Polymer Clay - Should it Still Be Flexible After Baking?
Вставка
- Опубліковано 15 вер 2024
- Video #489: It depends on the thickness, but yes, polymer clay does stay somewhat flexible. More Info: www.beadsandbea... Polymer Clay Tutor.
Topics Covered In This Video:
* A very common beginner baking question.
* Is it normal for my polymer clay to still be bendy after baking?
* Help, Did I do something wrong?
* Polymer clay is not like regular earthen clay that cures rock hard.
* Polymer clay, like Premo Sculpey for example, remain flexible when baked, especially when thin.
* In this video I show samples of baked polymer clay at various thicknesses, and bend them to show how much flexibility you should expect.
* 2-3 playing cards thick = very flexible
* 6-8 playing cards thick = slightly flexible
* 14-16 playing cards thick = very stiff
* Temperature can affect flexibility. Cool Temps = Stiffer. Warm Temps = More Flexible
* Some coatings will affect stiffness, some won't.
* Thin flexible coating like Aleene's Jewelry Gel will not make the piece stiffer.
* Thick Resin coatings like UV Resin Lisa Pavelka's Magic Glos, will make the piece much stiffer.
* The short answer to "Should it Bend?" is "Yes. Depends on the thickness how much it'll bend."
* Related Video: Aleene's Jewelry Pendant Gel... www.beadsandbea...
* Related Video: Using UV Epoxy Resin on Polymer Clay... www.beadsandbea...
* Related Video: Mermaid Scales Tutorial... www.beadsandbea...
* Q&A... www.beadsandbea...
* Polymer Clay Tutor... "Make what you love... Love what you make."
10 years later after you upload this. It's still so helpful for us who are just beginning
Thank you so much for your kind comment! Doug and I try to make our content as evergreen as possible, so that even if it is old content, it is still relevant. I am very pleased that this was helpful for you! 🙂
Still completely relevant 6 years later 💕💓 Thankyou for quelling my worries! I can now make my oversized heart dangles without worrying if they’ll break in the mail!!!
Thank you for having an answer for every question that new creators do.
Our pleasure!
I just discovered your channel a couple days ago and man have I learned so much already. I've dabbled with polymer clay some but lately have wanted to step it up. So have been watching tons of videos from various people. Thank you so much for teaching me some of the things I need to know to do the project with my daughter and 10 yr. old granddaughter next week.
Thank you so much for this tip, Cindy! Being very new to polymer clay, I was curious about this. I mounted a gemstone in my very first polymer clay pendant, but accidentally made it too thin. :| After baking, I checked to make sure the stone was held in well at the bezel by twisting/flexing the piece and it popped out and went flying across the room. Nobody was injured, thankfully. But I will most definitely be making my pendants thicker in the future. PS: Your haircut and color looks beautiful in this vid. Your stylist does great work. ;)
😂LOL I can just picture that gemstone flying across the room and smacking someone in the head!! Yeah, you will need to play around with your designs to figure out the best construction for the look you want. That's the fun part though, isn't it? 🙂 Enjoy!
That was sooooo helpful thank you !! I just started with polymer clay and I though I was doing something wrong. Thanks for clarifying!
Thank you so much! I was freaking out that my first pair of earrings were so flexible. I'll go a bit thicker next time but will still expect some bend❤
Is there a way to make it more "bendy" then? With thicker amounts that is.
Try Sculpey Bake and Bend. Even thicker pieces are bendy with that stuff.
PolymerClayTutor hey cool, thanks!
I really enjoy every tutorial of yours that I have watched. Please keep making them!!!!
Hello..My name is Raj ...from India...i watch most of all your videos and its really nice of you to share ideas about clay and its work...My wife wants to start small business of clay jewellery ...hope she will be more thankful to you .....take care god bless you
Thank you so much for sharing your expertise! I recently made some embellishments intended for a project. Even after following your advice in another video to bake for at least an hour, they came out flexible. Then, I recalled seeing the title of this video while browsing.
Another EXCELLENT, great quality demo Cindy. Thanks much for the helpful info!!
