I like to smooth off my pieces with a tiny bit of liquid polymer clay on a silicone brush. Works wonders.

Hi Shana Clarke, use a baby wipe or a cloth with some rubbing alcohol on it to clean the lint and hairs off your clay. That will help.

I read the title and thought it was a tutorial for criminals

Baby wipes are great to smooth the beads, or clean them before baking, I use them also to clean the roller and pasta machine between two colors. I actually place them in the pasta machine and roll them out like the clay. Thanks for the tips!

I use cling wrap. Putting it over the piece and then smoothing

.... i just want to say........ the camera man is your husband right? well, if he is, i just wanted to say: wow. he is amazing with that camera!!!!! not shaky, he is able to get good focus, and when he 'sways' it, it just looks amazing!!! i wanted to point this out because he probably does not get the credit he deserves.

the back of a teaspoon is a good smoother. You an also put on latex gloves and then cut out the palms so that the fingers are still on but air can circulate.

I use just the two or three fingers of the latex gloves when I am ready to pick it up off the paper or put it in the oven. I cut them off and roll it down my finger a bit to hold them on ( Note: they have to fit tight in the first place.)

Hi Suguna Srinivas, I use acetone to remove fingerprints on baked beads. For raw clay I'd rather use rubbing alcohol because it is much less smelly and nicer to use. GO to my blog (link in description) and use the search box at the top of the page to fine most answers to your polymer clay questions. Thanks for commenting!

Hi, I thought baby oil works well too. To avoid getting it on my hands, I dip a q-tip into the oil and run it over my clay to smooth out any finger prints 😸

Hi Ally (watercrystal9panfu), I get annoyed by dust in my clay too! I will do a video on it one day soon, but a great trick is to wipe the dirty clay with a baby wipe or paper towel with rubbing alcohol on it. Hope that helps!

Just found your videos. Fantastic info and help. Thanks for doing these. You are wonderful!

I use the non-latex gloves. They don't get as sweaty and they are a lot easier since I tend to do more rounded and finger-molded shapes.

You answered one of my long time questions: fingerprints. Thank you.

Thank you Lina Never! I don't work with Fimo Soft very often, but it could be that the cornstarch is 'attaching' itself to the clay like it does to Kato Polyclay. Try using Baking Soda instead and see if that makes a difference. Each brand acts a little different so you will need to test, test, test. Good luck!

I've found that when I use pigments on my clay like pearl ex the use of the paint brush and powder removes a lot of fingerprints. I know not every project will require powdered pigment, but maybe the use of a paintbrush in general would help smooth things out.

I use parchment paper, wax paper and/or cling wrap to help keep finger prints off my clay. Extremely useful when trying to press two pieces together. If there is a big imperfection I spray a bit of alcohol (or water) and lint free pads (the kind you find at a nail or beauty store). I found the baby wipes leave lint behind. Plus it helps wipe of small flecks of debris. Love watching your tips! TFS

Thanks, needed these kind of tips for my clay project.

Hi, thank you very much. This was very helpful!

I agree with Nicole! A "work space tour" ( so-called by many other clay artists lol) would be amazing and I would definitely watch that. Some people looooove that

This is really nice!!! I appreciate this video! Thanks!

Just watched Phoenix Wright for 10 hours someone tell me how I got here

GREAT video tip Cindy!!!

I picked up the polyform sander recently, best tool ever! Sanding is sooooo much faster and it is very easy to use. Down side to it is it seems to chew threw the batteries, may just be my rechargeable not charging fully too, plan to get some new ones and see how they go.

Thank you so much. I am new to working with polymer clay and I have been having a lit of problems with finger prints

Your polymer clay station is gorgeous!

Thank you for this! I've been making little charms and have such a problem with fingerprints sticking around. I'm going to try the water before I make my next batch :) Do you use distilled/filtered water or tap water? Ours is a little hard, so I don't know if I should use it on the polymer clay.

Thank you it was very helpful as usual.

Thanks guys for sharing your fingerprint removal tips! Keep em coming! :)

where did you get your drawer organizer & does it hold the 2oz clay pkg?

Hi Jake Aran, yeah the cornstarch does leave a powdery residue on the clay, but it does wash off easily with water. Rubbing alcohol works well too if that is what you prefer. Thanks for commenting!

