Polymer Clay

Fimo and clay tips and tutorials

How to make Clay That looks like Polymer Clay

by

You can actually make your own polymer-style clay at home, and the best part? You don’t need any fancy supplies. With just a couple of everyday household items—cornstarch and white PVA or Elmer’s glue—you can whip up a batch of soft, moldable clay that behaves a lot like store-bought polymer or Fimo clay.

This homemade clay recipe is budget-friendly, kid-safe, and perfect for crafters who want to experiment without investing in expensive packs of clay. Unlike some other DIY or air-dry clay recipes, this one dries to a smooth, pure white finish with minimal cracking, making it a great option for handmade ornaments, jewelry, small figurines, or keepsakes.

Think of it as the ultimate rainy-day project supply—you can mix it up in minutes, store it in the fridge for later, and then shape it into just about anything your imagination dreams up. Whether you’re crafting with kids, prepping for holiday decorations, or just want to test out clay sculpting without running to the craft store, this simple recipe has you covered.

homemade-polymerclay

This polymer clay tutorial shows you how to cook the glue and cornstarch to create a dough-like substance that will effectively dry in the air. So an air drying polymer clay.  Similar to white Airdrying clay but of course far more affordable!

You can also paint the clay and seal it with high gloss sealer. It is also referred to as cold porcelain for its smooth white finish.

You might be surprised to know that it also contains lemon juice.

The Etsy team at New York has put all the details and instructions together: Homemade Polymer Clay.

Have you tried making this Polymer / Fimo clay? Check out and let us know how it went in the comments below.

What did you make with your homemade clay?

Looking for air-drying clay? We highly recommend Das Air dry clay, we have been using this product for over 30 years. Check out their Das White Air drying clay and their Terracotta Air drying clay version for a natural pottery feel. For larger crafts we recommend buying your air drying clay in bulk

Comments

  2. Hi! You’re correct in that traditional plastics based polymer is heat cured but a lot of the air dry clays are lumped in with the polymer clay category in terms of tutorials, tools, their location at stores and their market. So my manager thought the recipe appropriate and posted it.

    It makes a nice air dry modeling material that has a texture similar but not quite like air dry “porcelain” clay. I imagine homemade polymer clay of the type I (and probably you!) work with would be more of a combination of heat set glues and pigments and binding powders rather than air dry glues and pigments and powders. One just polymerizes at a very different temperature / condition than the other.

  3. Just made a batch and only issue was food coloring isn’t bright enough so I hope to test one more batch with pure pigment

Have you read?

Pottery Lingo You Need to Know: A Beginner’s Guide to Talking Clay

Pottery is one of those crafts where the language sounds just as creative as the projects themselves. Walk into a studio and you’ll hear talk of “leather-hard clay,” “throwing on the wheel,” or “cone 6,” and if you’re new, it’s easy to feel lost. Think of this guide as your pottery dictionary — a cheat sheet for decoding all those wonderful clay terms so you can feel right at home in the studio.

Clay & Materials

Clay Body – The recipe of clay you’re working with. Some are smooth (porcelain), some gritty (stoneware), and some low-fire (earthenware). Each body acts differently in your hands and in the kiln.

Slip – A creamy liquid version of clay. Used like glue for joining pieces or painted on for decoration.

Engobe – Similar to slip, but usually colored with oxides or stains and used for surface decoration.

Grog – Tiny gritty bits of fired clay mixed back into clay. Adds strength, reduces shrinkage, and gives texture.

Plasticity – How bendy and workable your clay is. Porcelain = very plastic, earthenware = less so.

Shrinkage – Clay shrinks as it dries and again when fired. Planning ahead is key so your “mug” doesn’t end up shot glass-sized.

Handbuilding Terms

Pinch Pot – Formed simply by pinching clay between your fingers. A beginner’s go-to.

Coil – Rolled clay “snakes” stacked and smoothed into shapes. Great for big pots or decorative pieces.

