How to bake polymer clay

    For almoust all brands of polymer clay the minimum time required for curing is generally 15-20 mins per quarter- inch of thickness (at the thickest spot).Some clayers also bake longer than the minimum time because they feel it makes the clay items stronger.Qeep in mind that the light-colored clays (esp. Sculpeys) will darken more quickly than others, as will translucents or any clays with translucent in their makeup (not always obvious) - Fimo Soft's Translucent, Glow-in-the-dark, white with glitter, pearl and white may all need a slightly lower temperature

Temperatures recommended by manufacturers (...slightly different for different brands):
    230 -265 ° for the newest versions of the Fimos
    275 ° for Premo & for Sculpey
    215 - 270 °  for Cernit

         How to bake Clay

1.Put the pieces in the oven cold,turn the oven on to 200 and leave the clay for about 15 min, then turn it up to the full temp for the rest of the time for baking.Turn off the oven, and let the pieces cool in the oven
This seems to create a greater durability, and I haven't burned or scorched anything in years.The reasoning behind this is to bring both the inside and outside of the clay up to the 200 temp first, and then the final higher baking temp to complete polymerization...

2. Flash baking for smaller pieces
 Baking at 325 for 10 min (...no longer though).I have heard that this type of curing gives far stronger and more flexible clay (325 is still below the "burning" temp of clay)
It will work for smaller pieces-- maximum of about 3/8" thick at most, and 2" long
and it is not recommended for larger pieces though because the heat will not have time to penetrate to the centre,this works for Premo, but not for Sculpey III which will scorch.This process seems to take the pieces up to a quick bonding.

If you burn it
DON'T THROW IT OUT ....cover or embellish it with paint!
Wipe the baked clay down with rubbing alcohol first, then paint.

Bake materials

Baking can be done on various kinds of oven-safe materials, but some things need to be kept in mind:
Polymer clay will soften slightly when it's hot, so placing clay directly on a very smooth surface (like glass, metal, alum.foil, cermic tile) will result in a shiny spot on the clay wherever the smooth surface touched it.So if you don't want your baked sheets to be shiny, use something like terra cotta tiles (rather than the smooth ceramic ones), or simply place a sheet of paper between the your shiny tile or other item and the clay.
You can always sand off the shiny area(s) with sandpaper or steel wool,then buff a bit when necessary
Ordinary paper has about the same "texture" as baked polymer clay, so many people place their clay items on a sheet of paper;the paper is usually placed on top of a flat stiff surface like a tile, glass, or metal baking sheet.
You can always use accordion-folded paper for baking pens or beads or to elevate your piece.
Parchment paper is also used by many clayers
Be aware that some of the parchment papers in the US come with a silicone coating though (...usually says on the outside of the box) ... clay baked on that type has difficulty holding findings attached later with glues..so they're great for cookies, bad for polymer.

How to make resin jewelry

     How to make resin jewelry is my passion. Learning to work with resin it’s a long process but not so hard if you have the right information. I will share my experience with you. I know it may be confusing to try to get the right info about this new and interesting medium. Making beautiful things like pendants, beads, jewelry, bracelets, and more it’s not hard you just have to try and try and never gave up.

I’ve been trying for a while now to discover the secrets behind resin. Let me tell you...it’s not easy to figure out which resin is good and which is not.

I read so many things about epoxy and polyester resin and finally I end up being more confuse.

I guess that like in everything else in life you have to try it for yourself and see which one works best for you.

I start to work with 2 parts epoxy resin the one you can find in any craft store-easy cast-I was so excited at first trying all the new projects and experiencing with this new medium.

My experience is that even I was so excited at first…a lot of my pieces come out blur or having trapped air bubble. Well you can fix those problems but what you cannot fix is that in time your resin piece will yellow.

From the Epoxy resins I do like Envirotex lite brand. The finish piece is more crystal clear and also I note that it keeps better in time.

I was still not happy with my results so I make another step and…try Polyester Resin. Ughhhh….that smell ! Please if you use this resin reed all instruction before use. It’s very important to use it in a good ventilated area. You can say that you start a new class. Working with polyester resin is different from using epoxy. You don’t have the 1:1 ratio anymore but you have to weight or use it by the volume to add catalyst. It may be tricky but trust me you can figure out the right ratio. I do like to use 10 drops of catalyst for 2 oz of resin. This makes your piece not to be sticky and also not very brittle. Depend on your project how long it has to cure and also on humidity and temperature. A perfect temperature will be 72 F. I do like to let my project to cure for 3 days without touching. Once you take it from your mould you should not put it back. You can polish resin with dry and wet grit starting from 320 grit and go graduate to 600-800 grit. It easier and you will get very good results if you use a stream of water and a little dish wash soap. Do not forget to wash your piece when you switch grits.

Polishing and buffing it’s not always necessary. Depend on your project.

I do love the results with polyester resin even if it takes more time and more patience from your side.

One of my projects.

Good luck.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/RenataDesign

My New Art Clay Colection

I just started a few weeks ago to like to work whith polymer clay.I can say that I like to try new materials from time to time.I didnt have too much succes with resin, even I have try hard.I guess it not for me.So....My new passion is Polymer Clay.

I have done a few hair accesories.I think they're lovely !