Polymer clay: tricks of the trade. Tips for working with polymer clay Polymer clay sticks to your hands

The hereditary master potters of Ancient Rus' also had their own clay pits lined with log walls - clay pits. The clay was stored in them for at least three months, and most often for several years.

How to prepare clay for modeling

Unfortunately, we don’t have that kind of time left; we won’t wait long for the clay to “ripen.” Therefore, to the question , we will find another answer. But still, let’s put our prepared raw materials in a large enamel bowl and place it outdoors or indoors, covering it with a damp cloth and polyethylene on top, periodically adding water to the clay mass.

Leave the main mass to lie and “mature”, but the small amount we need for the near future is necessary.

How to prepare clay for modeling - Sifting the clay.

Any clay contains foreign inclusions - pebbles, grass, roots, twigs, etc. You need to get rid of them by crushing and sifting everything.

The wet clay is laid out on a piece of cloth, a board or a stack of newspapers in an even layer, then dried in the open air, in a warm stove or on a radiator and, folded into a strong canvas bag, beaten with a wooden hammer.

Sift the crushed clay into a bucket through a fine sieve. There will be pebbles, chips, etc. left on it. They must be thrown out periodically so that the sieve does not become clogged.

It is convenient to leave some of the clay in powder form. It can be added to the clay mass when it urgently needs to be made less liquid, but there is no time for drying. Keep the clay powder tightly sealed.

How to prepare clay for modeling - Washing the clay.

Some potters, instead of grinding and drying, pass the clay through a meat grinder with large holes. in adobe

industries use this or a similar “tonschneider” device. This method helps to make the material more homogeneous. But do not forget that in this case, impurities are not removed, but crushed, and, in addition, a lot of air bubbles get into the clay, which need to be gotten rid of by intensive kneading.

By soaking clay, we not only clean it, but also make it fattier and more flexible. This is done most often with thin clays containing a lot of sand.

Fill the bucket 1/3 full with clay powder. Add water to the top and stir with a wooden spatula or stick.

Let the mixture sit for about a day. Then carefully remove any light debris floating on the surface. If the water at the top turns light, carefully drain it with a rubber hose. Carefully scoop out a layer of liquid clay suitable for modeling and pour it into another bowl. At the same time, try not to grab the bottom layer with the scoop - settled pebbles and sand. If your clay is too thin, then this Procedure should be repeated again. Excess sand will settle to the bottom.

The liquid clay obtained after elutriation is not yet suitable for modeling. If you try to sculpt with it, you will stain yourself and everything around you. Lay out the clay

spread a uniform layer about 1-1.5 cm thick onto a stack of newspapers or rags: let it dry. It’s even better if you have a gypsum board - because gypsum absorbs water from clay very well. Turn the clay cake over from time to time and make sure it does not dry out. Check the quality: if the clay does not stick to your hands, it is almost ready for modeling. What if it sticks and doesn’t dry for a very long time? This means she’s too fat and needs weight loss supplements.

Weightening supplements. The clay that comes into our hands does not always meet our requirements. Loess silt was most often used in ancient times. Because it contained a lot of different impurities, and the master potter only needed to get rid of those unnecessary for a particular type of product.

The composition of the clay was determined depending on the purposes for which it will be used in everyday life. There were two types of clay batch: rough, with sand, and clean, without impurities at all. The first was used for kitchen products, the second for tableware. Various thinning agents were added to clay intended for kitchen utensils. They were needed to reduce the shrinkage of clay during drying and to avoid cracking of the walls of vessels during the firing process. In Ancient China, they used a variety of materials: finely chopped grass, talc, crushed pearl oyster shells, fish bones, crushed fireclay left over from old ceramics, quartz, quartzite and other minerals. But sand was most widely used for this, which is divided by quality into 2 grades: fine and coarse (about 0.7 mm in diameter). Sand is still used as a thinning additive. To do this, it must be washed and dried, and then added to the clay mass. You can also use sawdust, as well as fireclay.

Chamotte- these are crushed particles of fired ceramics or refractory bricks (using the latter, you can get refractory ceramics). To prepare fireclay, they are pounded and then sifted through a sieve, removing ceramic dust. What remains in the sieve is fireclay. It should be added to clay dough as a lean additive no more than 1/5 of the total mass.

Clay to which up to 50% chamotte is added is called chamotte mass. It makes very beautiful and strong decorative ones.

Today, gardening tools are increasingly being made from titanium-based alloy...

Show me a person who would happily dig beds? He was digging, not hoeing. Needless to say, this work is not easy. And to prevent digging from turning into hard work, take a close look at the most important tool - the shovel. What is she like? What is the blade made of? How long is the cutting? Are your hand tools comfortable, durable and ergonomic? These and many other questions were asked to me at a meeting by Pavel Shakal, a sales specialist in gardening equipment for one of the capital’s companies.

