Phthalate-Free Premo Polymer Clay – A Blessing or a Curse

One way to deal with the softness of the new Premo is to leach out some of the plasticizers from the clay. Although there may be some loss of strength in the clay by removing plasticizers, the loss is minimal and makes little difference in general bead making. Leaching the clay too far could be a problem for sculptural elements so is recommended only for more solid bead shapes.

Cindy Lietz's last blog post..Baking Beads on a Bed of Cornstarch

Michael's has Premo for $.99 for 2 oz. Is this what they are trying to get rid of for the new formula to come in? We are just beginners, and perhaps the soft stuff would be o.k. for us. Thanks.

Hi Karen! Michaels has a polymer clay sale every couple of months so I don't think the new formula is the reason they are selling it cheap right now.

As far as what clay to buy why don't you try some Fimo Classic as well some Premo to see which one works better for you. As a beginner soft clays can be tricky and with the new Premo being so soft (that may change again) you might find the firmer Fimo Classic easier to work with for now. Fimo Soft is about the same as the new Premo so there is not much point testing that one unless you want to. With the clay being so cheap it's a good time for testing.

Click my link below for a blog post I just did on this sale at Michaels.

Cindy Lietz's last blog post..Polymer Clay Sale at Michaels Arts and Crafts

This is interesting. As a new-comer I don't have any experience with the old stuff, and in this case, perhaps ignorance is bliss! Does putting it in the refrig help at all to firm it up? And if so, what other problems can it create? Thanks again for the great information, written in a clear and concise manner to help all of us.

Pamela putting soft clay in the fridge can help quite a bit. It will go back to being soft again when it warms up though.

The problems you run into when the clay is too soft is: trapped air, difficulty slicing, distortion in canes, colors mushing together and more.

In my course there are videos on how to deal with clays that are too soft or too hard and the other problems you can have working with polymer clay.

Cindy Lietz's last blog post..Fimo Clay, Premo, Sculpey – Which is Best for Cane Making + Sculpting

What does "leaching" the clay mean, exactly? And how is that done?

Leaching means 'sucking out' some the polymers in the clay that make it too soft. This is done by putting it on an absorbent surface like a sheet of paper.

In my beginners course [see link above] I show you a few cool tricks using your pasta machine to speed up the process.

Thanks for explaining the "leaching" process. I wasn't sure how one actually did it because I have heard the term before but wasn't sure what it meant. I like using the FIMO soft clay as well as the PREMO although there are more colors available in the PREMO than the FIMO at least at JoAnn's or Michael's. But your color palette cards come in handy when you just can't find the right color and so you make your own. I am not sure if I have used new PREMO brand since I didn't look carefully at the package, but I will let you know when I come across one. Although the last PREMO I used, I thought I was considerably softer, but I didn't take a good look at the packaging. Thanks again!

I bought a bunch of the new Premo about six months ago and now that it has sat around a bit it is quite a bit stiffer and I'm finding I don't have to leach it as much. Also I've heard that they tweaked the formula after many complaints so now it is good again. If you bought your clay recently Lupe it shouldn't be a problem. If it is still to soft, it is nice to know you can leach it out to make it stiffer again.

I'm curious what's happened since these comments were posted. My friend taught a class today and used what is presumably the new Premo formula, and she said although it was soft and easy to run through the pasta machine it continued to break when folded. She said it was really hard to work with and it wasn't because of the room temp. It was warm. Any thoughts?
.

Hi Cheryl. That sounds a little strange that it would be soft but would still break. Sometimes I wish I could just reach through the computer and see the clay for myself. I'd be able to tell better if I saw it and worked with it.

Any way, most of the recent Premo I have bought, has been the perfect consistency. Not too hard or too soft. But you never know how long a package has been on the shelf. So every once in awhile I get an extra hard one or a soft one.

** How about everyone else? How have you found the recent Premo Sculpey? Too hard? Too soft? Just right? Or something like Cheryl's friend, soft but breaks?

It may be because there is not alot of turn over of clay on the store shelves in my area (don't EVEN get me started) but I have found all sorts of consistencies from all brands of clay. One will be too firm, another too soft and sloppy. Nothing much surprises me, I just keep adding stuff (opposite consistency, translucent, liquid) until I can work it. I guess the clay that I never get softened up can no go for Jupiter beads ;)

I ran out of translucent before my order of premo frost came in. So as I was near a Micheals, I picked up a couple of bars to tide me over. Boy….I was very very upset at the crap that I ended up with. I bought the only translucent that they had at the time which was Sculpey III. Normally I can leach it and it works out ok. This stuff was worse than horrid! I tried every trick I know and then tricks I have learned from you all. This stuff even stuck to my blades so badly I cut myself trying to clean it off (with alcohol) my blades. It was like mutilated flour glue or something!! I am even more upset because I live in the tim buck too area of Indiana….the closest craft store is Micheals that is an 45 min drive. Can you imagine knowing that you can't even take it back because it cost more in gas to get my refund?

Bet you all know who I am sending email too really quick? Lol….
.

