My favourite Polymer Clay tools, tips and tricks
- Jessica Chissell
- Apr 29, 2022
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 3, 2022
I have been working with polymer clay for many years now, and this blog will contain the tips and tricks I have picked up on the way. I'll continue to update this page as I continue to learn more!
Firstly, what IS polymer clay?
Polymer clay is a man-made, oven-bake type of clay made from PVC base. It can come in a range of colours and brands, including; Sculpey, Fimo, Cernit and Kato, to name a few. My personal favourites are FIMO Soft and Cernit, but each brand has their own unique benefits, pros and cons.
Polymer clay is a durable option for creating brightly coloured beautiful creations and accessories. It is extremely versatile, and comes in liquid form too, forming strong bonds between pieces.
My favourite tools.
My absolute favourite tool? A pasta machine.
Oh yes. As odd as it sounds, the humble pasta machine is absolutely my favourite tool when creating with clay. Conditioning clay is so much easier, mixing clay and creating skinner blends. Keeping consistent thicknesses when making crafts with polymer clay can elevate your work to the next level.
Pros:
Conditioning clay has never been easier
Varying thicknesses to achieve desired effect
Mixing colours has never been easier
Cons:
Having to clean the pasta machine after using dark clay - it leaves streaks in your nice white clay otherwise! Taking apart that thing is a task and a half
Having to clamp it to your desk - it can take up a lot of space!
Another favourite 'tool' of mine - a ceramic tile.
Many use baking paper to work on and bake their polymer clay, but working off a tile ensures a stable surface. Clay sticks to shiny surfaces, meaning it won't shift while you're rolling it out or cutting it.
Tiles can go directly into the oven, meaning you can work directly onto them and not warp your beautiful creation transferring it to bake.
Pros:
A smooth surface means you can use it as a palette
Your clay will stick to the ceramic tile, rather than any shaped cutter you're using.
Bake-able work surface, no having to carefully transfer it.
Easily cleaned and cannot stain - unlike working on a wooden surface.
Inexpensive
Reusable
Cons:
limited work surface depending on tile size.
Cooldown times - waiting for the tile to cool down, as they hold heat.
Lastly, I enjoy using 3D printed polymer clay cutters.
Inexpensive and durable, these come in a multitude of fun shapes and sizes, from a plethora of creators on Etsy. These are usually affordable and can come in themed 'sets' or varying sizes. Creating shapes for polymer clay cutters is easier than ever using sites like CookieCAD. Doodle your own shape, upload it onto the website, it'll convert the shape into a cutter, then download your 3D file. From here, you can commission an individual with a printer to print your file and send it to you, or print it yourself if you happen to have a printer yourself!
Pros:
Large range of shapes and sizes available from sellers on etsy etc.
lightweight and easy to store
effective with cutting clay cleanly.
Cons:
Can be warped with heat, so MUST be stored in a cool environment.
Can break, depending on the details of the cutter shape, the cutter can be fragile.
Cleaning these can be particularly difficult, since clay can get stuck between the printed layers.
You can see the tools I use in my amazon list here. From gold and silver foil to needlepoint tools, and the clay I use for my creations.
Tips and Tricks
I first got into polymer clay when I found Nerd E Crafters channel, Learning a lot of what I know today from her channel. I picked up a lot of tips and tricks from various creators on my journey, while also developing my own knowledge, of which I'm going to share with you now...
Liquid Sculpey
Using liquid Sculpey to attach clay together forms a strong bond, along with creating imitation foods.
You can purchase this in a range of colours but most commonly, clear. It is a versatile medium, and can be used to attach embellishments to your project, and bond pieces together.
I frequently use liquid clay to create imitation 'icing' on my crafts - mixing the liquid clay with some conditioned clay or chalk pastels makes for a great gooey texture to add on top of a clay cake or tart.
Scoring
As with any other clay medium, creating texture onto polymer clay before joining two pieces together creates an even stronger bond.
Texture
Using things you can find around your house, you can create amazing textures on your clay creations.
Using a toothbrush or a balled up piece of foil, you can create a textured surface imitating food, or to give interesting contrast.
Using sandpaper to texture your clay can create a wonderful texture - just roll out your clay, lay the sandpaper sheet over the top and roll into the clay. I use 120 grit sandpaper but any can create a lovely effect.
Rubbing Alcohol
One of the most annoying things about working with clay is how easily it picks up dust, hair and fingerprints! Rubbing alcohol will be your saving grace for these annoying little issues. Just take a cotton bud, a little bit of rubbing alcohol and wipe away the markings.
Chalk pastels
Chalk pastels can bring a level of depth to your creations. Scrape some off, and brush it onto your creation for shading or a 'painterly' effect. You can also mix chalk pastel shavings into clay to create different colours in a pinch.
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