Comments on: Most Asked Beginner Question… How To Bake Polymer Clay Properly

By: Barb L

Barb L — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 23:47:45 +0000

I used ‘fire bricks’ used for blow torches, Enough to cover the bottom rack, wrapped in heavy duty foil and set inside an oven used to cook potatos for 40 mins at 375F before I cooked the clay. I was looking for the type of firebricks that you use in bbq grills, but these were all I could find and they’re light and porous. Still, the oven will never be better preheated. I used all Premo clay, scrap for the core, color for the outside, and covered in translucent and pearl that I cut then ran thru the pasta machine on thin, but possibly layered together too much. As stated before, I took the beads out and dropped into an ice water bath.

By: Cindy Lietz@UV Resin on Polymer Clay for Shine and Durability

Cindy Lietz@UV Resin on Polymer Clay for Shine and Durability — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 01:09:07 +0000

@Dia H: When you say weak, do you mean they are flexible or that they break? Because when thin slices of Premo are baked, they will remain somewhat flexible, even if they are cured properly. Which it does sound like you are doing right.

If you don’t like your thin pieces to be flexible, you can add a layer of resin and it will stiffen them right up. Learn more about UV Resin by clicking the link by my name. Hope that answers your question.

By: Jocelyn

Jocelyn — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 17:51:05 +0000

@Dia H:Dia, found that coating the bottom and sides of the oven with tiles or small beach stones regulated the temp better. Just pile them up out of the way, and let them help moderate the temps.

By: Jocelyn

Jocelyn — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 16:28:42 +0000

@Penny Vingoe: Well, if anyone knew, it would be them….amazing test network with Kato. Again, the only real test I have is my own attention span and “ovens” so if I can duplicate that with the stock I have, great!!! Don’t like how the blues brown, so this could be the ticket.

By: Dia H

Dia H — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 16:20:07 +0000

I baked my first slice of butterfly cane. I tried to keep the temperature between 265-275F, but it seems very difficult to keep in steady temperature, so I always turn the switch up or down to have steady temperature between 265-275F. However, I bake them between 250-275F but after baked for 1 hour, they are still weak. So what can I do? should I re-bake them?
Thanks

By: Penny Vingoe

Penny Vingoe — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 06:52:34 +0000

I am going to upset the apple cart now because a posting by the leading technician at the company who make Kato clay tells us that kato polymer clay starts to cure at 120 degrees c (248F) thus you can cook Kato at a lower temperature. I mention this because Kato translucent clay has a reputation for going light brown if cooked for a long time, or at a high temperature.
If you covered your beads with a cover of translucent then if it were me I would bake the beads for as long as you want before putting the outer cover of translucent. A second baking with the translucent added, at a lower temperature, for a shorter time, would surely do the trick.

By: Barbara L

Barbara L — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 22:08:02 +0000

Sorry, the temp I tried for was 270, not 260; I don’t trust my oven at all, and the thermometer was a cheap one.

By: Barbara L

Barbara L — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 22:05:42 +0000

I just finished some brightly colored beads covered with very thin canes of white and translucent, I baked them for nearly 2 hours (based on thickness of the beads) in a very pre-heated oven set at 260. My oven did spike, but I opened the door and let the heat out, but the translucent clay did come out a tan or light brown color. I assume this is ‘burnt’ and the oven temp was too high? I use a thermometer which is fairly accurate (boiling water registers 212F)

I’m going to try this again, but would like some insite into what I did wrong first. I did toss the beads into an ice bath as soon as they came out.

By: Phaedrakat

Phaedrakat — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 02:51:51 +0000

@Snow: Hi Snow…out of curiousity, did you ever find a decent deal on an oven thermostat for yourself there in Singapore? I hope so, and that you’re having lots of fun claying! ~ Kat

By: Snow

Snow — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 06:53:34 +0000

Hi All,

Sorry for replying this late as I was working and thanks for all the advices.
Just a pity that here in Singapore the oven thermo is hard to come by, or it will be very expensive.
Any online suggestion shop I can access to with a good price for it?