Well that sucks! I like your description of "mutilated flour glue"! LOL Made me chuckle. I can relate… there is only one craft store around here too, it is also a Michaels and it is 25 minutes away. Not quite as bad, but just about.

Sorry, I don't have any new advice for you rather than leaching between two sheets of paper run through the pasta machine.

It's ok, I understand….it's like the old saying…you put crap in and you get crap out!!Lol…

I did send e-mail to complain to Sculpey, and ya…you guessed it. No reply as of today. I will just have to order online from now on. I just am praying that they don't change the frost recipe as well. But, I know they will…. :(

Hello Cindy! I've just got to know about phthalate free formulas in clays and I'm so curious to find out the following thing: what has changed on the package of the new Premo, for example? may be it's a new sign or design? Which exactly norm all clays should conform to now? I heard, previously they also had some sign and were considered non-toxic and harmless… though they proved to be harmful, as they banned phthalates at all…

Thank you for your comment Marta! It is nice to have you here all the way from Russia. Welcome!

The new Premo has a picture of an oven on it and their web address the old ones did not. From what I know about the different clays, most have gone to Phthalate-Free.

If you have questions about the safety or non-toxic qualities of the clay, you should ask the manufacturers directly. Polyform, for example is quite good at getting back to people with answers.

Hope that helps!

Thanks a lot for your answer! It was worth coming here from Russia ;)

I'm from the Urals, European part of Russia. As for my city, there are only two rather small shops that sell polymer clay, but actually nowadays it's not a problem to visit one of the many Online stores and order some clay.

I guess, our city is having a boom of polymer clay new born artists, but I can hardly call anyone a unique designer. It's a quite understandable situation, as everyone is trying to satisfy the wider possible range of needs, they reach more perfection day by day, but no uniqueness. To my mind, uniqueness needs more braveness not to be appreciated by some part of the audience. As for me, I started my experiments with clay in October of the last year, but I changed it for felting in April, because of the same issue of not 100% natural material. But I guess, I'll return to it in a short time, as it's a curious material worth attention.

The biggest challenge for me is that issue about the chemicals in clay. Most people live in blocks of flats, so you sometimes can't arrange some artist corner for yourself with a separate oven. In summer the balcony is good, but in winter its too cold.

What about situation in your city? And what challenges do you face?

Thanks, Cindy. It's my profession, I'm a linguist :)

Hello Cindy, I came across your informative website when I was searching for info on polymer clay.

I am a first time user of polymer clay; I am looking for a phthalate free clay to use to make jewelry.

I read somewhere on the web that these 3 types of clay made by polyform were phthalate free: Original sculpey, Premo sculpey, and Sculpey 111.
However when I looked on sculpey.com, the only mention of any of their clays that are phthalate free are the bake shop sculpey clay.

I know you mentioned that the new Premo clay is phthalate free; I guess I am puzzled why the sculpey website would not list it as such.

Also, I tried out a small disc of the sculpey oven bake clay, about an 1/8 inch thick; after baking, the pieces were definitely firm, however they were somewhat flexible. I am looking for a polyclay that will bake hard without being flexible. Do you know which type of sculpey would be good for this?

Thank you so much for your help.
I really appreciate your website!

Sincerely,
Joy.

Hi Joy, welcome to the blog! As far as why Polyform has different info on their site than you expected, only they will know. Why don't you ask them? They are excellent at responding to any questions you may have.

In regards to the clay being hard, I'm afraid that even though there is a range of hardness' between clay brands, they will all have some flexibility when they are that thin. Premo and Fimo are fairly hard when baked and are better than most of the other brands.

To read more about the differences between clays, click the link by my name for more info.

@Cindy Lietz: Hello Cindy, thank you so much for your prompt reply. I had emailed polyform, tho I have not heard anything yet.

Apparently, they do not have a way of contacting them via phone; I looked on their website, and don't see any contact phone.

Do you know if the original sculpey has phthalates in it?

Thank you so much for the link on the different sculpey clay options… I think I will try the Premo sculpey, as I gather it is indeed phthalate free, and thanks for the tip on the sculpey 111, it sounds like it isn't a great clay!

Thank you again for all your help Cindy!
Nice to "meet you."

Sincerely,
Joy.

Hi!
I'm not exactly new to polymer clay and had my first brush with di methyl phthalate when I was in my 20's (over fifty years ago)
. My problem with phthalates was migration – it sooner or later corrupted any adhesive system I could find at the time.
Anyway, I now need to find out if the new plasticiser will corrupt the UV curable glaze I'm using. This material is much thinner (viscosity wise) than the nail varnish gels but much more smelly. Have you or any of your contacts any experience with this problem?
Kind regards, Robin Elsey

@Joy: Sorry I do not know whether Original Sculpey has Phthalates in it or not. Polyform is a pretty big company and gets a lot of inquiries. It may take awhile to get a response but most of the time you will get one. Let us know when you do find out. It is nice to meet you too!