Hi, thank you for this great tutorial and answering my questions, as I thought I was doing something wrong. Have experimented with a couple of brands and found some stay 'bendier' than others. Am fairly new to Polymer Clay (6 months) so have a lot to learn, but with tutorials like yours am gaining knowledge fast. Thanks again
Hello! Would you say the less bendy clay is sturdier and last longer? I've been using Sculpey 3 and it's fairly bendy. Looking for a clay that will last+
Thanks so much...your explanations are precise and to the point. For us newbies it's the only way to go.
May you please do a video about what’s the best type of polymer clay to use for earrings? I have been having trouble with flexibility (need the clay to be more flexible) , breaking when falling on the ground and lastly I would like to know if you have a technique for earrings to bake the backs into the clay to eliminate the need of gluing the earring backs on the clay. Thank you in advance and thank you for making all these videos! So helpful!
Hi Cindy, I have also found that the kind of clay you use can also determine how flexible it is. Some of the less expensive clays have a chalky texture and tend to break rather than bend. Then there are some that are especially hard and won't bend, so I guess it all depends on the clay.
You are correct ***** , the flexibility will depend on the brand as well as how well it was baked.
Good morning, so glad I found your video. I thought I was doing something wrong. Thank you for taking the time to address this question.👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽
Thank you so much, it helped me a lot . Today I tried the clay for the first time and it wasn't hard. Your video answered loads of my Qs. Thank you 😊❤️
Is there a particular type of paint and gloss I should/shouldn't use on baked Original Sculpey clay?
Whatever you do, Don't use nail polish on polymer clay, to color or to clear gloss. The chemicals in nail polish will actually eat at the polymer clay over time and will ruin your pieces.
Thanks so much! I'm new to polymer clay and wasn't sure why it was so bendy after baking.
TFS! Great info packed into a short tutorial.
Hi Cindy, thank you for your so helpful tutorials!
This is the best video on Harding t techniques with clay
I broke my wrist and it never healed so I need to use crochet hooks with widened handles. I made polymer clay handles. It works well, however it doesn’t last because of the flexibility and breakage. I was happy to know that it wasn’t expected to become rock hard.
Thanks, this was just what I was looking for. I have a project where a flexible strip will be perfect. And It hadn't occurred to me to measure the thickness in playing cards - very handy.
I've had thin, larger pieces made with original sculpey (i tried to make a yarn bowl) crack and fall apart after baking. I have not had that problem with pieces made the size of a hand or smaller, no matter the thickness. it might be due to the quality of the clay versus the stress load. original sculpey is cheap and sold in bulk, it still works well for thicker smaller pieces with no problem.
It could be the clay alright. As well, something like a yarn bowl may need to be baked for quite a long time... 1 hour+ just to be sure that all the plastic particles in the clay have properly melted together and bonded into a strong piece. The outside may appear to be baked but the particles on the inside may not yet be fused... affecting the structural integrity of the piece.
I have a lot of questions with polymer clay. Can u plz tell me.
1. All kind of polymer clays are harden by baking? I bought some polymer clays, bake it for 10mn, then, it still soft.
2. My polymer clay doesn't stick with each other well. What should I do?
3. What is the best brand of polymer clay for baking?
Thank for ur reply.
I had been using sculpey clay for over two years and had never had them bend until now! I am so used to working with hard cured clay and now that I am using a convection oven (even using the same technique and cooking times) they are curing soo bendy! Having to re-learn everything I thought I knew about using polymer clay!
Great helpful vid. Full hour baking defo helps
Soooo glad I found u.!ive been putting foil over the clay pieces after putting them back in again because I thought they were undercooked due to being flexible!!!llwhew.lfinally..got my answer and I’m not crazy hehe thanks so much!!
Happy I could clear things up for you! 💖
I use Sculpey and for costuming purposes, I made teeth for trophies. Was tripping over how pliable they were even after giving them a Midge Podge dip.
Great! You keep answering all of my questions! Thank you so much.
Thank you! This was a very helpful video. I will be checking in on more of your videos for reference.
Awesome, thank you!
Thanks a lot mam... I was so confused today about the flexibility of polymer clay..
I am watching you from Bangladesh...
হ্যালো ম্যাম।আমিও বাংলাদেশ থেকে বলছি।আপনার কাজ কেমন চলছে?আমি ক্লে নিয়ে কাজ শুরু করেছি ।কিন্তু তা তাপ দিতে ভেঙে যাচ্ছে ।আমি মাইক্রোওভেন ইউজ করি নি।
দয়া করে তাপ দেয়ার প্রসঙ্গটা জানাবেন?