Yes DeeEll86442, acetone works very well for 'melting' off any imperfections on baked polymer clay. I was thinking of doing a quick demo on that anyway, so thanks for the reminder! The things I don't like about it though are the smell, the fact that it can be a bit of a pain to find the pure stuff, and it is so highly flammable. But it definitely works in those hard to sand places!

I know some people also use a q-tip soaked in rubbing alcohol and just wipe the finger prints away. (also some dirt particals)

Great tutorial.

Hi vivianvideos, sure you can use baby powder to smooth your beads instead of cornstarch as long as it isn't too gritty, it should be fine. Thanks for commenting!

Thank you so much for this! :)

Hi, your video tutorials are amazing, I was happy to find this one. I made some beads (FIMO soft) and removed fingerprints with cornstarch, but after baking my beads they all became white. I've tried to wash them with water, clean with alcohol and it helps only for a second. What could I do to remove white and return colors to my beads?

I like to use a small rounded top flat sable paint brush to smooth out the clay.

omg you you are awesome and saved my clays life!

Very helpful thank u

I love your videos. It's very helpful for beginners like me. So excited to start my business soon.

This was super helpful thank you so much I am new to polymer clay and I am getting fingerprints over my designs

Great video and good ideas of the fingerprints on clay

Hi I love your videos. I'm starting to do stuff with polymer. I have a big big problem it gets really sticky on my fingers. I feel that when I use cornstarch it start getting harder. do you have any tips for this.

Hi may I ask what causes white specs/ patches on my polymer clay project after baking? Thank you so much in advance😊

Great tip Cindy thanks I also tried latex gloves...maybe 3 or 4 times but they made my hands sweat too then I learned about finger cots, my pharmacist gets them in packs of 100 they cost around $3.50...but water is almost free - so there you go - next time I'm going to try this new trick you've gifted us with btw burled wood is so pretty and I'm looking forward to learning this faux tech when you get all the bumps worked out

Hi Cindy....When i clean the pc with rubbing alcohol do i have to wait for it to dry before baking it right?.....Thanx in advance I love your videos I've learned so much! :)

Thank you for your ideas in the video. I usually use parchment paper to et rid of fingerprints...

Such useful advice -- thank you. I also want to get things as well done as possible before I bake them. I do wear gloves, but unless they fit perfectly, they can leave wrinkle prints! :)

:) this helps because I used to do tht anyway, but I put too much water on my finger so my clay was just drowned in water afterwards, I've now tried te spray, and it's perfect! THANKS!

Very good tips, thank you! I used to get rid of the fingerprints using baby wipe but now I'm gonna try the water spray as it will be surely less messy. :)

Hey will this work on cold porcelain please reply fast thx for the video.

Hi Obot1121, yes wearing a tight fitting rubber or latex glove will work just fine for preventing fingerprints. I just don't like to wear them because my hands get way too sweaty in them. Thanks for commenting!

great tip!

Hi bellaschoneveld28, yes I have heard of Cernit, but I haven't had the chance to work with it yet. Will try and pick some up on my next trip to the USA since I haven't seen it here in Canada yet. Thanks for commenting!

i LOVE your workshop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you so much!

finger cots! I have to admit, I haven't tried it yet, but I have some to try.... It's like using latex gloves without the "sweaty factor"

Hi cindy..just wanted to know if acetone works on baked polymer clay or it is to be used before baking ..also any tips to remove finger prints on round beads

um i want to start polymer clay but i dont know where to get it and what to use for the tools and how do you get it shiny and like will you tell me please !

Can i clean rubbing alcohol and after I can bake it . It is not dangerous

Very helpful

Hi purria13, I am afraid that the sun will not bake your polymer clay properly, even if you live in a hot climate. If your parents won't let you use your oven, you may want to switch to an air-dry polymer clay. The properties are a little different but you will be able to a lot of cool things with it and you won't need to worry about baking it. Good luck!

Thanks for your videos! you have made my night, I just discoverd you and I cant stop watching. You have solved so many of my problems so far ajjajaaj. Im new on polymer, just started a couple of weeks ago so i will try to watch as many of your videos as posible. THANKS! For finger prints, What I found usefull is cutting a finger from a latex glove and just using a finger on the fingers that i will be using to touch the clay when smothing in that way i dont use the whole glove.

I`m a naildesigner but i like using acrylics and builder gel to make beads and buttons also:) ive just started making clay products, you are great at explaining and showing. Thank you!:)

i tried using cornstarch on my clay work to remove finger prints and bake the pieces in the powder. but i dont know what went wrong, my clay work ended white patches on them even after washing.

