology class is accurate). So another soak would get rid of any problems in removing egg shell.
So going to make this! I have collected some eggs and I think I will try 2 thin layers of polymer clay in different colors, so that the inside shows up differently from the outside. Question: why do I have to bake the egg, rather than just let it dry, since everything will dissolve away anyhow? (Being lazy here, 😜)
I think it just helps to dry it, make the inside more brittle and settle it down ready for clay. That said, I'm not 100% sure, I took that advice from elsewhere. ;) xx
I’m thinking the clay wouldn’t b hard enough because it hadn’t cured. U need to set the clay first, or u would just smush your clay, trying to pull the actual egg through the holes. Imo?
Love this tutorial! Will share on my blog (beadinggem) So much fun! Citric acid powder is a good alternative - it can be dissolved in warm water and the extra heat will hasten the calcium carbonate (egg shell) and acid reaction.
I've seen several tutorials on these eggs. A lot of cool designs! However, I haven't found one that tells how long to soak the egg in vinegar. So I'm cautious here. Also, could it hurt to lightly coat the in oil or dust it with corn starch prior to applying clay to egg? (It seems to me that this would make separating the shell from finished product much easier)
I soak mine late afternoon and overnight but take the hideous egg sac out at some point. I replace the vinegar with a new lot before I go to bed. Not sure if this is totally necessary but it gets it bubbling again. One thing I tried, with some success, is giving the egg a thin coat of Renaissance Wax but you don't want to protect the egg from the vinegar, or make the clay unable to stick. When the shell becomes fragile I poke holes, to help it sink and dissolve from inside. Hope that helps. x
The process is great! I'd forgotten about the calcium melt with vinegar from science class 50 years ago! LOL look at that! Maybe some day we will finally need to use algebra too!! HAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHA
Wrapping an egg with a skinner blend would be pretty too. When you're trying to get the egg pieces out, what if you used a small brush to go in the holes? That may help break the pieces and make the removal quicker. On the green one, you could add some gilders paste to jazz it up. Love this idea btw!
This is for the Unruly Housewife: Hi! I simply love your accent and your creative tutorials! I have been learning a lot about polymer clay and it’s infinitely of uses. I really enjoyed the hollow egg, it looks easy enough. And it provides a good place to hide essential oils! At least I think it will, I am excited to see how it works! . I really believe in good quality essential oils and sometimes I come across a situation that could use the oils, like to aid in sleeping, a little lavender, for extra energy some peppermint! And now I will be able to mix my art. With another old art. The Art of Aromatherapy! Can’t wait to try as cute design and add oils and see what happens! Thank you so much for all the help, time, energy and knowledge that I have been able to get from you! Happy Spring! Laura
Dearheart, listening to you is anything but boring!! Go on and on all you want because you have at least one avid subbie who loves going absolutely nowhere with you! Lol
This was a great tutorial I will probably make some when we get closer to Easter! But somehow the part where you removed the egg shell from the hollow polymer egg made me think of an sci fi alien movie LOL, it was a bit disgusting …. can’t wait to do this in front of some of my more sensitive friends HA HA ;)
The only issue I had with this was carbon dioxide on the inside of the egg shell causing it to float. I had to shake it several times in the first few hours to dislodge those pesky levitating gas bubbles. Soaking overnight left the clay virtually clear of any traces of shell.
I’ve never tried making anything with clay yet but saw this tutorial and liked it but can you explain to me why you have to soak the eggshell, I mean why can’t you bake the clay and then poke something in the holes to smash the eggshell out?
Have you had issues with any of these clay eggs being brittle after the vinegar soak? I soaked clay pieces in pysanky dye, fabric dye and natural dye made from vinegar and herbs/flowers, and after baking the clay was very dry and brittle. After about a year the pieces fell apart. I used Premo, Sculpey and Bakeshop and they all seemed to react that way.... Clarification -I put the clay in the vinegar BEFORE I baked it; I wonder if that made a difference.
sweets08816 No - it goes in the vinegar after being baked and is absolutely fine. I have some I made a couple of years ago and I could drop them on the floor without them breaking. 😊
Love it . You really just needed a white coat for the science bit lol. I am really enjoying your channel. These would look great in metallic colours at Xmas piled in a bowl. Must try Thanks for sharing.
My granddaughter is just starting with clay. She lives far away, so we cant clay together, but everytime I find an awesome you tuber for her to subscribe to I send it along. She would love this tute as much as I did
Thanks for the great idea! I just subscribed, so I'm off to learn more from you. I just discovered polymer clay and I'm hooked!😊🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 So many possibilities!
The eggshell is REALLY strong actually, so it needs the vinegar to weaken it... I think. Hmmm... If I make one again I'll try. Or you try it and let me know! :)
Can't wait to try that, except for pulling out that gross lining, that was hilarious. These would make lovely gifts. Thanks for sharing how to do this. ☺
Thanks! If you look on my FB page "Torn Up Art" you'll see (in photos) some eggs I made ages ago. I built them out of vines and stuff but that was crazily difficult.
Yes! I have a collaboration video on here somewhere, where we made Exotic Plants and mine was a Jungle Egg. If you search my channel and Jungle Egg I think you will find it. Extruded clay was the base layer. xx
I know this is very late in the game, but thank you for a great (as always!) tutorial!! Along with using a bit of corn starch/corn flour I wonder if applying a thin coat of Kato Repel Gel would work? It stops clay from sticking to itself when making fitted lids on boxes or when making Inros, it may work for this too?
