Prima Gallery » Polymer http://www.primagallery.com Fine arts blog showcasing the work of local, regional and national artists. Sun, 15 Jan 2012 12:48:26 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 How to Condition Polymer Clay http://www.primagallery.com/2010/05/24/how-to-condition-polymer-clay.htm http://www.primagallery.com/2010/05/24/how-to-condition-polymer-clay.htm#comments Mon, 24 May 2010 09:34:34 +0000 admin http://www.primagallery.com/?p=342
Conditioning polymer clay is an important part of the preparation process. Well conditioned polymer clay is soft and malleable making it easy to work with in all types of polymer clay projects. The conditioning process can also help to strengthen the finished piece.
The conditioning process is very simple. In order to condition polymer clay a piece of clay needs to be manipulated. This can be done by hand or by using a craft-dedicated pasta machine.
How to Condition Polymer Clay by Hand
To condition polymer clay by hand simply take the clay and roll it into a snake or sausage shape. If the clay is too stiff to roll out at this point, cut it into small pieces with a sharp knife and knead these until the clay starts to soften and then form it into a long sausage shape. Fold the polymer clay back on itself and re-roll it. Repeat this 5 or 6 times or until the clay feels noticeably softer.
How to Condition Polymer Clay Using a Pasta Machine
A pasta machine is a useful time saver when conditioning polymer clay. Simply feed the polymer clay into the pasta machine on the widest setting, fold it in two and repeat the process. This will need to be done around fifteen to twenty times. When the polymer clay is conditioned the edges will crack less as the polymer clay is passed through the pasta machine.

Tips for Conditioning Polymer Clay

  • Some brands of polymer clay are softer than others, for instance Fimo Soft is softer than traditional Fimo. However even soft from the pack polymer clays should be conditioned. This will help to even out any unevenness in the clay.
  • Warm polymer clay is easier to work with than cold polymer clay. If a block of polymer clay is particularly tough, try placing it in a warm place for one or two hours before working on it (some polymer clay artists have even been known to sit on blocks of polymer clay to warm them).
  • Conditioned polymer clay stays malleable for many days and even weeks. Conditioning does not do any harm to a block of polymer clay, therefore don’t worry about conditioning too much clay. Many polymer clay artists condition a batch of polymer clay in advance before working on a big project.
  • It is not necessary to condition polymer clay when color mixing as the color mixing process also acts as conditioning.

Conditioning polymer clay is an important part of the preparation process. While many people who are new to working with polymer clay are eager to start work on a new project, they should not overlook this important step.

]]> http://www.primagallery.com/2010/05/24/how-to-condition-polymer-clay.htm/feed 0 Creating Art using Polymer Clay Pasta Machine http://www.primagallery.com/2010/03/12/creating-art-using-polymer-clay-pasta-machine.htm http://www.primagallery.com/2010/03/12/creating-art-using-polymer-clay-pasta-machine.htm#comments Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:43:02 +0000 ralphg Polymer clay or famous as'Play-Dough' clay are colorful, sculptable art medium made from polymer polyvinyl chloride. It routinely contains no clay minerals and is only known as'clay' because its texture and feasibility look like those of mineral clay. Artists, hobbyists and children all find polymer clay agood material to make art. Few instruments are required for working with polymer clay and are usually found round the house. For the sake of this article though, we focus at the use of the polymer clay pasta machine.

A polymer clay pasta machine like any pasta machine is generally used for pasta making. However, many saw the usefulness of the pasta machine in the field of humanities especially when it comes to clay modeling explaining why it too is employed generally by many . It can be used for conditioning clay, for mixing several clay colours, for producing sheets with unvarying thickness and even making patterned clay sheets. With this machine, techniques like marbling and slab working can be easily done. Since chrome steel is extremely durable and polymer clay will not simply stick to the surface, many pasta machines are made using this material. Like the Amaco Pasta Machine, there are many stainless steel pasta machines specifically intended for use with polymer clay that are being sold. It has seven thickness settings, a removable crank and a clamp to hold it onto the work surface. To permit both hands to turn the crank, some even come with feeder trays. To wash, use a dry material or brush to wipe off any extra oil that was left by the polymer clay. To help the roller turn smoothly, put a small amount of oil to the gears and joints. The employment of water should be avoided to prevent the machine and its parts from rusting.

Polymer clay pasta machine like any pasta machine is a delicate tool. Given maximum concern and attention it can last a lifetime.

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