You should do...a giveaway a craft area tour and a tool and clay tools for beginners
Hi natalie batista that would be nice for you guys wouldn't it? Maybe we'll do that sometime.
OMGGG thank you so much, you are such a blessing❤❤❤. I'm about to subscribe now!!!
My Pleasure! Thanks so much for subscribing! 💖💖💖
I've done test pieces that are pretty thin. All under 1/4. I baked at 275 (additional oven thermometer shows correct temp) for 30 min. When it's first out of the oven it is flexible but once it's out for say 20 min or so it snaps when I try to bend it. What can I do to fix this?
Same here
Thank you so miuch! I just started with polymer clay and I made some donuts and buttons today and they were bendy and I was panicked but your video helped a lot!
How do you stop your weight clay from turning brown
I dunno, I made clay feet about 2 inches thick, with a wire core and it baked nice and hard and I felt confident that it turned out ok, because it's for a gift that is going to be shipped, I am worried. I used some clay to make thin logs for sample painting and they are about 1/4" thick and I baked for 30 mins according to package, may have slightly over baked, and it came out quite bendy and I can leave a mark with my nail. I keep putting it back in the oven, and it's been in for 60 additional minutes and it's still bendy and dentable. It makes no sense and I shouldn't complain because the actual feet have turned out (although in hindsight I should have watched some tutorials because they so look like I've never touched clay before rofl)... but I'm nervous now that maybe I'm overconfident and the feet might break. I pray to God not, but it was definitely a fun experience making them.
Hey, thanks for making these videos! You really can help us ❤❤ im just confused with backing my polymer clay stuffs becuase altough i cook for about 60 min in 130°c in the oven but when i just want to bend it will be break 😭😭 i dont know what to do with it😓
Polymer clay breaks for 3 reasons... 1) bad brand - some low end clay is brittle no matter how you bake it. 2) not baked hot enough - ovens are notoriously wrong, so use a separate oven thermometer to make sure 3) not baked long enough - because ovens will heat up and cool down (especially small ovens) sometimes they aren't actually holding the temp as well as you think, so baking longer helps. That is why I bake for 60 mins just to make sure the piece is fully cured. Take a test sample and keep playing with your settings until you find the perfect spot for your brand of clay. Mark the spot on the dial with a sharpie and use an oven thermometer to stay on top of things. Good luck!
Sculpty 3 is very breakable and brittle after baking, no matter what you do with it
@@CynicalScorpio Which clay type is best?
@@kellyramirez4115
My favorite is probably Primo. But you should experiment with different brands and see what works best for you
@@CynicalScorpio Noted, thank you so much!!
Good to know. I'm totally new into this. And bit frustrating since yesterday to find out what i can do, i have to do and can't do. Esp why after bake my clay sometimes bend and the others not. And i checking it yes because it's quite thick that's why it stays. Thanks for the video
thankyou i was wondering about the bendiness
Hello, thank you for this video. Could you please tell us how long you baked those different pieces according to their thickness? I have a thick piece and it actually broke once I started bending it.
Same here
Thank goodness for Cindy.
You’re content is so helpful! Thanks. God bless. ☺️
it is better if it bends if not it breaks in half
Some of mine break in half, and i cant find and answer for it
Which clay is more suitable for hardening it in the Oven and in how much degrees the model should be heated ??? Please tell me ...Pretty please
That actually was my main concern. Thank you.
Hello, I would like to know about how thick is good for the earrings?thanks
Question: I am using white premo clay with a pattern of chalk pastels in blue. My pieces came out of the oven looking dull and not white anymore. Is this normal and does it become more white with sanding? Also, could you show common baking issues that can happen (mistakes) and examples? I have never seen any one show their boo boo's. Thanks!
I'm new as well and I don't know how to bake thin polymer clay sculpture with foil inside. I want it to be bendy but every single time it stiffens and when trying to see if it's bendable it breaks. I thought maybe higher temperature like 265 degress for 15 mins would stiffen it so I tried 235 for 15 mind and same results. So not sure what I'm doing wrong. My pieces are thin the most 5mm and I use super sculpey original. Can you please help me? Thank you!! So can the temperarure and timing stiffen my projects?
