Polymer Clay - Should it Still Be Flexible After Baking?

Рет қаралды 209,622

10 жыл бұрын

Video #489: It depends on the thickness, but yes, polymer clay does stay somewhat flexible. More Info: www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/?... Polymer Clay Tutor.
Topics Covered In This Video:
* A very common beginner baking question.
* Is it normal for my polymer clay to still be bendy after baking?
* Help, Did I do something wrong?
* Polymer clay is not like regular earthen clay that cures rock hard.
* Polymer clay, like Premo Sculpey for example, remain flexible when baked, especially when thin.
* In this video I show samples of baked polymer clay at various thicknesses, and bend them to show how much flexibility you should expect.
* 2-3 playing cards thick = very flexible
* 6-8 playing cards thick = slightly flexible
* 14-16 playing cards thick = very stiff
* Temperature can affect flexibility. Cool Temps = Stiffer. Warm Temps = More Flexible
* Some coatings will affect stiffness, some won't.
* Thin flexible coating like Aleene's Jewelry Gel will not make the piece stiffer.
* Thick Resin coatings like UV Resin Lisa Pavelka's Magic Glos, will make the piece much stiffer.
* The short answer to "Should it Bend?" is "Yes. Depends on the thickness how much it'll bend."
* Related Video: Aleene's Jewelry Pendant Gel... www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/?...
* Related Video: Using UV Epoxy Resin on Polymer Clay... www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/?...
* Related Video: Mermaid Scales Tutorial... www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/?...
* Q&A... www.beadsandbeading.com/blog/?...
* Polymer Clay Tutor... "Make what you love... Love what you make."

Пікірлер: 384

@cheskadurana4438 4 ай бұрын

10 years later after you upload this. It's still so helpful for us who are just beginning

@PolymerClayTutor 4 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for your kind comment! Doug and I try to make our content as evergreen as possible, so that even if it is old content, it is still relevant. I am very pleased that this was helpful for you! 🙂

@jasminemaree4080 4 жыл бұрын

Still completely relevant 6 years later 💕💓 Thankyou for quelling my worries! I can now make my oversized heart dangles without worrying if they’ll break in the mail!!!

@DistractedDaisy 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for having an answer for every question that new creators do.

@PolymerClayTutor 3 жыл бұрын

Our pleasure!

@elainecreighton7941 8 жыл бұрын

I just discovered your channel a couple days ago and man have I learned so much already. I've dabbled with polymer clay some but lately have wanted to step it up. So have been watching tons of videos from various people. Thank you so much for teaching me some of the things I need to know to do the project with my daughter and 10 yr. old granddaughter next week.

@joycebower3007 9 жыл бұрын

I really enjoy every tutorial of yours that I have watched. Please keep making them!!!!

@SkulpTools 10 жыл бұрын

Another EXCELLENT, great quality demo Cindy. Thanks much for the helpful info!!

@eumaroca2803 9 жыл бұрын

Hi Cindy, thank you for your so helpful tutorials!

@vickiwillems3928 10 жыл бұрын

TFS! Great info packed into a short tutorial.

@lizimperatrice 6 жыл бұрын

Great! You keep answering all of my questions! Thank you so much.

@kobeal1718 9 жыл бұрын

hello I just start learning about polymer clay and my charms always broke after backing I am learning how to make spoons and all of them broke so how to make them flexible bake them more time or high temp please let me know what to do .

@adriannalong1680 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for sharing your expertise! I recently made some embellishments intended for a project. Even after following your advice in another video to bake for at least an hour, they came out flexible. Then, I recalled seeing the title of this video while browsing.

@aprilflowers6226 2 жыл бұрын

That was sooooo helpful thank you !! I just started with polymer clay and I though I was doing something wrong. Thanks for clarifying!

@jyo5764 9 жыл бұрын

What resin coat do u recommend???

@anaarias1627 Жыл бұрын

Good morning, so glad I found your video. I thought I was doing something wrong. Thank you for taking the time to address this question.👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

@bobaj100 8 жыл бұрын

is it the same way with super sculpey medium blend? because mine came out kind of rubber like. but it's a different clay...

@sehrishashfaq4552 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much, it helped me a lot . Today I tried the clay for the first time and it wasn't hard. Your video answered loads of my Qs. Thank you 😊❤️

@diyasen2239 8 жыл бұрын

HI, this definetely helps. where can I get the uv resin coating for my pendants. do you have a tutorial on how to use it. I also have the gloss coat, will that help to stiffen it a bit more?

@woodlandraven3876 6 жыл бұрын

I have a question. I'm new to polymer clay and I've been sculpting dragons. I baked them for and hour at 270°. The body of the dragon seems fine but the spikes keep snapping off really easy. What am I doing wrong?

@sharonjones7400 6 ай бұрын

Thank you. That was really helpful.

