A plastic fish tackle box is perfect for storing polymer clay and jewellry findings:
The cool thing about polymer clay is that it keeps indefinitely if it is properly stored. Although polyclay does not dry out, the plasticizers that keep it soft, can be leached out. Because of this, what you store your clay in is very important. Porous items such as cardboard or wood boxes should never be used to store polyclay unless the clay is properly wrapped.
So what should you use to wrap the clay? Choose non-porous materials such as tin foil, wax paper, parchment paper or plastic wrap. With plastic wrap however, it is critical that you choose the right brand. Some types actually bond with the clay, which is not good. To find out which brand of plastic wrap I use, click here:
How to Store Polymer Clay Canes
As mentioned in previous posts, it is important to keep your Fimo, Premo and Sculpey as clean as possible. Lint, dirt, pet hairs and other clay remnants can really be a problem. This is an especially true when making beads using white Fimo clay.
Also be careful of the types of plastic containers you use to store your polymer clay. Just like with plastic wrap, some plastics react with the plasticizers in the clay and will bond with it. When polymer clay causes plastic to go cloudy, that’s a sure sign that there’s a compatibility issue.
Plastic fishing tackle boxes can work great for storing polymer clay. In this week’s upcoming video newsletter, I’ll show you the brand of fish tackle box I use. It’s made with “clay-friendly” plastic and the internal compartments are a perfect fit for blocks of Fimo, Sculpey and Premo Polymer Clay. These fishing tackle containers also make excellent craft storage boxes for jewelry beads and findings. You can get a copy of this weeks video newsletter by joining my Polymer Clay Guest List.
Heat can also be a problem for polymer clay. Make sure that where you store your clay is not too warm or you may find it curing on it’s own!
Cindy Lietz’s last blog post..Rainbow Jewelry Pillow Beads Made From Extruded Polymer Clay Canes
I got my first newsletter video today through your email. Thanks! Another great one. I thought I might share a great tip I got from a friend of mine regarding blade safety. She paints nail polish on the edge of the blade she picks it up with. It helps dramatically NOT to pick up by the wrong edge.
Today with all the new containers available you can pick one up on sale just about anywhere. If you don’t care about portability you can use a cabinet that has clear plastic drawers that pull out like they use in hardware stores. They are skinny and don’t have as large a “footprint”, which helps if space is an issue.
Any other creative ideas out there?
I love your course, it is great, really helpful when you are starting out and you make everything look so easy. I love it and all your weekly video back issues too. Money well spent. Many thanks. ~Karen Bromley (Cyprus)
Karen,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write those very kind words. Sharing feedback like this really gives others great insight about what they can expect from the video tutorials. I truly appreciate your help.
Very much looking forward to hearing more about how your beads are coming along. Be sure to share your stories and/or ask questions here at the blog if you need assistance with anything.
Hi!
After you create a cane and then roll it out, but do not want to create anything with it at that time, is it safe to store flat canes in-between professional 8×10 photo sheet protectors? I read somewhere people even roll out their clay and store it that way. I’ve created some fun designs however want to think about how I want to layout and piece it together so I want to store them.
Thank you for your time.
my best,
Lori
Hi Lori, yes you can do that. If you leave it for a long time before using it though, you need to gently ‘wake it up’ before using it otherwise it will crack easily. Sometimes just warming it up by rubbing the surface and lightly rolling on it will be enough, but you will see once you start working with it.