Does anyone here work with polymer clay?

[debm55]

I was wondering if anyone else is having problems with the quality of the product. Mine is so hard. Amazon will not give me my money back as I opened the one lb package,
Thank you.

[woodsprite]

1. Yes! I haven't bought any since the beginning

Of COVID. I stocked up quite a bit then, but I’m needing to get more. All my polymer clay groups have been complaining about it being hard and crumbly. I’ve opened a few colored packs that are like that, and I’ve used the clay softener drops and worked it in very well. I also have been able to revive the consistency by mixing it with a bit of another brand that is softer or a bit of translucent.

Which brands do you work with?

[debm55]

3. It is the translucent.

I sliced into it and crumpled all over. Screwed up my pasta machine. Heck I even used a mallet on it. I use Sculpey Premo. Intended to use to make faux gemstones. So I decided to buy it from Sculpey directly. Same problem. What clay softener did you use? I tried Sculpey liquid translucent.
Thank you

[Old Crank]

2. My reading

with no direct experience for years, indicate that the stuff needs to be conditioned by kneading or rolling with a pasta roller.
The above comment mentioned adding just a bit of the 'thinner'

Could be that the stocks have gotten old because it sat on the shelf for most of covid.

Best of luck

[debm55]

4. I think the stocks are old.

i use Sculpey Pemo as I make faux gemstones. The transulent is important to get the right look. Mallet used--no luck. Pasta machine used--disaster. Liquid sculpey--total mess. Might try a different brand like Cernut or Fimo.

thank you

[woodsprite]

5. I use either the Fimo or Sculpey brand clay softener

I sculpt with Sculpey Premo and Cernit. In my experience, Cernit translucent seemed more crumbly than Sculpey, but I think it bakes more clear, less of a warm overtone.

The clay softener is clear and an oil-like consistency as an additive. I do a lot of faux gemstones as well. My daughter said “did you tell her to put it in her bra to warm it slightly”. So now I’ve mentioned that, but it might be a bit TMI

[debm55]

6. Is it called clay softener?

I used sculpey liquid transparent. Is that the same?

[woodsprite]

11. It's different. I just checked mine, it's

https://www.amazon.com/Sculpey-Liquid-Clay-Softener/dp/B000AMLQQU/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?crid=3CC977MCMLZW3&keywords=polymer+clay+softener+liquid&qid=1665355593&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIyLjk1IiwicXNhIjoiMS45OCIsInFzcCI6IjEuOTEifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=clay+softener+liquid%2Caps%2C138&sr=8-4

It literally looks/feels like baby oil (but don’t substitute). The way I do it is either chop the clay up or grate it, pull it into a pile, put a few drops of clay softener on and work it into the clay by kneading it. Sometimes I have to repeat this process 2-3 times before I have a workable product.

[debm55]

12. Thank you for the info.

I'll go to Amazon and check it out.

[debm55]

16. Thanks

I got the last bottle. I wonder why???

[electric_blue68]

7. No info but happy to see some people here working with it...

as I had enough drawing, very occasional painting, unique wire jewelry making, and yarn craft to do; I sort of had to restrain my self.

I did though make some small cane - so fun!

I originally bought the quivalent of printers CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow & black) to make color sampler of little spheres - the whole rainbow as many fully saturated colors I could make.

The Black I used to make shaded of the same by pinching off some, and I bought white to make pale, and super pale colors pinching off more of the vivid one.

I strung them on brass wire rods. Never fired them.

Want to make them again. Maybe squarish (we'll see).

And maybe try one more elaborate cane.

Anyone show your work?

Sorry you've ended up with 😑 bad materials!

[debm55]

8. your work sounds very unique

I tried canes years ago. Too hard for me.

[electric_blue68]

14. Thanks ...

I didn't do enough to really see how unique my work actually would/could have been.

I did the sphere color thing bc I love color swatches.
I'm the kind of person who has had batches of paper color swatches for indoor house/apt paints - just to have the colors, not to go and buy paint(s).

Here and there I have bits of swatches for other materials.

If I'd had gone ahead, and successfully fired some clay just to test that I could - I might have then pinched some clay off of each color (would have had to be smallish since I'd already had pinched off some from each full colored sphere), pierced a hole, and made a necklace of colored beads color samples. 🥰

[debm55]

15. Color swatches

When I taught art in school, I had all these projects for swatches. In fact I had a Pinterest page devote to all kinds of projects grouped by seasonal, holidays, artists, and grades. One group was for making things pot of paint swatches .It is still on my pinterest page; I have some very funny stories about how I got all the paint swatches.








i





lol

[electric_blue68]

17. Cool. And for you teaching art. 👍 Please tell me a story if you want to.

[debm55]

18. I used to go to Walmart paint

because no one worked there. I would hit all the Lowes, Home Depot, Builders Square, etc. in my area. Had tons of swatches. But got caught at Home Depot. I loved teaching but couldn't teach Art fulltime. So, I went to Pitt and got my Masters in Elementary and Gifted Education. Art and Science were my favorite subjects. Mixed both together. Made it fun. Even used cooking in Science. And hatched chicken and duck eggs. Brought my kid's playpen in as the ducks kept following me around, down the gall, lunch, etc. I started teacjing in 1978, took two years off when we adopted my son. Decided I could have it all and returned to work. Six years ago, I decided to go for my Doctoral in Art Therapy. I only did three classes as I tripped over a bookbag and fell down the steps and got a concussion. Private school would not call for an ambulance. So I drove home (10 miles) took some Advil and went to sleep. Went through therapy to walk, talk and keep my balance. Never got a cent from the school. In fact, I was fired for missing to many days.

[electric_blue68]

20. Hahahahaaaaaaa... about the swatches...

"Busted!" 😄
(Apologies for laughing)

I love a bunch of the Sciences as well. At least you got to teach 2 subjects you really enjoyed! Like you over lapping when possible.

Baby duckies! 🥰 How adorable.
They sure imprinted on you! 😄


Omg what horrific experience!!! The accident itself, and the shameless cruel way your employer neglected you!
You had the life will, and determination to get back what sounds a lot of what you lost. 👍 Hopefully with support, and care from family, friends, and good staff.


And I just I happen to read your OP (with some others chiming in) on being a real looong time lurker a while earlier.

Congrats on jumping into the pool.
I otoh found DU briefly on-line in the 1st, or 2nd year that they started(!) at a Netcafe.
I did not have a WiFi, let alone a computer at that point, so I didn't follow it.

Then in mid '20 a rock band site with a off-topic Political sub forum had just too little commentary for that year (w drumphf running); I went looking around were I could get more (plus no one on that site remembered RFK June 5-8) in particular that year.

DU's Name from alllll the way back when came floating up out of my Memory Banks. I typed in the full name and
Violá! Merci there it was! 👍 So I've been here ever since. I lurked for a tiny bit, then jumped in. Since I had a long time on the other site for 10+ years I was used to being in an on-line forum.

[debm55]

21. Thank you.

Still trying to get used to all the ins and outs of posting.

[electric_blue68]

22. Yw.

[eppur_se_muova]

9. No, but I went to school with him years ago ... basically a nice guy.

Never did ask where he got his weird nickname.

[debm55]

19. I think you posted on the wrong thread,

or are you talking about my husband?

[marble falls]

10. Try warming it a bit. All clays are not equal. You may have to try different ones until ...

... find the one you like.

[debm55]

13. Thank you.

I'm going to order some different brands from Amazon and the softner