@Robin: Thanks for your question. I'm sorry but I don't know how to answer that for you. Maybe you should try to contact Polyform as well. It's best to get that kind of information from the manufacturers themselves.

Hello again, Cindy! I just wanted to find out whether all premo clays leave colored spots on the hands. I've recently used pearl red color and checked other pearl colors, they all color my palms… Is it usual and ok for that type of premo?

That is normal Marta. Especially for the strong colors like red and black. I like to keep baby wipes close by to clean my hands between colors, so I'm not getting my other colors dirty.

@Cindy: Hi again – thanks for your response – I have decided to do a test program using Fimo Classic and Kato with various permutations of acrylic undercoating. As the insidious effects of phthalates can take some time to manifest themselves I won't be able to report results until early summer next year.

I have also developed a dip coater suitable for occasional use – and an improved version for more intensive use. The construction is simple but it works very well. If anyone is interested i can send them a pdf file.

Unlike many PC workers I am interested in surface effects and my particular 'holy grail' is bright metallic effects in precisely defined graphic images. Again , if there is anyone interested I can send them details of my progress so far.

Hi Cindy,
Thanks for your encouragement -you certainly are a prompt responder!
Ref. dip coater – have come up with a better construction method – so slight delay on .pdfs while I adjust text. Glad you liked my mosaic idea- had the thought that if one wanted non glitzy effects one could use acrylic painted egg shells (duck or goose better than chicken?). Also safer for kids or near food. Of course if you are Eastern Orthodox you could do icons by combining egg shells with the baubel idea for the halos.
I liked your idea ref. the Sculpey material. Not sure it is available in UK I have another soloution to the problem of adhesion- using the hot melt powders mentioned in the entry about realistic pears pendants.
Not sure if you would be interested but I counted up over 10 mainly finishing ideas which have not been published or if covered, then in other contexts and not gererally applied to PC. If someone is writing a new book on PC jewellery then I might be able to help them add a few more pages.
But I need some time to get my 'phthalate' tests started!

Hello! Thanks for this informative blog. I just made my first two miniature roses tonight and I must say, they look adorable! lol. I'm looking forward to using pastel dust and variegated clay colors for more realism. I am using Premo Sculpey since it sounds like the preferred clay for most people. I bought mine at Michaels (on a sale, of course) but I see no oven or website on the package. It does say it contains PVC and plasticizers. But maybe it's the final recipe? I say that because my Michaels stock turns over pretty fast. Anyways, the clay worked great!

Wow, don't I feel like a complete do-do-head. 4 or 5 years ago, I decided to take up polymer clay. (I saw Lisa Pavelka "caning" on TV. I just had to try it.) I ended up buying some of every Premo color Michael's had, as well as tools & a PM. I made a couple of simple canes, but soon had to package everything up & store it to have back surgery. I am now on disability, my back doesn't allow me to do much. Lately, though, when I can, I reach for that clay I bought years ago. It's amazing, most of it is still pretty easy to condition. But some of it requires dilutent & some major effort. (Black & translucent are the most brittle, for some reason. Weird, since they're at opposite ends of color saturation…) A few months ago, I purchased a couple blocks of the more "brittle" colors, so that I could skip the hard work if I needed a color and was hurting too much. When I tried the new stuff, it was too soft! I got air bubbles, etc. I leached some of it; some I just combined with my older "brittle" clay.

The "oh, dopey me" part is that I have been seeing things in blogs about
Kato's new Phthalate-free clay. I assumed that Premo would probably be following in the future. It never occured to me that the new soft stuff I'd purchased WAS Phthalate-free. I knew the label was a little different, but I didn't know it was a new formula. (I only noticed some font changes on the label, I didn't even notice the little oven or the website.) When I bought my "new" clay, they had some of the old stuff on the shelf. I wish I had known the difference then–I would have bought it!

Anyway, thanks for clearing this mystery up for me. Since I only get to play with clay for short periods of time, I think I have plenty now to wait for the new stuff. I know where I can come for info if I need it!

Thanks for the welcome! I have been poking around this blog for months now. I am kicking myself for not joining sooner. I see now that I could have had access to the last few months of videos for a third the price, but I thought I knew enough that I didn't "need" the subscription. But, after watching my first 2 member videos, I can see that it would have been soooo worth it. I have learned some new things already, and I'm sure there are many more great things in store for me. You are a great teacher, and you have such a supportive group of people here at your blog. I'm glad I finally made it to member status! (If only there was a way to wind back the clock and get Vol. 14 to 19 for $3.32 each instead of $9.95! What a dummy I am!)

Phaedra was the name of my first Persian female. I was thinking of breeding cats, and had not discovered the pleasures of jewelry making yet. I had never heard of polymer clay! My baby kittykat is long gone now, as are days when my back doesn't hurt. But I do love me some clay! I can only "play" for awhile, but find it to be very (mentally) therapeutic. The great thing about PC is that I can stop at any point and go lay down. When I feel good enough I can get right back to it. Such a fun and forgiving medium!

Sorry, I tend to be long-winded. Thanks again for such a great place to visit! I think I'm going to like it here… :)