I am a beginner and today I baked my first ever earrings. My earrings were around 1.5 mm thick but there were 2 layers - one flower on top of another. It was okay. Not very bendy but it broke and on slight pressure, it crumbled. I used Oytra clay. I also saw a video today where they said that we can use wood varnish too. Please confirm.
Thank you SO much for the information about the flexibility that polymer clay should have after baking! When your pieces break easily what kind of things can cause that? One of the first times I baked finished pieces when the 30 pieces cooled only a few were flexible and a lot of them snapped in half. They all baked on the same tray. That was quite frustrating. I now have a new convection oven coming as well as a large ceramic stone, a digital thermometer gun, and a good oven thermometer LOL.
You probably have some inconsistent areas in your oven or perhaps you baked on a metal pan? The ones that didn't break were the hottest for the longest amount of time. Get a Pizza stone or tile and an oven thermometer. This will even out the temp in your oven.
What is your go to temperature for each brand of polymer clay and time? Thanks so much for your time.
Thank you. That was really helpful.
Thank you so much 💜 it helped me a lot
Which is better to bake in a regular electric oven or a toaster oven? I have both but have had issues with the toaster oven which is what I usually use. Thank you so much for your videos I am learning so much. I now know I a not baking them long enough I was gong by the 15 min on the package :( so that explains a lot right there lol. Keep the great video's coming and Thanks again
Katherine Requilman You're welcome. I have a wonderful toaster oven (See video in channel) which I have in my studio. I only use a regular oven if the project is huge and won't fit in my toaster oven. Some toaster ovens are too small and won't hold the temp very well though. SO my answer is... that depends on the toaster oven.
I actually bought a turkey oven, it looks like a big crock pot years ago and have found it works great for clay, its small enough to use instead of a toaster oven and you don't get the worry you get with toaster oven, set temps just like a big oven but you can put it on top of a counter, not sure but probably called a roaster oven. Found by accident its great for clay lol and at walmart wasn't that expensive.
question my piece broke in half and glued back together but still a hole in the belly how can I cover it or can I add fresh clay and re-bake?
Tina Reilly one thing I use is the "Elmer's wood glue" (not Elmer's wood glue max) and I put it on the palm of my hand and just smear it there. Wait a few minutes and when it gets tacky, you can roll it into a ball and use that as your "clay". Put it where you need to put it and just smooth it down with your fingers. It will dry on its own and you don't need to bake it. If it's completely dry, you can just smooth it more with sand paper if you want to. You gotta use it quickly though as it will dry fast. ‼️I don't recommend doing this if you're planning to re-bake your sculpture. It will melt or burn since you'll be using dried out glue.‼️this is just the thing I do and I'm not saying that you can use this as substitute to fix every sculpture but it helps fix things up.
Thx so much
What resin coat do u recommend???
Hi there! I’m interested in making some shapes out of halfway-baked clay and hope to experiment with how bendy they are based on how long they’ve been in the oven. Has anyone else tried something like this?
Are there any other clays that will harden more. Kind of like a ceramic. I don't want to go to an earthen clay. What about cold porcelain? I don't want jewelry to make that dull clunky sound like a kids toy hitting the table top...makes it sound very cheap. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm looking for something that feels, and sounds "crisp". Something that sounds and handles as pretty as it looks.
mine just snaps when i try and bend it :(. i don’t know what to do it makes me so sad that my creations get ruined!
Mine snaps too. I bake it for the recommended length plus some time and it's snapped 😔
What brand are you using?
@@becky7973 What brand are you using?
PolymerClayTutor i was/ am using femo but i just started using sculpley soufflee
@@PolymerClayTutor I'm using sculpey premo. I've bought an external oven thermometer to see if the oven temperature is getting as hot as it should be to cure the clay. That's the only other thing I can think the issue is, but I would very much appreciate any advice or thoughts you might have. Thank you for replying!
Hi.. I began 4 months ago with polymer clay. I am using Sculpey III and sometimes my pieces were broken because I tried to bend them a little... Or was broken suddenly with a little force... I am thinking that Sculpey III is a cheap and bad polymer clay, or am I doing something wrong? I follow the instructions of baking but it is sad to look broken a piece that take some hours to make... What is your opinion about Sculpey III?
