Soften Polymer Clay with Fimo Quick Mix
Vid #9: If Fimo Mix Quick Doesn't Work To Soften Your Clay, This May Be The Reason Why:
Using Fimo Quick Mix and a pasta machine will cure most hard and crumbly clay issues. But if that doesn't work, it may be that your polymer clay has been partially cured from sitting in direct sun light for too long.
All is not lost though. You can grate or chop the cured clay and add the pieces to fresh clay to make specks of color like those in granite and faux stone. Creating faux surfaces in polymer clay is a very fun thing to do.
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The full version of the "Soften Up Hard Clay" preview video shown above, is included in my Polymer Clay Bead Making Fundamentals Course [SEE Video #4 of 39]. Is your polymer clay hard, crumbly and impossible to work with? Then let me show you how to use FIMO Quick Mix for softening up that clay to a consistency that's easy to work with again. Fimo Mix Quick added in the correct amounts, will restore the plasticizers in most brands of polymer clay. I go into more detail about this important topic in the video.
Filed Under: 02: Tools, 03: Supplies, 04: Handling by Comment. 
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Comments on Soften Polymer Clay with Fimo Quick Mix
4:36 pm
FIMO Quick Mix can also be used when you need to make all the colors in a polymer clay cane the same consistency. Add tiny amounts of the Mix Quick only to the clay that is firmer than the others, until they are all the same.
Of course this can work the other way around too. You can stiffen up soft clay to match other firm clay by removing some plasticizers from the clay. See this video for more info: How to Firm Up Soft Clay with a Pasta Machine
4:56 pm
So is Fimo Quick Mix a Plasticizer? And can you use it in all brands of Polymer clay. Does it change the color at all?
Have you ever used it alone as a clay and if so what's it do?
2:02 pm
Quick Mix is a plasticizer Katina! You can use it with all the clays without changing the color. My friend Bonnie Jones uses it to give strength to clay as well.
It is more expensive than the clay, so I've never really thought about using it alone!
12:34 pm
i know someone who has some clay that is too hard & i know that u are supposed to put clay in a food processor w/something to bring it back to life again, is that ingredient tls or is it something else? i forgot or did i remember correctly? thanx & happy new year
6:11 pm
Hi Mary Ellen that a great question! You could use TLS (Translucent Liquid Sculpey) but it would be an expensive way to go. You are better off using either Fimo mix Quick or a few drops of baby oil or mineral oil. If you use a food processor for mixing clay, make sure to not use it for food any more. You don't want clay in your food, or food in your clay!
9:22 pm
I bought a big block of sculpey original white clay but when I tried to work with it, it crumbled and was just too dry. I also bought some liquid clay softener but all that does is make a mess and make everything sticky. I would return it but i have already used some of it. How do i make it soft?
9:30 pm
Hi Sarah – You can read the article above and comments on this page for some ideas to address your question. Also be sure to use the search function at the top of every page at this blog. Use keywords like "crumbly" and "conditioning" and "hard clay" and "food processor" to come up with a long list of articles that will help you.
8:01 pm
Hey Cindy,
I have a cane that I made quite some time ago that I really like. I used Kato clay, which is ridiculously hard to begin with, and made a geometric design. Unfortunately, I left it in the car during the summer and now it's impossible to slice without crumbling into bits. All I really want to do is take some big slices from it for disc beads. Is there any way to soften it a bit from its half baked state? Some kind of plasticizer I could soak it in perhaps?
Thanks for your help!
Ashlyn
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8:07 pm
Hi Ashlyn, great question!
Once a cane is partially cured, you can not really 're-hydrate' it. But what you could do is bake the cane before cutting it. While it is still warm you can slice it into beads, then drill the holes into them.
A lot of people actually make cane slice beads this way. Let me know how it works out.
12:08 am
oooh, that is a fabulous idea, I had forgotten how squishy stuff gets when it's still hot from the oven. Thanks!
11:26 am
Cindy you mentioned a product called Quick Mix in one of your videos. I've been trying to find it and cannot find it anywhere. Where is it sold? Linda
10:47 am
@Linda Pardee: In the Q&A part of today's post about Calla Lily Beads, I provided some feedback regarding your question above (Where to get Fimo Mix Quick).
The link by my name will take you to today's blog post. Once you are there, scroll down the page a bit to get to the Q&A section. Hope the information is helpful for you.
8:01 pm
@Linda Pardee: Hi! I've never been able to find Mix Quick on the shelves, either. I live in California, and the only clay softener I've found locally is Sculpey Dilutent. It works great for softening clay, although I'm told Mix Quick is nice because it doesn't make the clay sticky. However, I haven't had any problems with Sculpey Dilutent making the clay sticky, but I'm always careful not to use too much. (It's a liquid, so I just do a drop at a time.) Hope that helps~