@gonnermleggies4813 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for this tip, Cindy! Being very new to polymer clay, I was curious about this. I mounted a gemstone in my very first polymer clay pendant, but accidentally made it too thin. :| After baking, I checked to make sure the stone was held in well at the bezel by twisting/flexing the piece and it popped out and went flying across the room. Nobody was injured, thankfully. But I will most definitely be making my pendants thicker in the future. PS: Your haircut and color looks beautiful in this vid. Your stylist does great work. ;)

@PolymerClayTutor 5 жыл бұрын

😂LOL I can just picture that gemstone flying across the room and smacking someone in the head!! Yeah, you will need to play around with your designs to figure out the best construction for the look you want. That's the fun part though, isn't it? 🙂 Enjoy!

@grucha506 7 жыл бұрын

finally know it! thank you for that video, it was really helpful

@teachyma Жыл бұрын

Thank you! This was a very helpful video. I will be checking in on more of your videos for reference.

@PolymerClayTutor Жыл бұрын

Awesome, thank you!

@melmontes1312 8 жыл бұрын

Hi Cindy - I make clay jewelry and i'm mad i'm just finding you! ;) anyway, for some reason the sculpey III braceletsI've made have been breaking. What am I doing wrong? the pieces tend to be a bit thicker. Am i not baking them long enough? I usually bake at 275 for about 20 minutes in a toaster oven. Thank you!

@vjmeitl6488 8 жыл бұрын

Question: I am using white premo clay with a pattern of chalk pastels in blue. My pieces came out of the oven looking dull and not white anymore. Is this normal and does it become more white with sanding? Also, could you show common baking issues that can happen (mistakes) and examples? I have never seen any one show their boo boo's. Thanks!

@edgewalkerZero 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks, this was just what I was looking for. I have a project where a flexible strip will be perfect. And It hadn't occurred to me to measure the thickness in playing cards - very handy.

@juliejelaco5208 6 жыл бұрын

hello,I am having so much trouble,I out so much work not my flowers ,I use promo sculpey and bake at 275 for 90 minutes and they still are breaking all the time. Can you help me, what am I doing wrong?

@ZSchrink 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the information! Very helpful :)

@IvanChristian9 3 жыл бұрын

You’re content is so helpful! Thanks. God bless. ☺️

@venusiandesigns 7 жыл бұрын

I made a beautiful pendant and when I went to put the jump ring it broke. Can you tell me why that happened ? Thank you.😞

@jettedahl9045 7 жыл бұрын

thank you for your tutorial,how long do i pre bake for make it flexebol, and can i still cut in to it when baked.merry christmas from denmark. jette

@heyitsbeppa4809 9 жыл бұрын

I use mainly Sculpey III and I wanted to know how long to bake something per playing card. I always see pieces with thin parts (ex: mermaids with uber thin tails) and wonder how they don't break. Any tips?

@bamboshbubb2594 8 жыл бұрын

do you have a tutorial on making rings? I want to make my mom something for Christmas.

@LisaH911 3 жыл бұрын

I'm planning to make keychains out polymer clay...what type of things you reccomend? I dont want them to break for sure

@sylysyly9759 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks ..i want to know what machine you use for the UV ...is it originally for nails?

@juliaguillet9874 8 жыл бұрын

thank you for making this video! It really helped! ;)

@susanscott5514 3 жыл бұрын

Hi there! Thanks for this tutorial! What kind of clay should I buy if I want it to be thin as well as hard? For trinket dishes. Thanks!

@qantasool Ай бұрын

hi, I am trying to find out if i can bake my clay then add more clay and bake again.thanks

@sparklecolors 10 жыл бұрын

Gosh so helpful. Thank you for this video :)

@annperez1139 Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for your help.

@shelbyjuice 9 жыл бұрын

Hi Cindy- thanks for your videos. I am trying to achieve a bit of bendy-ness with a somewhat thicker piece ( about 12-15 playing cards thick). Is that possible? I am making doll hands for animation that I'd like to be removable from the wire armature. I did this years ago and I remember the polymer clay having just enough give to take the hands on and off the wires without crumbling or chipping. I haven't had much luck revisiting the technique, though. The hands keeps falling apart when I take the wire out after baking or, if I don't bake with the wire in, they fall apart when I try to insert the wire. I'm using release on the wire. Thank you, (sorry so long)

@chellz61 8 жыл бұрын

Hi, thank you for this great tutorial and answering my questions, as I thought I was doing something wrong. Have experimented with a couple of brands and found some stay 'bendier' than others. Am fairly new to Polymer Clay (6 months) so have a lot to learn, but with tutorials like yours am gaining knowledge fast. Thanks again

@kellyramirez4115 4 жыл бұрын

Hello! Would you say the less bendy clay is sturdier and last longer? I've been using Sculpey 3 and it's fairly bendy. Looking for a clay that will last+

@intuitiveartandcooking5481 5 жыл бұрын

Why does translucent Premo brakes? I made a bunch and it's braking. I bakes 275 for 30 min and added another 10 min. Could it be over baked?

@dollqueen6625 6 жыл бұрын

I'm new as well and I don't know how to bake thin polymer clay sculpture with foil inside. I want it to be bendy but every single time it stiffens and when trying to see if it's bendable it breaks. I thought maybe higher temperature like 265 degress for 15 mins would stiffen it so I tried 235 for 15 mind and same results. So not sure what I'm doing wrong. My pieces are thin the most 5mm and I use super sculpey original. Can you please help me? Thank you!! So can the temperarure and timing stiffen my projects?

