How to make crafts from polymer clay?
To make crafts made of polymer clay for children and beginners, it is necessary to purchase a special material in the needlework shop - polyvinyl chloride, which, in its structure, and also in tactile sensations that arise when working with it, resembles an ordinary clay. Nevertheless, from the latter the polymer clay is still somewhat different - it is extremely plastic and much less sticky than plasticine.
Before proceeding directly to the creation of a masterpiece, the polymer clay must be kneaded very well, and it should be done for a fairly long period of time. If you spend a little effort at the earliest stage, you will be able to get a soft and plastic material from which you can easily perform any product.
The very process of creating toys and accessories from this material is very similar to molding from plasticine. Having prepared a polymer clay, you can easily mold out any shape from it. After this, the craft, if it is made of baked clay, should be burned in an ordinary oven, heated to 110-130 degrees. Under the influence of high temperature, the polymer clay solidifies and acquires properties similar to ceramics or high-quality plastic.
Never set the temperature in the oven higher than indicated on the polymer clay package. In particular, it is not recommended to bring it to the limit, because even the slightest excess of the drying temperature of the polymer provokes it to release toxic agents.
You can make beautiful crafts not only from baked polymer clay, but also self-hardening plastics. This material freezes in the air, and for this it does not require exposure to high temperatures, so it is ideal for classes with young children.
If you have never worked with polymer clay, try starting with the manufacture of beads of different shapes and sizes. To do this, the material should be rolled into a thin layer, cut into several equal-sized squares and rolled balls out of them. Bake such products is easiest on toothpicks. Having mastered this extraordinarily light technique, you can gradually complicate your task and make various toys and accessories.
Also, it will not be superfluous to master the method of stamping. This technique is most often used to create dolls and other toys. Here, a special flexible form is used to create the desired imprint. Later it is baked and connected to other elements, executed in exactly the same way. The final model of a doll or other product must also undergo a firing procedure.
After baking, your masterpiece should also be polished and polished. Despite the fact that the polymer clay is different, it is often a question how to paint a hand-made article from this material. Best for this oil, acrylic and water-soluble paints. Enamels and varnishes on this material do not dry out at all and leave the surface sticky.
In any case, before applying the paint to the product, test it for compatibility with the polymer clay, as some substances react chemically with each other. The final stage of the design of the craft must be a special coating of varnish.
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