Houston Polymer Clay Guild
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Tips and Tricks from Houston Polymer Clay Guild

We love sharing tips and tricks that have worked for other polymer enthusiasts. Please send your tips and tricks to the HPCG Secretary.

  • FINISHING:  Finished shaping a perfect object and ready to cure it? Before you do, rub it with a bit of cornstarch. The slight abrasiveness of the cornstarch will help to remove any hidden fingerprints!
  • MAKE UNIFORM BEADS:  Make two stacks of popsicle sticks that are even in height. Glue them together and then write how many are in each stack for easy identification. Set them on your work surface with one stack on each side of a bead. Then use a flat acrylic board to press the bead down. Once your acrylic board meets the stack of popsicle sticks, you have pressed your bead to the required height. Use these to create uniform beads when you want to smush several round beads just a bit. This will make them all the same! Make several sets so you can vary the height that you want. 
  • TRANSLUCENCE:  To really make translucent clay more translucent, as soon as you remove it from the oven hit it with the heat from your heat gun. Do this as soon as you remove it from the oven so the inside is still good and hot.
  • FAUX WOOD:  Use mica-infused clay to simulate wood. Mica-infused clay includes gold, bronze, silver, pearl from the package or any clay into which you add mica.

 

Betsy Fraser

 

Glenda Mungia