Comments on: Sculpey III Polymer Clay Really Makes Me Mad

By: Norman K Vance

Norman K Vance — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:00:03 +0000

I am a painter (artist), not a sculptor. I have been using Sculpey clay to make moulds for casting medallions and clan badges for the first time, and have f ound Super Sculpey to be a fine product.
I cast the clan badges in pewter, and the mould remains intact for many castings.

By: Polymer Clay Tutor Cindy Lietz

Polymer Clay Tutor Cindy Lietz — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 01:55:30 +0000

Monica, the stickiest clays like Sculpey III will pick up the most dust and lint, but all brands do to some extent. Keeping your area and hands clean with a baby wipe will help. You can even use the baby wipes on the clay to remove lint before you bake your pieces if you want.

I think if you try the new Premo packages, that you will find them softer than they used to be and quite easy to work with, even for hands with limited strength and mobility.

As far as drying out, polymer clay doesn’t actually ‘dry’ out at all. Rather, the softeners in the clay get leached out due to poor storage or the clay can be partially cured by being exposed to too much heat and light. Properly stored, polymer clay will stay usable for years.

By: Robert Ratliff

Robert Ratliff — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:57:48 +0000

I like the Fimo (effects) clay. I have never had problems with “dryness” but I do store opened pkgs in an airtight ziploc bag and I have a softener if I need very thin parts.

I run the clay thru my pasta machine on about a 3 or a 4 for walls. Then using paper templates and an exacto knife I cut out parts to build buildings for a model train town. While the clay it still unbaked it can be stamped with patterns like brick or wood. im trying to find some architectural window cutters but so far no luck.
I like the Fimo effects because it glows in the dark. ( the white is very bright under the blacklight) Once baked the peices can be glued into a variety of structures. Supports for poles and signs, bridge components, almost anything. Recently ive been making carnival ride parts for an N scale Carnival because no one makes them. Its going very slowly but so far I have 8 rides that light up, glow, and move.

I think as an artist there are thousands of uses for this oven hardening clay.
Ive used this clay to make Pulls for drawers, missing knobs for electronics, parts for models, furniture for dollhouses, copying missing buttons on clothes, making christmas ornaments……so many things. What an awesome country we live in.

By: Monica F

Monica F — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 06:50:21 +0000

I like sculpey the best the rest of the clay are too hard and hurt my fingers. The only thing I’m worried about is the clay drying up on me. You should do a test on how long clay can be stored without being nonworkable. I might change brands because the dirt and lint are driving me crazy! Does sculpey clay pick up dust the most? Sanding might not work for me though because I make characters and I don’t want their faces sanded off.

By: Polymer Clay Tutor Cindy Lietz

Polymer Clay Tutor Cindy Lietz — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 18:03:59 +0000

That sounds frustrating Adrienne! Sounds to me like the clay was partially cured through poor storage. Luckily you can still use those crumbles mixed into fresh clay to give it a granite or stone effect.

If you can, buy Premo clay and squeeze the package to make sure it is fresh enough to work with. The store that you are getting your clay from, may not have fresh enough product, so you will want to be careful with that. Good luck and happy claying!

By: Adrienne D

Adrienne D — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 20:31:42 +0000

Last night, I bought six packages of Sculpey clay. Every single one crumbled into tiny pieces as I opened them. I tried kneading them by hand, through my pasta machine, even put them in zip-lock baggies and tried to warm them with a blow dryer. Nothing, so far, has worked.
I used to always have good luck with Sculpey clay, however, the last two or three times I’ve purchased it, it’s been dry and crumbley. Time to change brands, I guess.

By: Jae J

Jae J — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 18:09:24 +0000

Just found your website and this article hit home in particular. I’m new to clay sculpting. Decided to create sculptures of my art animals that I currently sell as gift tags. I thought they would be really cute as three dimensional items instead of just digitally created art.

My first efforts were with S-III. I made a penguin with a scarf and was very pleased with how cute he came out. His scarf was wrapped around his neck with one end tucked under and the other end falling down his belly but not flat against the belly. The back side was against his belly for support but I had turned the front of it out just slightly to make it look more like a woolen scarf. I couldn’t believe it when that portion broke off in my fingers from just picking it up.

I had conditioned the clay and baked it according to the manufacturer’s instructions. I used white as I want to paint them for more detail rather than using colored clays. This is not a clay I will use again. I’ll try Cernit or Premo next but interested in learning more about Apoxie clay. Also, for some of the larger items an armature should help.

Anyway, thanks for posting this. I can certainly empathize with your son as I wanted to cry, too, when my cute little penguin’s scarf broke.

By: Tiffany 3

Tiffany 3 — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 18:19:57 +0000

Future is just a type of gloss to put on whatever you’ve made. its not one they sell at craft stores, but one you get where you find a wood polish in other stores. it works quite well with the clay though and you get much more at a cheaper price than if you bought the gloss made for sculpty/fimo.

By: Cindy Lietz@Polymer Clay Brands

Cindy Lietz@Polymer Clay Brands — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 00:45:27 +0000

@Jana S: You will know your clay is conditioned properly if it is pliable and easy to fold in half without cracking. Some clays are naturally soft and others are firm. The problem is that clays tend to get firmer over time. Brand new Premo is fairly soft and will condition very quickly but the old stuff will be firm and may take awhile. I have been able to recondition clay that is over ten years old, with the help of a few tools (food processor and pasta machine) as well as a little additives like baby oil, liquid clay, clay softener, mold maker or Fimo quickmix. I recommend that you do some searches on this blog for tons of information and tutorials on how to soften hard clay. Just type in your keywords into the search box at the top of the page and start digging. You should be able to find the help you need. @Mavis T: Yes Kato is one of the hardest clays on the market to condition, though they have recently softened it up quite a bit. You may want to give it a try again. You may even like it now.

By: Mavis T

Mavis T — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:36:38 +0000

Has anyone tried Kato clays for beads and sculpting?
I bought some when I first started working with clay.
I found it very hard, & it took a lot of work to get it soft enough to work with. Wondering if it has been updated, softer, but not as soft as Sculpey lll.