Polymer Clay Hacks

The other day I dragged my family to the Maker Faire and saw all the cool DIY stuff folks are getting up to. In that extended tribe of creative, technical types tips and hints are called hacks. In that spirit, here’s a few of my favourite clay ones:

A little rubbing alcohol will soften your clay until it evaporates. Great for surface smoothing of projects.
If you need the clay to be a little softer but don’t have purpose made clay softner, a little mineral oil will do the trick. Just mix well and use sparingly.
Essential oils or extracts will also scent your clay for a while. Mix into your clay ahead of baking for cute scented mini foods or add a few drops of essential oils after you bake it.
After years of claying, I still bake on folded copy paper. It keeps things from rolling as much or getting flat bottoms. Paper is safe in the oven at clay temperatures.
And even with jars and boxes of tools my favourite all purpose tool for clay remains my toothpicks and knitting needles bought from the dollar store or the thrift shop.
I am a terrible slob but there are three things I am neat about in the studio because the consequences are messy or frustrating: the lids on my powders go right back on, the washers go right back on my tumbler tops and I set my pasta machine back to the thickest setting every time.
More than any other medium I’ve worked with, polymer clay results seems to vary by user, room temperature, tools… learn your best range but always add a few extra beads, canes, bits of clay because something wrecks. Often.
While you should know how to do tasks manually, as soon as you realize you’ll be claying for a while and doing that task over and over… get the correct tool: a pasta machine (or a motorized one even!), a tumbler, clay in pound blocks are just a few examples.
If you have a limited polymer clay budget, practice before using expensive materials. You can cut plain clay ahead of cutting expensive canes. You can do your first blends to colours that mix to make usable colours – white to anything for example.

The flowers above are lopsided flower cane slices shaped with an old paintbrush handle… one of my favourite rounded end tools.

This week’s Book Review Wednesday pick is Air-Dry Clay Making Handbook by Jacalyn K. Myron, and this is another one of those crossover craft books that could easily live in more than one corner of CraftGossip.

It is not strictly a jewelry making book, but the cover does mention jewelry projects, and air-dry clay is a lovely material for making lightweight pendants, charms, ring dishes, earrings, beads, and little decorative pieces. So I’m letting it sneak into the Jewelry Making series because, honestly, half the fun of handmade jewelry is experimenting with materials that were not necessarily “jewelry supplies” to begin with.

Air-dry clay is especially appealing for beginners because you do not need an oven, kiln, torch, or specialist setup. You can shape it, texture it, let it dry, sand it, paint it, seal it, and turn it into something sweet and useful. It is very approachable, which makes it a nice option for crafters who want to try clay jewelry without jumping straight into polymer clay baking or resin mixing.

This book looks like a practical beginner guide covering air-dry clay techniques, tools, tips, and projects, including jewelry, home décor, animals, figurines, and small sculptures. I like that mix because it gives makers room to play. You might start with a simple ring dish or pendant and then wander off into little bowls, ornaments, charms, or handmade gifts.

For jewelry makers, I’d see this as a gentle introduction to clay-based accessories. Think handmade pendants, textured earrings, little clay charms, or small dishes for storing rings and earrings. It would also pair nicely with our Jewelry Making projects and the more clay-focused ideas here.

My Shellie-style take? Air-Dry Clay Making Handbook looks like a calm, beginner-friendly craft book for anyone who wants to try clay without too much fuss. It may lean more general craft than pure jewelry, but there is enough jewelry potential here to make it useful for makers who enjoy handmade accessories, gift projects, and pretty little things made by hand.

You can find the book here: Air-Dry Clay Making Handbook.

Have you read?