By the way, your tutorials are awesome! your explanations are very easy to follow... I am from Mexico... Regards and thank you to share with us your knowledge!!
dianawilson1970 Sculpey III is a very brittle clay. Switch to Premo and you will have much better luck!
@@PolymerClayTutor but i was just given like 30 bars of sculpy 3. there's no way to salvage it for jewelry use?
Yeah, you can salvage that Sculpey III by mixing it with a higher quality brand. I would keep the percent of Sculpey in the 10% - 20% range and mix it with 80% - 90% Premo. You can bake it at 275F (use and oven thermometer and bake for an hour. If you haven't watched all my baking videos, then do that. They will help you get a strong, durable product, without scorching. Good luck!
@@PolymerClayTutor wonderful! thank you! :)
Oh thank you
hi, I am trying to find out if i can bake my clay then add more clay and bake again.thanks
Question: my clay is fully baked. And I’ve tried to do the bending test but my clay broke. Should it even brake at all ? How can I fix this ?
I just don't get how people are making delicate flowers from molds & such and they're not bendy .. That might be SLIGHTLY flexible .. But to be they feel stiff & strong ... Also what makes poly clay break? Over heating or under heating please? Thankyou :)
Also could the breakage be from using baking powder, maybe sculpey works better with cornstarch .. Also is there a cooling factor?? Does it get harder as it cools? Mine are coming out almost just Li,e when I put them in but break apart .. Should I have baked at a higher temp? Or lower temp for longer? It was just a Lilly flower, each petal around 5-6 mm thick. You once made a flat rose from a mold that had that really thin stem, you used it to show us how you can use shiny surfaces to extract from molds? The cured one seemed hard? Mine was a little thicker than that. There is NO WAY in what I'm getting that a stem like that would last 2 seconds?? Should I use a stronger clay to make finer things?🤔 Thankyou poly goddess for any tips🙌🏽
hello I just start learning about polymer clay and my charms always broke after backing I am learning how to make spoons and all of them broke so how to make them flexible bake them more time or high temp please let me know what to do .
I know this was posted so long ago, but here it goes. Do you have a thickness that you prefer? I am starting to sell my clay earrings, and the thickness is about 6 playing cards thick. Is this too thin? I just want to make sure my clay/earrings are sturdy enough for my customers! Thank you!
Thanks for the information! Very helpful :)
How do we bake polymer clay when it is around something, like wood dowels or pens. I have several Awls ready to do but cant find my books to see how to bake them. How long do we bake them. I love your tutorial, thanks for doing them.
Is there something else that can be used on top for shine and stiffness besides resin. I cannot work with resin it ruined my lungs and I can’t breathe around it. Thank you please be careful using it.
Does anyone know of something other than resin for shine and stiffness thank you
finally know it! thank you for that video, it was really helpful
Hello dear, my clay is still breaking after being baked I’m a beginner & I’m using sculpey premo what would the problem be and how can I fix it please?
I’m having trouble knowing how thick should my poly clay be
My problem is that all my clay pieces are flexible after baking but after a couple days they feel so brittle and if I try bending them they crack and break
Thank you so much for your help.
How can I back it without microwave oven?
thanks
I have a question regarding polymerclay and making fine details with it. I made a pendant with fine detail and after I could snap and crumble the piece apart no problem. Does this mean that the piece wasn't baked long enough? Also, if you could do a turorial on baking gems/stones with your polymer, that would be great! I'm not sure if I should be gluing the stone in with liquid clay or not. Thank you.
pro vocation i have the same problem. Ive made very delicate roses and the petal seems to break if i touch them. :( i'll.bake them a little longer and see.
I have a question. I'm new to polymer clay and I've been sculpting dragons. I baked them for and hour at 270°. The body of the dragon seems fine but the spikes keep snapping off really easy. What am I doing wrong?
PolymerClayTutor I have been watching your videos. I am very interested in working with some Polymer clay as I love to work with my hands and make things. I am a very crafty person and this is just one more thing that has me totally enthralled. But My Question for you is this. Do you have a series of videos that is for those who are just starting? I mean I am seeing so many things but just was curious if you have some videos about getting started.
