8 Most Commonly Asked Polymer Clay Questions

1. 8 Most Commonly Asked Polymer Clay Questions! 

Are you a beginner into the world of crafts using Polymer Clay? There is a whole new world of options that you can do working with Oytra Polymer Oven Bake Clay. When you are just starting out there could be a lot of questions you have when working on the clay project.

If you are looking for answers to some of your questions, then you have come to the right place. We have compiled and put together a list of 8 most commonly asked Polymer Clay questions to help you here.

   1. How to keep polymer clay flat when baking?

Do you get bubbles when baking the polymer clay? Are you tired of not getting smooth finishing when baking the clay? To fix this quickly, you need 2 flat tiles and 2 sheets of plain paper and apply the tile sandwich method. Make sure you have plain smooth tiles that do not have any patterns on it.

 

 

Now place the piece of polymer clay on a sheet of paper and place the other paper on the top. Next lay out the smooth surface of one tile, place this sandwich in the centre of the tile and place the other tile upside down on this.

 

 

 So when you bake it, the clay gets the pressure as it is inside the layers. You will end up getting a perfectly flat piece of clay with smooth finishing.

 

2. Does polymer clay shrink when baked?

The fact whether Polymer clay shrinks on baking totally depends on the brand you are using. The interesting part about some brands of Polymer Clay is that it neither shrinks nor expands on baking. Further more, the minute detailing work and delicate patterns on the clay will still appear the same after the baking is completed as they were before initiating baking.

However, with few brands a minute shrink happens after the baking process.

Now it depends on what is your creation with the clay as for some projects the shrinkage doesn't matter whereas for some it ruins the entire project.

 3. How to bake polymer clay without an oven?

Though baking the clay in the oven is fast and efficient, there are other ways by which you can bake the Polymer Clay. There are several ways by which it can be baked like hair dryer, heat gun, boiler method and many more. The boiler is a simple method where you put the clay piece into a pot of hot water and let it  boil for 10 to 20 minutes.

 

 

 At the end of this, the clay should get hard and not crumble to pieces. If it is not as hard as you want it to be, put it back into the boiling water for another 5 or 10 minutes. By now the clay would have hardened with a smooth finish as you need in your creations.

Another popular method to bake clay is to run a hair dryer over it. You can place the piece of clay on the table and run the hair dryer on it for several minutes.

 

For best results put the clay into a closed box with a small opening. Now place the hair dryer in that opening and continue to run it for 10 minutes. Keep checking the clay at frequent intervals to see if it gets hardened to the level you need.

4. Can you bake polymer clay with metal in it?

 

Any kind of metal is not a problem to bake with polymer clay. The same is with liquid polymer clay. However, this combination of solid and liquid polymer clays may not stick to smooth metals well after baking. An exception to this is if the clay has formed some kind of hold around the metal. Otherwise, most metals are safe to bake with polymer clay.

 

 5. Can Polymer Clay Air Dry ?

Polymer Clay cannot air dry on it’s own. Though it may become stiff with time, it will not dry out completely. You should take care here as if you leave it to air dry for a very long time it may become very dry.

 

 

 Leaving it to air dry for months would result in crumbly pieces of clay which are of no use to work with. The fastest and effective way to harden or cure the clay is by baking in the oven.

6. Can you bake polymer clay with aluminum foil inside?

 

You can definitely bake polymer clay together with Aluminum foil without any problems. It is suggested to cover the clay pieces by loosely placing the aluminum foil on the top.

 

 This will help to prevent the pieces from getting burnt in the oven.

 

7. How to tell when polymer clay is done baking?

Depending on the brand, most Polymer clay should be baked for at least 30 minutes. This gives sufficient time for the clay to cure. But if you bake at a lower temperature, you can continue for a longer duration as it will increase the strength of the clay. However, you need to ensure the clay is protected from getting burnt if the baking process happens for a long duration. You would  know that the clay has become fully cured as its colour gets changed slightly and it would become soft and flexible to use for projects.

 

 However if the clay breaks, then it is not baked for long enough and you can continue the baking process for some more time.

 

8. Does polymer clay dry out if kept out in the open for long?

Polymer clay will not harden when you keep it in the open for a long time. The best part of this clay is that you can leave it out at room temperature without worrying about putting it away. So you can leave incomplete projects out in the open and resume them anytime later.

You should however take care to ensure that the clay is not in contact with heat or direct sunlight as this could induce heat and cause the clay to bake partially.

 

We hope this comprehensive list helps to answer your questions. If you cannot find what you are looking for mentioned here, do let us know and we are here to help you out!