about - clay basics

Conditioning
Preparing your clay for use. Insufficient conditioning may result in a weakened finished item.

Conditioning Clay by hand:
To condition by hand, cut 2oz bar into cubes. Soften each cube by
squeezing opposing sides with fingers. Roll into a ball - then a snake

shape fold in half. Knead until soft and pliable.

1. Slice the block of clay into approximately 3/16" pieces, then roll them through the pasta machine - this will help prevent the clay from crumbling.

2. If you don't have a pasta machine, cut the block of clay into manageable, small pieces and knead them in your hands.

3. Ambient temperature affects ease of working with your clay! Kato Polyclay behaves best at a temperature of approximately 70 F. If you have very warm hands, a slightly cooler temperature will probably work best for you.

Tools

1. For making uniformly thick or thin sheets, the pasta machine is best. I'd recommend the Atlas brand - it's a bit more costly, but will last longer than the others.

2. Sheets may also be made using a rolling pin or rod. Wooden rolling pins will work but the clay will build up in the wood, making it necessary to frequently clean them. The best rod is an acrylic rod (like the Kato Clay Roller). Clay does not as readily build up on the acrylic surface and it's much easier to clean.

3. A good work surface is a necessity. The oils in polymer clay may damage fine wood surfaces! Glass, acrylic, marble and Formica are good materials to work on. Formica has a very fine texture on which the clay will not stick. You may find your clay sticking to very slick surfaces like glass and marble. In certain instances, you may want the clay to stick, so this isn't necessarily a negative trait. In very warm climates, the coolness of marble may help maintain a level of workability and keep your clay from becoming very soft and sticky.

4. You'll want a good long blade for cutting canes. The Nublade has become the standard among most polymer clay users. Its thickness makes it easier to cut through blocks of clay and large canes with minimal torque and twisting. Clean blades frequently for best results. These blades are not for child use! Single edge razor blades are great for cutting small diameter canes.

5. The Marxit measuring tool makes it possible to mark canes or sheets of clay in 6 different mm sizes. If you're cutting canes and wish for uniform thickness, this is the tool for you.

Millefiori Caning
Technique in which clay is layered or arranged to create images in clay. Think of sushi rolls! When the roll or log is sliced, you will get the same image from one end to the other. These images may be miniaturized by applying pressure to the sides of cane, then gently stretching the cane out.

1. Certain clays lean toward the translucent side. Raw canes will look quite like any other clay canes but, after curing, you may see loss of detail due to the influence of darker colors. The addition of white to these clays will ensure greater color separation and a clearer picture. Kato Polyclay does not require the addition of white and will maintain its true color and separation.

2. For the most even reduction and the least waste, make sure the different colors used are the same softness. Kato Polyclay has been specially formulated so that all colors share the same softness.

3. When you wish to make a cane (like a stained glass cane) composed of both translucent and opaque elements, wrap the translucent components with a thin sheet of white, then the leading color (black). The white will prevent the muddying influence the black might have on the translucent colors.

4. If you're new to caning, begin by making small canes! Reduce these and see how much you can reduce a cane before you lose detail.

5. When making large canes, don't reduce the entire cane to the smallest diameter. It's best to retain pieces of the cane in several sizes. Remember that canes may always be reduced, you can't make a reduced cane large again. It's also easier to store your canes in larger diameters, rather than keeping a cane you've reduced to a length of several feet!

6. If you've made a cane you don't like, don't throw it into your scrap pile. What you've got is the chance to experiment! Try dividing it and reassembling the pieces in new ways. Make kaleidoscope images! Try flattening the cane and rolling it though your pasta machine, then stacking the pieces up.

7. When applying slices to a bead or sheet, it's best to cut thin slices. Roll a few slices in at a time, rolling in several directions so that they flatten evenly. Use an acrylic rod, such as the Kato Clay Roller

8. Old canes should be "conditioned" before using. Gently squeeze the sides with your fingers until the clay inside feels soft.

Sculpture

1. Clay walls should be no thicker than 1". For large pieces, it's best to create an armature upon which clay is applied. Common armature materials are wire and foil. Armatures will also reduce the weight of the finished piece and will make it stronger as well.

2. Raw clay may be applied to cured clay and the piece cured again.

Finishes

1. WWhen sanding and polishing Kato Polyclay, add a few drops of dishwashing soap to the water.

2. If you've got a piece that you know will require a lot of sanding to smooth, begin by scraping with the edge of a metal file. This will save you and your hands a lot of work. Once the piece is filed smooth, return it to the oven for an additional 15 minutes or so for a matte finish.

3. Achieving high gloss sheen is accomplished by sanding the piece with first 400, then 600 grit automotive (wet/dry sandpaper). Rinse any residue from the piece and dry. Then take it to an electric buffer (fitted with an unstitched muslin wheel). Using very light pressure, buff in slow circular motions.

4. Glazes may be applied to your finished items for a surface sheen. To ensure that you do not experience chemical reactions, we recommend water based glazes! Certain other glazes may make your pieces sticky. This stickiness will not be immediately apparent but will happen days after glaze application. If you've got a glaze and you'd like to use it, but aren't sure whether it will work, apply the glaze to a baked piece of test clay and wait. If, after a week or so, the glaze is dry and hard, you may use it on your clay.

5. Finished clay pieces may be painted. Acrylic paint is a safe bet. Some oil paints will work just fine, but others may create the chemical reaction (see point 4). Test oils out before using. I'd recommend high quality tube paints. You may also try Genesis Heat Set Artist Oils, which require heat to cure. Genesis works beautifully in techniques such as Mokume Gane where the paint and clay are cured simultaneously.

6. Polymer clays do not form permanent bonds with surface treatments like glitter and metal leaf. When the clay is raw, they stick just fine, but, after baking, may come off. Sealing the pieces with glaze will help. Metal leaf is extremely fragile. Without a bond between the clay and the leaf, even applied surface glaze won't absolutely ensure that the leaf won't scratch or chip off. It's really best to sandwich the leaf between two sheets of clay, crackle the leaf slightly by rolling through the pasta machine, then using. The top sheet should be translucent clay, rolled to its thinnest.

Curing

1. Manufacturers recommendations should be followed. For maximum fusion, recommended temperatures must be reached. Invest in a thermometer and calibrate your oven. Most clays require strict adherence to recommended times or else the colors may darken. Kato Polyclay may be cured for extended times (I've baked pieces as long as 5 hours) without color change. However, recommended Kato Polyclay curing is 300 F (150 C) for 10 minutes.

Miscellaneous Tips

1. Store your clay scraps in color families, rather than throwing everything in one bag. You'll find you have more usable colored clay. The clay that simply becomes some shade of "ick" isn't necessarily a lost cause. The addition of metallic clay can yield the most beautiful neutral shades.

1. Store clay in plastic containers bearing the number "5" recycle number. There will be no chemical interaction between the container and the clay.

2. Items you make should be decorative only. These clays were not intended for items you wish to use for food containment or service.

3. Plastics of any sort emit fumes. When you buy a new car, you'll notice a fine film appears on the windows inside the car. Polymer clays are no different and so, I wouldn't recommend making aquarium items and exposing live creatures to this phenomenon.

4. Polymer clay should be stored in a cool, dry place. Clay begins curing at approximately 90 degrees and, once cured, clay will not return to its original state. I wrap canes in plastic wrap to keep them clean and avoid them sticking together.