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Wickimen wrote:

cheddargirl wrote:

Wickimen wrote:

I love clay, what kind do you use? 

I use Sculpey Ultralight because it's lightweight, which is ideal for me since I use it for jewelry making. 

Actually, I just like polymer clay in general because it can be cured (baked) several times over.

Cool    I usually use Sculpey III or Premo! Sculpey. I didn't know they had a lightweight kind

Sculpey Ultralight is usually sold as a giant white block and the packaging looks like this of this. But since it's only sold as white you'll have to either dye the clay first or paint your creation afterwards (and it has to be either primed first before painting or painted with pure acrylic. Color-based paints don't work with Sculpey Ultralight). Not to mention it's kinda stickier than other Sculpey clays  so sometimes it's hard to work with.

Although... there is also a type of Sculpey clay called Pluffy that seems to be lightweight and that one comes in an array of colors. I haven't tried it myself, but from what I've heard it's more sticky than Sculpey Ultralight (particularly if your hands are wet) and it turns into goo if you use acrylic to dye it.

Dinoclor wrote:

cheddargirl wrote:

Dinoclor wrote:

Yes. Also, mineral clay doesn't come in colors- you have to glaze it.

Well, actually it is possible to get mineral clays in different colors without glazing. Mineral clays come sold in a wide variety of colors from grey, to brown, to red. The resulting color is largely influenced by the type of mineral added to the clay.

On the flip side of the issue, standard polymer clay is white - so if you're not willing to spend money on a pre-colored polymer clay or can't find colored packs, you'll have to add a colorant in it. 

I know.
I only ever get to use grey clay though 
So I have to glaze it or it looks really dull.
BTW, be careful with glazes.
One dark blue glaze looks almost exactly like a white glaze.
I was making a polar bear.
I managed to make it whitish-blue, but it was almost a dark blue polar bear.
So read the label.

I've heard that there are other ways to color a clay by hand. This interesting webpage talks about adding dye to clay to get different colors. Might be something to look into. 

puppymk wrote:

Actually, I take back the fact that I,v never used polymer clay before. I just realized that sculpey is a kind of polymer clay and I am working with that as we speak.

puppymk wrote:

Does polymer clay dry out?

No, you have to bake it if you want to harden it.

You don't necessarily need an oven to bake it, though. You can actually put it in a pot of boiling water and leave it in there (about 10 to 15 minutes for every 1/4 inch or so. Remember to scrub your pot well after baking). I also heard that you could use a hair dryer as well. 

bump

cheddargirl wrote:

puppymk wrote:

One of the packets of clay was really stiff and crumbly. We looked online and it said there was a special liquid you could apply to it when that happens. Do you know about that?

EDIT: Sorry I,m asking so many questions. I,m kinda new to this.

There is Sculpey Clay softener and Liquid Clay to make the clay more soft, but if you took it straight out of the packet, you might just need to condition it (you know, knead it around until it's soft). Sometimes adding a small amount of mineral oil or mixing it with an already soft clay helps, too.

Stiff clay can also be caused by the weather - when clay is cold it can be pretty hard, so you might just need to warm it in your hands to make it more soft.

You can also just put it in your pocket for a few minutes to warm it up - that's what my old teacher for polymer clay in summer camp told us.

I decided to buy some clay (before reading this topic).

When I was 7, I stopped playing with play-dough, because I wasn't really good. Also, my cousin ate most of it. My older cousin, that is.

Well, I made a few things. A groom and bride and some other stuff.

Now I just need stop-motion grade clay.

What kind would that be?

puppymk wrote:

G0D_M0D3 wrote:

I decided to buy some clay (before reading this topic).

When I was 7, I stopped playing with play-dough, because I wasn't really good. Also, my cousin ate most of it. My older cousin, that is.

Well, I made a few things. A groom and bride and some other stuff.

Now I just need stop-motion grade clay.

What kind would that be?

What? Your cousin ate your play-dough?

Yep, my entire 50+ pack.

I wanted to kill her.

After, she had my new set of crayons for a snack.

I have stupid older cousins...

G0D_M0D3 wrote:

Now I just need stop-motion grade clay.

What kind would that be?

Most people use plasticine or polymer clay since they don't dry out. I've heard that Fimo is pretty good since it's more stiff and can hold on it's own. 

Last edited by cheddargirl (2012-02-25 19:44:37)

wolvesstar97 wrote:

Does anybody know the type of polymer clay that they made Pingu with?

No idea. It might not even be polymer clay, it could be plasticine clay. ^^;

wolvesstar97 wrote:

G0D_M0D3 wrote:

puppymk wrote:

What? Your cousin ate your play-dough?

Yep, my entire 50+ pack.

I wanted to kill her.

After, she had my new set of crayons for a snack.

I have stupid older cousins...

?????? 

*puts on shades, leans against wall, and crosses arms*

True story.

puppymk wrote:

cheddargirl wrote:

puppymk wrote:

Does polymer clay dry out?

No, you have to bake it if you want to harden it.

You don't necessarily need an oven to bake it, though. You can actually put it in a pot of boiling water and leave it in there (about 10 to 15 minutes for every 1/4 inch or so. Remember to scrub your pot well after baking). I also heard that you could use a hair dryer as well. 

How long do you have to run the hair dryer over them?

I think it depends on how big the sculpture is. Big sculpture take a lot longer to bake than smaller ones. Same can be said on whether you choose to bake the clay in an oven or using a steam bath.

bump.