Slab – Flat rolled sheets of clay cut, draped, or joined into shapes like trays, tiles, or mugs.

Score & Slip – The classic method for joining two clay pieces: scratch both surfaces (score), then glue with slip.

Additive / Subtractive – Ways of working with clay surfaces. Additive = adding clay. Subtractive = carving or removing clay.

Wheel Work

Centering – Forcing clay to the exact middle of the wheel so it spins evenly. Essential for anything round.

Throwing – Shaping clay on the wheel. (No actual throwing involved!)

Pulling – Lifting the clay walls upward with steady hands.

Collaring – Using your hands to squeeze clay inward as it spins, narrowing the form.

Opening Up – Pressing into the centered lump of clay to start creating the hollow inside.

Bat – A removable flat disk that attaches to the wheel head. Lets you lift your piece off without squishing it.

Drying Stages

Plastic – Fresh, squishy clay you can shape and bend.

Leather-Hard – Halfway dry. Firm enough to hold its shape, soft enough to carve or attach handles.

Bone Dry – Fully dry, chalky clay. Ready for the kiln, but fragile as a biscuit.

Greenware – Any unfired clay piece, whether leather-hard or bone dry.

Firing Terms

Bisque Firing – The first firing. It turns clay into a permanent ceramic, but leaves it porous for glazing.

Glaze Firing – The second firing that melts glaze into a glassy finish.

Cone – A reference point for kiln temperature. Cones bend at specific heats, and potters say things like “fired to cone 6.”

Pyrometric Cone – Little triangular markers used to measure kiln heat work (temperature + time).

Oxidation vs. Reduction – Firing atmospheres. Oxidation = plenty of oxygen (electric kiln). Reduction = limited oxygen (gas/wood kiln), which changes glaze colors dramatically.

Thermal Shock – When clay cracks from sudden temperature change. (Think of a mug exploding if you pour boiling water into cold, porous bisque.)

Surface Decoration

Underglaze – Colored decoration applied before a clear glaze. Works like paint but survives firing.

Glaze – A glassy, melted coating that adds color and finish. Comes in glossy, matte, satin, transparent, or opaque.

Oxides & Stains – Minerals (like iron oxide or cobalt) brushed on for color and detail.

Sgraffito – Carving through a colored slip or underglaze to reveal the clay body beneath.

Mishima / Inlay – Filling carved lines with contrasting colored slip. Gorgeous and precise.

Wax Resist – Wax applied to clay before glazing so glaze won’t stick there (used for patterns or to keep the bottom clean).

Burnishing – Polishing leather-hard clay with a stone or spoon for a smooth, shiny surface without glaze.

Studio Tools & Extras

Rib – A flat tool (wood, metal, rubber) for smoothing, shaping, or scraping.

Loop Tool – A tool with a looped wire end for trimming or carving.

Needle Tool – A sharp, pointed tool for piercing air bubbles, checking thickness, or carving.

Calipers – Measuring tools to make lids fit pots or ensure uniform sizes.

Glaze Test Tile – Small clay samples used to test glaze colors. Trust me, the wet glaze never looks like the fired result.

Bat Pin Holes – The little holes in your wheel head that hold bats in place.

Common Studio Slang

Potter’s Wheel Headache – That ache in your arms and shoulders after your first class.

Clay Memory – Clay “remembers” how it was handled. If twisted, it can warp in the kiln.

Kiln Gods – The good-luck charms potters jokingly call on, because sometimes firings surprise you — in both wonderful and disastrous ways.

Pottery Orphans – Abandoned pots in the back of a communal studio that no one claims.

Why Lingo Matters

Learning pottery lingo isn’t just about sounding clever — it helps you understand instructions, troubleshoot mistakes, and bond with fellow potters. Once you know your leather-hard from your bone dry and your bisque from your glaze fire, you’ll feel like you belong in the studio. And honestly, half the fun of pottery is that you always keep learning new words, new techniques, and new ways to get gloriously muddy.