So, there are different shovels. It is advisable to have a whole set of them. With a pointed (i.e. triangular), straight or slightly rounded blade, long and short, wide and narrow. If virgin soil awaits you, look for a bayonet shovel with a sharp triangular “spout.” For light soils, a rectangular blade is suitable.

It’s worth talking about the blade in more detail. The quality of tillage largely depends on the material from which it is made. The cheapest tools are made of ordinary steel, or ferrous metal. Tap the blade: the louder the sound, the stronger and lighter the shovel will be.

Shovels made of lightweight composite material with a stainless steel blade are available for sale. With a blade sharpened on one side, like saw teeth. With this tool it is easy to dig neglected areas overgrown with weeds, and work on heavy clay or turf soils. Stainless steel is reliable, dirt can be easily removed from it, and dampness is not a problem.

What do you know about the “American” - a shovel with a curved blade? American farmers have been using it for more than 200 years and would never exchange it for a bayonet. Why? It turns out that working with it is very easy and convenient. Retired summer residents have long appreciated the advantages of the “American”: there is no need to bend over, and therefore there is less load on the spine. The result is better than if you were digging with an ordinary shovel.

The blade of the “American” is covered with Teflon. Therefore, during work, wet soil (even clay) does not stick. The cutting is from eucalyptus, which is also important. There are also metal and plastic ones. Wood (oak or aspen) absorbs moisture well, so sweaty hands do not slip. And accordingly, you don’t have to worry about calluses. A foam rubber ring placed on the handle will also protect against calluses.

Today, gardening tools are increasingly being made from titanium-based alloy. Yes, yes, the same one from which spaceships are made. Lightness and strength are the main advantages of this material. A steel shovel, for example, weighs more than a kilogram, and a titanium shovel weighs only 400 g. Titanium is only slightly heavier than aluminum, but is 3 times stronger. Thanks to its unique properties, wet soil does not stick to the tool, and the service life increases several times. Titanium assistants never rust or corrode. And they are superior to stainless steel in durability. One disadvantage of such shovels is that they are very expensive. But there is still something to pay for: the blade is durable, does not bend, does not become dull, and holds an edge well. And to avoid being deceived when purchasing, check the quality of the equipment by simply running a metal object along the edge of the instrument. Are there any marks left - scratches and nicks? Buy with confidence! Titanium steel does not scratch.

What else should you pay attention to when choosing a shovel? For attaching the blade to the handle. The best option is bolts or a metal ring-braid (like a braid). If the shovel is simply mounted on the handle and not secured by anything, then in a month or two it will become loose, fly off, or even worse, break.

And further. To make the work easy and pleasant, your fingers should clasp the handle freely. Some shafts may need to be trimmed. Just don’t forget to then scrape them with glass and clean them with sandpaper. Otherwise you won't end up with calluses.

A shovel, like any tool, must be looked after. Have you worked? Clean it with a stiff brush or wash off the dirt with water. And then lubricate the blade with garden petroleum jelly or machine oil. And then you won’t have to spend money on buying a new shovel every year. Moreover, it also needs time (at least one season) to sharpen and dry itself in order to begin to easily penetrate the soil.

Tips "SB"

If you drill several holes with a diameter of 20 mm in a regular shovel, the earth will stick less. An ordinary window handle screwed to the handle of a shovel will make the work of spreading sand or compost much easier.

The shovel must correspond to the height of the digger, that is, be 10 cm below his shoulder.
Natalia TYSHKEVICH

Almost all beginners who have only recently started working with polymer clay may have some questions related to the use of this material and sculpting out of him. Many masters who have been sculpting for several years still remember the times when they were just starting to get involved in this activity, and they also had questions, the answers to which had to be searched all over the Internet.

How to soften polymer clay?

After thorough kneading, polymer clay should feel moderately soft to the touch so that it is comfortable to sculpt with. It should not stick to your hands, but it should not crumble either. Sometimes it happens that plastic (polymer clay) after long storage or even recently purchased in a store turns out to be very hard to the touch, it is almost impossible to knead it and mold something from it. This means that there is not enough plasticizer in the clay, which is why it is so hard. To make it softer and more flexible, you can use a special liquid - softener for polymer clay. But it is not very cheap, so it is often used only by professionals.

For beginners we can offer cheaper method of softening clay. For this you will need regular Vaseline. You can soften the clay with its help in the following way: take a piece of polymer clay and apply one or two drops of Vaseline on it, now thoroughly knead the clay together with Vaseline until it becomes plastic. The main thing is not to add too much Vaseline, otherwise the clay may become too soft.

How to make polymer clay harder?

