How to make DIY polymer clay at home?

2024 Author: Sierra Becker | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-26 03:46

Many children like to make polymer clay crafts, but the store version of such a mass is not very cheap. Make your own stuff at home. All products are easy to buy, while the costs are minimal, and the production time will only take a couple of hours. Also, by making polymer clay with your own hands, you will be sure that the child plays with an environmentally friendly product.

So many things can be made from this material: dishes, plates, cups, animals, almost any kind of unique jewelry, earrings, beads, bracelets. Most importantly, do-it-yourself polymer clay at home can be made without any effort and in a few hours.

First creation option

To prepare such a mass you will need:

• flame retardant glass bowl;
• dining spoon;
• polyethylene;
• 20g Vaseline (tablespoon);
• 250 g starch fromcorn;
• 250g PVA glue;
• 20g hand cream (tablespoon);
• gloves;
• 40g lemon juice (2 tablespoons);
• bowl.

Procedure:

1. Pour glue into a heat-resistant container, mix with cornstarch and petroleum jelly.
2. Combine the lemon juice with the prepared mixture and continue to stir until a mass of homogeneous composition without lumps is formed.
3. Put the bowl of mixed food on the stove for a while, then stir and leave on the stove for a couple more minutes.
4. Grease the surface where you plan to work with the resulting material.
5. Remove the bowl and remove the resulting crust.
6. Place the mixture on a well-oiled surface.
7. Knead for five minutes. As a result, the mass should become flexible and elastic.
8. Let the mixture cool, then wrap in cling film.

DIY polymer clay. Master class

By adding Vaseline to the composition, you will get a softer material. When drying, products made from this type of clay will not begin to crack. The material for creativity is quite sticky, not only due to the added glycerin, but also due to the larger amount of PVA glue. It is wiser to make polymer clay a day or even several days before you are going to make fakes.

Materials and tools:

• 250g corn starch;
• 20g Vaseline (tablespoon);
• flame resistant bowl;
• tablespoon;
• 20g hand cream, you can use the cheapest option;
• 40g lemon juice;
• 250g PVA glue.

Work order:

1. In a heat-protective container, mix the Vaseline, glue and starch until smooth.
2. Add lemon juice and stir.
3. Heat for a few minutes.
4. Stir.
5. Put back on the stove and heat up.
6. Pull out the container.
7. Apply hand cream to the table where the material will be processed.
8. Discard the dried crust on the material. She won't be needed.
9. Take part of the mass and put it on the table.
10. Knead the material like dough. It should become soft.
11. Put the material on the fabric. Excess moisture needs to come out.
12. After cooling the mass, remove.

Clay without heating

This option for creating polymer clay at home without heating is suitable if you plan to work with children. Self-sculpting products and making polymer clay will be a very interesting activity for children of any age.

Materials:

• 10g baby oil;
• 5ml perfume;
• 200g PVA glue;
• 200g corn starch;
• 2 tbsp. spoons of Vaseline (or use cream).

Steps of work:

1. Add starch to glue, vaseline oil and perfume. The clay should feel nice to the touch.
2. It is necessary to divide it intoseveral parts. Give each part a different color. A variety of colors is achieved through watercolor. By adding cream, you can avoid drying out the mass during operation.

Clay with baby oil

How else can you make your own polymer clay? For beginners, the following recipe is suitable.

Materials:

• 5g Vaseline (or hand cream);
• 100g PVA glue;
• 2 heat-resistant containers of different diameters. These will be used for the water bath;
• 10g baby oil;
• 100 g potato starch.

Steps of work:

1. Mix all ingredients in the smallest bowl.
2. Pour some water into the largest container so that the second bowl sits on the bottom of the water instead of floating (water bath).
3. Stir continuously to avoid overheating.
4. If lumps form, remove from heat and place on a table previously greased with cream. Keep stirring. When the clay surface becomes smooth, without lumps, and bumps stop appearing, it is necessary to put it in polyethylene and not touch it for half a day.
5. After 10 hours, start making crafts or hide the material in the refrigerator.

Storage

Material must be stored at low temperatures, refrigerated, sealed. For convenience, use a bag or a plastic bag. Polymer clay is packaged in selected containers. Until the material cools completely, a small hole is left or the package is notclose. The main thing is to close the container afterwards. Otherwise, the material will dry prematurely.

As you may have noticed, there are different ways to make your own polymer clay. Choose the one that suits you, cook the mass and make various crafts.

Create beautiful beads. What do you need?

What crafts can you make from polymer clay with your own hands? Variety. We suggest you make beads.

Materials and tools:

• polymer clay;
• flat knife;
• toothpick. Instead of a toothpick, you can also use an electric drill with a drill to drill holes in the beads;
• line;
• a piece of tile or glass.

Making beads: step-by-step instructions for creating them

1. To create uniform beads of the same size, cut a piece of clay 2-3 cm thick and lay it on a sheet. Use a knife to cut pieces of clay to the same size. If you need beads of different sizes, you can simply cut out pieces of clay “by eye”. The great thing about DIY beads is that they can be any size, shape or design you like!
2. Knead the pieces of clay in your hands by rolling them between your palms. Heating clay will help get rid of cracks and make it more flexible. It will be easier to work with such material. Always wash your hands before working with white clay to avoid transferring dyes or colors to it.
3. Shapebeads. To create spherical beads, roll each bead individually between your palms. You can also make them more egg-shaped. You can roll them into cylinders or shape them into cubes or other shapes. Always make balls on a hard, level surface.
4. Refrigerate the beads. Place all beads in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes. This will allow the clay to harden, making it easier to punch holes in them.
5. Punch holes in the beads. Poke a hole through the center of each ball with a toothpick. Do not press the ball against the toothpick, as this will spoil the shape of the ball. Instead, twist the toothpick into the balloon by rolling it between your fingers. If you are going to use a drill to create holes after baking, skip this step. And immediately proceed to baking.
6. Place the beads on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Put in the oven. Baking the beads will allow you to keep the shape and design that you created. Always preheat the oven before baking. Once you're done, take the beads out of the oven. And then let them cool completely before working on them.



7. If you decide not to make holes in the beads before baking, then it's time to create them. Work with each one individually. Hold the ball on a hard surface with your thumb and forefinger. Use a drill to carefully drill a hole through the center of the bead in each bead. Use 400g (or higher) sandpaper to remove any stains orfingerprints. Because polymer clay forms a pleasing, durable finish when dry, sealing the beads is not required. However, if you decide to make the material more durable, use a clean brush to apply a thin coat of polyurethane varnish to each ball.
8. Let the beads dry before making the piece.
9. To create a decoration, string beads on a fishing line. Attach a clasp (available at every hardware store)

Polymer clay plate. What do you need?

This craft can also be done without much difficulty. The creation process will not take long.

Materials and tools:

• polymer clay;
• lace doily;
• refractory bowl.

Steps in making a plate

1. Knead the clay, it should become elastic. Put it on a plate. Place a lace doily on top and press it down with a rolling pin. Carefully remove the tissue.
2. Place the round bowl on top of the clay and cut out a circle shape with a knife.
3. Carefully place the resulting circle in the oven. Bake for about half an hour. Cool, remove carefully. If desired, the plate can be painted with acrylics.