I have 2 questions. Does the polymer flexible clay given off toxic vapors? Second question what do you use to bake the clay? I see the nail ceramic heater, can you bake small pieces there?
I'm planning to make keychains out polymer clay...what type of things you reccomend? I dont want them to break for sure
Thanks. Just the information I needed. 😎
Hi there! Thanks for this tutorial! What kind of clay should I buy if I want it to be thin as well as hard? For trinket dishes. Thanks!
Thank you so much for this valuable information!! I was worried that I didn't make my clay enough, so I thoght that that was the reason..Turns out I'm wrong>_
Hi Crafty Mints yeah a lot of people think that! :) As it turns out the better it is cured, the more flexible it is. Which btw makes it less breakable, since it will bend instead of snapping!
Thanks ..i want to know what machine you use for the UV ...is it originally for nails?
thank you for making this video! It really helped! ;)
Hey I just came by looking for an answer related to this; I wanted to make coasters to give away and i made them pretty thin...(maybe three cards layered-thin)....they are all pretty and smooth but while baking them in the oven they became woobly, the first tryout I tried sanding them but that affected the colors negativity....
I baked my clay like you said for an hour. it was really thin and I put it in a convection oven with manila mats like you said and made sure the temp stayed at 275 degrees. I took it out of the oven after it cut off to let it cool but when it was cool the pieces were still brittle and broke. I had the pan really full of the polymer clay pieces. if it is full do I need to cook it longer or hotter or both. and if I discover it is brittle can I put it back into the oven and cook more
Did you use an oven thermometer? Most oven are off by quite a bit. Also what brand did you use? Some brands are brittle, no matter how well they are baked.
How long does it need to cook or cure after I take it out of oven?
Can I seal my clay after baking even if the paint is sticky. I painted it and it is been sticky for hrs , the paint. Can I go ahead and seal it ?
Thank you, that was so helpful.🥰😊
Thanks for the tip to put a stick inside a hairstick
No problem!
Mines is thin and it hardens after it cools. Is that normal?
This might be a stupid question but if I wanted to make earrings from this clay will it melt or will the color run off in the summer heat???
Hi Dawn Starkey No question is stupid. If you don't know the answer... then you haven't been taught it. SO ask away! Polymer clay that is cured in the oven like the brands I use here, are baked at temps over 200F... which would be twice as hot as any summers on Earth. So unless you are traveling to Jupiter with your jewelry, you should be fine. :)
Hi Cindy. Gosh, I really love your videos and have learned so much from them. I'm very new to polymer clay and have read a lot of info and watched a lot of videos, but it seems there's always more to learn :-) I got started with Sculpey III clay because I read it was the easiest to work with. It wasn't until later that I read how brittle it is. My Aunt asked me to make her a shawl ring/pin and I never gave it to her because, as you know, it was very brittle and broke with very little effort. So I bought some Premo clay and followed a youtube video (from another artist, sorry :-) ). This was my first project with the new Premo clay. The youtube video showed making the shawl ring from two layers of Premo clay on setting #2 in the pasta machine. Maybe my settings are different, but my shawl ring ended up about 2mm thick. Being new to Premo I thought, "that's what she did", so I continued, lol. I baked the ring and stick for approximately one hour. They turned out beautifully, I love them, but....the ring is so thin. It is very flexible, like a thick piece of leather. Very thin and flexible. In a way, it might be nice because you can shape it around a very thick shawl or it can lay flatter on a thinner scarf. My question, yes there is a question here :-) is will a piece of wearable clay like this hold up over the years being that thin and flexible and if I make more in the future should I go with thicker clay for the ring? I wish I could attach a picture to show you how it turned out. Again, thank you very much for all the information and videos you provide, it is really great for people new to clay like me. Also, thank you for taking the time to read my very lengthy comment :-)
Hi Wendy Wilson thank you so much for your comment! It does sound like your piece may be a little thin to be suited well for a scarf clip. Some pasta machines are thickest at a #1 setting and some #1 is the thinnest... my guess is that your machine is backward to the other persons. If you still have it, why don't you add more clay to the back? Just use a little bake and bond between the baked and raw clay. Let me know if that helps!
PolymerClayTutor Thank you so much, Cindy. I will try that.