I had disappointing results with Repel Gel (on a different project) so I haven't tried it with this. I suspect my product might have been old, defective, or stored wrong in the past... That said it could work! Experiment and see what happens! 🤔🙂
@@UnrulyHousewife Thank you for the reply but sorry, I'm afraid I can't, I don't eat eggs. I've been trying to think of what I can do, besides maybe making them on a wooden egg in 2 parts and joining them after baking...
What a great idea. I had purchased some paper mache eggs from a craft store intending to use them and cover them like dragon eggs. Imagine my surprise when I cut into one to make it opened up like a dragon had hatched from it to find the egg was actually some horrid plastic thing covered in a very thin sheet of paper. Ugh. Who knows what might have happened to that plastic in the oven.
Wulfgeist it doesn't usually do anything when you put plastic eggs in the oven at the lower temps needed to bake polymer clay- I have found that you might get a slight plastic smell, but the egg tends to stay intact. Some very cheap brands do warp slightly...
Fun tutorial! Instead of squeezing the clay egg to release the eggshell from inside, wouldn't rolling it back and forth across your work surface be more effective? I'm going to try it and find out! Thanks for the inspiration!
Great tutorial! I have to try this. Sara from myserenitycrafts mentioned you in a recent video of her's. She watches your videos only she couldn't remember your channel name. She called you the Mad Housewife, which I thought was really funny and probably very appropriate Lol. But maybe it should be the Mad Scientist Housewife hahaha! Seriously, I really like this tutorial I can picture a bowl filled with these eggs in different colors and cut out shapes. Thanks and hugs!
Hahaha! You're welcome. I'm thrilled she has mentioned me but it'd help if she knew my name hahaha! I like her, she's excellent viewing and her stuff is stunning. I'm subscribed to her. xx
+Unruly Housewife if it makes you feel better she did later on say you were the Unruly Housewife not the Mad One. So maybe you'll get some watcher channeled to your site from her's.
Very cool! I had a weird thought while watching you pick out the egg shell. I wonder if you could use a peeled hard boiled egg that has been left to dry out a little before building the clay on it. I think it would be easier to get that out of the baked clay egg.
Applying the mica powder helps, as you smooth it over. Mostly I have very cold hands and I try to have a light touch. If you don't use mica powder I'd sand with wet and dry sandpaper to finish. I use 400, 600, 800 and then 1000 grit.
If you pokeaholein the egg then get the egg part out youd have just a shell then you could wrap te clay around the shell and you wouldnt have anything to get out of the clay egg except maybe that membrane sac
Thank you, Unruly Housewife! What a GREAT idea! You are so creative, and I love your videos! I wonder if you tried breaking the shell through the holes without soaking it in vinegar if it would work. The clay might stick to the shell though. Anyway....THANK YOU for spending your time helping us learn more about polymer clay!! :-)
Wow, chemistry at work! You never cease to amaze me with your innovative techniques! I just love your channel! You are so much fun to watch. And I think using notes so you can remember things is more common place these days. Although I keep mine; and I have got literally tons of them; on my phone lol. Thank you for another brilliant and educational video.
Haha, noooo Doreen, step away from the balloon! Best not put a balloon in the oven, things would get ugly fast... The egg is so much fun to dissolve anyway. :D
Hello, I'm a recent subscriber, love your channel. I'm just starting mine will be showing off my dragon eyes pretty soon and these eggs would be wonderful to go with them. I was wondering if it's possible to cut off the front part sort of like a faberge' egg or make it look like it cracked open into two parts after baking. This would make removing the shell super easy, lol. TFS, HUGS!
Couldn't the egg just sit longer in the vinegar until the rest dissolves? I have had one sit for a few days in vinegar when teaching my kids about it and it totally dissolved. Would that hurt the clay to sit longer in the vinegar?
Even though this is a art clay(silver clay-metal) challenge. How would you get something say like a object inside the egg? Like a tiny bird made from say poly clay
Not sure how the vinegar would affect art clay, but assuming it was ok... I'd make a hole in the shell big enough to insert the bird (maybe cut a hole with a Dremel? Not sure). After putting the pre-baked bird in, I'd cover the hole with wet paper/tissue and allow it to harden (some layers, like paper mache). Then I'd do the clay egg over it all. Baking should be fine. Whilst the shell is dissolving in the vinegar, the wet paper should fall apart. I'm guessing though.
Suzette Kath now, THAT is a great idea. I watched the video (thanks for the idea, especially the vinegar trick), but I couldn't figure out what was missing. An internal focal point. If the bird or whatever has a tiny hole so it can be suspended on clear fishing line type thread, that would make it super fun!
Suzette Kath I have done shapes with something inside (I did a mouse inside a piece of cheese, cow inside a UFO, big fish in tiny tank-they were all Beads of Courage so they were about an inch wide) by putting the inner object inside wax then carving the wax into the shape I wanted and covering it with clay, then baking so the wax drips out. Then I would do the final details and bake again. I have to try the inner object idea with an egg....
Unruly Housewife have you heard of using a mixture of... I think it was cornstarch and something else... can't remember it exactly. but I think I saved the recipe somewhere on my PC. I'll see if I can find it. I think it also used a small piece of stocking. Not sure. But the point is it enables you to make hollow things in more shapes. Plus there's something I saw just today about using play doh as a former. Hmm have to hunt it all up tomorrow if I remember.
I have used the Christi Friesen method of molding wet toilet paper, letting it go hard and dry, baking clay on it and then soaking it to get the paper out...