Another problem is that the polymer clay is too soft, which literally stretches and sticks to your hands. This type of clay contains more plasticizer than is needed. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce its quantity. To do this, shape your clay into a flat cake and place it on a clean sheet of white paper. Cover the top with the same sheet of paper and press down with your hands, then place something hard on top of the paper and clay. After a couple of hours, carefully remove the paper from the clay. You will see greasy marks on the paper - this is the plasticizer that has been absorbed into it. Now knead the clay. You will notice that it has become firmer. If it is still a little soft, you can repeat the procedure with paper.

How to store polymer clay?

First of all, remember that polymer clay should not be stored near a heater or other heat sources, and it should not be frozen. Open packs or individual pieces of polymer clay must be stored so that air access to it is limited, otherwise over time the plasticizer will evaporate and the plastic will begin to harden. To prevent this from happening, store all open bricks of clay tightly wrapped in cling film or foil. You can also use tightly closed small zip-lock bags to store pieces of clay.

How to avoid leaving fingerprints on the surface of products?

Even a beautiful product will look damaged if your fingerprints remain on its surface. To ensure that the surface is smooth and there are no fingerprints on it, sculpt using rubber medical gloves or finger caps.

How to roll out polymer clay?

For rolling out polymer clay, you can find special acrylic rolling pins in craft stores, but, as a rule, the price of rolling pins is quite high. Although, for starters, such a rolling pin can be replaced with a glass bottle of kefir or another drink. The main thing is that the bottle has a cylindrical shape and a smooth surface.

How to bake polymer clay?

First of all, I’ll tell you on what surface you can bake polymer clay products. It can be baked on thick cardboard, on foil, on a ceramic or glass plate, on tiles, or in a metal box. Also, if necessary, products can be baked on pieces of cotton wool or paper napkins (to preserve the shape of the product). In this case, place the plate (or other surface) with the products in a cellophane baking sleeve and tie the sleeve on both sides, then place it in the oven. Due to the fact that the clay will be closed in the sleeve, the smell from the clay will not be heard during baking, and no substances released from the clay during baking will be deposited on the walls of the oven. As for the temperature and baking duration, this information is always on the clay packaging, so study it carefully.

What varnish should I use to coat polymer clay jewelry?

Some decorations and others polymer clay products They look more beautiful if they have a shiny glossy surface. To obtain such a surface, products can be coated with glossy varnish. But it must be special varnish, intended specifically for polymer clay. Products cannot be coated with any other varnishes. And under no circumstances cover polymer clay with nail polish, as after a while the product will begin to stick due to the reaction of the polymer clay and the solvent contained in the varnish.

We hope you find these recommendations helpful. Polymer clay This is an amazing material that allows you to create a wide variety of unusual crafts. These can be decorations (how to make polymer clay earrings), figurines, magnets, keychains, vases, Christmas tree decorations and much more that your imagination tells you. Therefore, we wish you creative success!
Especially for the site Handicraft Lessons katstarkova.

Well, now let's talk about how to use stamps to work with polymer clay, how to make molds yourself, and also about some others techniques for working with polymer clay.

Nowadays there is a huge variety of molds on the market for working with polymer clay. Stamps make life much easier for designers and also help make ordinary things extraordinary.

Stamps can be used to create decorations for some surfaces, be it a photo frame or a platband for a switch. Also, molds for polymer clay can be used to create some kind of separate item, a medallion or brooch, for example. Molds for polymer clay are very relevant if you make many identical products. You simply can’t do without stamps here.

When working with polymer clay molds, you need to follow some rules. I have already written about them earlier, but I will repeat them.

To prevent polymer clay from sticking to the surface of the stamp, use baby powder or starch.

After you have pressed the polymer clay into the stamp, carefully cut off the remainder with a knife.

You can also paint the resulting casts with special acrylic paints.

To create a textured surface on some polymer clay product, you can use home tools with different interesting surfaces. But here you need to remember that these devices should not be used later for cooking or eating. Because let’s not forget that polymer clay is a product of petroleum refining. And no matter how environmentally friendly it is, you cannot eat it or use it.

It will be very useful to rummage through children's toys. Surely there will be a lot of ideas for texturing polymer clay products.

Using colored pencils when working with polymer clay.

Perhaps this will be a discovery for someone, as it was for me. But it’s very good to draw with colored pencils not only on paper or wallpaper, but also on polymer clay.

This does not require any special skills. Here are some recommendations.

• You just need to paint already baked polymer clay.
• It is better to paint on light polymer clay, white or beige. Once painted, take a cotton cloth and buff the painted surface to even out the colors.
• You also need to remember about the combination of colors, which I already wrote about.

Some tips for furthering your creativity with polymer clay.

If you have leftover pieces of a wide variety of sausages, do not throw them away. Place them together and twist them. Then make a square sausage out of this colored mass. This technique is called mirroring.