I love how helpfull your videos are!

were you got your drawers i look every were here in puerto rico to find them and online

Thanks for the video Cindy! I use rubbing alcohol and a qtip mostly :)

I appreciate all of the tips! I actually took a finger nail file to my fingers. It didn't eliminate finger prints but certainly lightened them considerably. No, I didn't erase them completely so I wouldn't do well in criminal activity either! ;)

Please keep videos coming. Thanks.

Hi Cindy, I have another question. (Something I've noticed on the test piece when I tried the one hour bake) How can you remove fingerprints or "bumps" when it has been baked? I've tried sandingpapier but it's not really doing much difference :(

Please, may I ask you. About the type of glue you're using in your mugs Because I use epoxy, and there are some complaints about it.

Oh my god I love you! Thanks for the video (:

Dear polymerclaytutor, what is the best polymer clay blending tool that you recommend? Where can you buy it? Please answer!

Hi delilah collings, I like the Sculpey Style and Detail Tool Set. There are three double ended tools with rubber blending tips on one end and metal ball stylus tools on the other. They are easy to find in your favourite craft store like Michaels or online. Hope that helps!

Hi Cindy, Thank you for your awesome videos. :) What do you think about using latex gloves? I'm interested in trying that one out.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Hi, i tried the cornstarch and it worked perfectly. After the pieces were done, i washed the starch of, but after baking the charms, they remained milky white because of the cornstarch. Water won't help but make it worse. What can I do?

Is this oso for air dry clay?

Hi maySguitar! I got those storage drawers at Canadian Tire here in Canada, but there are lots of places online and in the states where you can get units like these. I have filmed a video showing how I store polymer clay that will be coming up soon. Make sure to subscribe, so you don't miss it! Thanks for your comment!

Hi, Great video! I just have one question, where did you get those black containers in the background?! I really want those or something similar!

thanks for the water tip. I'm just getting into sculpting and I'm really liking the medium. So far, I've done a couple of dragons nests. I tried disposable vinyl gloves, but I still got noticeable fingerprints in the clay. However, the clay I was working with may have been very soft.

awesome ideas< I use the latex gloves BUT i have hot hands too so I cut off the fingers on the gloves and just use those, I cover my index finger and thumb with the cut of pieces and it works great, esp. if you have a very tight fit, sometimes i use the smaller cut off glove fingers on the thumb for a tighter fit.

i just wanna ask wether instead of using polymer clay?,can we use Fimo?

Hi Avery Dunnican, thank you so much for your questions! There's a lot to learn about polymer clay, too much for this tiny little box. The best thing to do is go to my blog (link in description) and use the search box there to find the answers to any polymer clay questions you may have. Have fun!

Great Tip!

Thanks

New using this clay. How do you get a nice, smooth result?

Thank you for your help.Rocky

this may sound weird but im thinking it cud work...have u ever tried using clear skin liquid bandaid on finger tips? its clear & leaves a very thin film on wherever u put it?? just wandering if u hve tried it?

Since I'm new to polymer clay, this really helped. I heard that using tools helps with the finger prints, but since I'm new to this, I don't have all the special tools ( I use play dough tools for now that I had in my craft drawers) I think I will use the water. Thanks a lot!!! P.S. Do you have any other tips for newbies like me?

Cling wrap. If you're good you can use that to smooth out pieces. This of course would be for less detailed pieces, but still a good thing to know.

thanks

Thanks for the tip. I have a question? When I am using polymer clay it seems to get hair or dirt in it so I tried using gloves and it worked but it was annoying and uncomfortable to wear them and I don't know what else to do! Any tips?

1/23/23. 9:40 pm. Do you have any videos on color mixing polymer clay? I would like to see a video for mixing colors to attain sage green.

Thanks! I will hopefully be going to micheals by saturday. Do you know how much they are?

Glad to have you as a new subscriber digupstuff! Never thought I looked like Britney Spears but thanks!

Thank you for your question! Although I do love to get questions from everyone, it has become impossible for me to answer them personally on my social media sites because of the sheer number of questions that come in. The only place I am able to answer questions now is at my blog (link in description). Use the search box there to find the appropriate post to ask your question on and either myself or another member will do our best to help. Thanks for commenting!

how long can u leave something u have made our before baking? just wondering as my stobe is getting repaired. if i couod make something and have it out for a few days before it gets old or messed up without baking it right away? any tips or advice? thank u.