@gemmzys 2 жыл бұрын

Hello! I baked a batch of polymer clay earrings, mixture of Sculpey Premo & Sculpey III. I accidentally broke a piece (that is pure Sculpey Premo) while drilling a hole on it so I tried a breaking test on a few other pieces, they all broke when I used some strength to break them. In this case, is it still possible to strengthen the baked polymer clay earrings or even make them flexible? I was told to not preheat my oven & to bake at 100°C for 40min. Baked again for 20min at 100°C but my earrings are still brittle :(

@HiNinqi 5 жыл бұрын

can you recommend any wholesalers to buy the clay from?

@ghanoujmk25588 9 ай бұрын

Hello dear, my clay is still breaking after being baked I’m a beginner & I’m using sculpey premo what would the problem be and how can I fix it please?

@14kip 10 жыл бұрын

Great helpful vid. Full hour baking defo helps

@artsygigi 5 жыл бұрын

What is the best clay to use it is 2018? Thank you.

@tawandafitzgerald1020 4 жыл бұрын

OMGGG thank you so much, you are such a blessing❤❤❤. I'm about to subscribe now!!!

@PolymerClayTutor 4 жыл бұрын

My Pleasure! Thanks so much for subscribing! 💖💖💖

@Altysay 7 жыл бұрын

Is there a particular type of paint and gloss I should/shouldn't use on baked Original Sculpey clay?

@kimryan6472 2 жыл бұрын

Whatever you do, Don't use nail polish on polymer clay, to color or to clear gloss. The chemicals in nail polish will actually eat at the polymer clay over time and will ruin your pieces.

@angelsheri1 6 жыл бұрын

I have 2 questions. Does the polymer flexible clay given off toxic vapors? Second question what do you use to bake the clay? I see the nail ceramic heater, can you bake small pieces there?

@nilufer7546 6 ай бұрын

Thank you so much 💜 it helped me a lot

@AshleyMartinez-rs4qs 7 жыл бұрын

can you make sculpey 111 flexible by adding something to it im new at this an just got a lot of it

@mesalea.s2287 6 жыл бұрын

good morning i made a rose look beautiful but broke dosnt blend why please

@celtic5764 2 жыл бұрын

What is your go to temperature for each brand of polymer clay and time? Thanks so much for your time.

@petradavis4251 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you, that was so helpful.🥰😊

@Linnzy 7 жыл бұрын

Hey I just came by looking for an answer related to this; I wanted to make coasters to give away and i made them pretty thin...(maybe three cards layered-thin)....they are all pretty and smooth but while baking them in the oven they became woobly, the first tryout I tried sanding them but that affected the colors negativity....

@iamacraftaddict0948 8 жыл бұрын

I tried baking my clays.. they are thin and a little flexible.. but when i try to flex it a little more, it breaks.. i baked it first for 30 mins in the oven toaster and when i tried to bend it to test if it bends, it bends but breaks..i baked it again for another 30 mins and it still breaks, what did I do wrong? should I bake it a little longer?

@TheRealRealHousewife 2 жыл бұрын

How long does it need to cook or cure after I take it out of oven?

@WoM 7 жыл бұрын

Is there a way to make it more "bendy" then? With thicker amounts that is.

@PolymerClayTutor 7 жыл бұрын

Try Sculpey Bake and Bend. Even thicker pieces are bendy with that stuff.

@WoM 7 жыл бұрын

PolymerClayTutor hey cool, thanks!

@gwild4353 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks. Just the information I needed. 😎

@seedfulthoughts5956 Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much! I was freaking out that my first pair of earrings were so flexible. I'll go a bit thicker next time but will still expect some bend❤

@cindypeterson4120 Жыл бұрын

This is the best video on Harding t techniques with clay

@mauc.6715 7 жыл бұрын

is sculpey lll flexible too after baking?

@cheshirecat242 8 жыл бұрын

ok i know this video is older but im new to all this polymer stuff, i have made several test pieces all in various thicknesses and polymer types and they all do the same thing. i cook them at package directed temp and time and they are still rock hard regardless of thickness please help

@kim94503 8 жыл бұрын

How do you bake it so it stays flexible and not brittle

@bethmegansmith4642 7 жыл бұрын

Thank you.I m very new to this , thanks x

@kelseytout9385 5 жыл бұрын

I had been using sculpey clay for over two years and had never had them bend until now! I am so used to working with hard cured clay and now that I am using a convection oven (even using the same technique and cooking times) they are curing soo bendy! Having to re-learn everything I thought I knew about using polymer clay!

@claRissaGamBoa 2 жыл бұрын

Question: my clay is fully baked. And I’ve tried to do the bending test but my clay broke. Should it even brake at all ? How can I fix this ?

@NotSObored188 2 жыл бұрын

Can I seal my clay after baking even if the paint is sticky. I painted it and it is been sticky for hrs , the paint. Can I go ahead and seal it ?

@Katy-ie4mz 10 жыл бұрын

Love your videos, I have been wondering if I am baking right and if the consistency I was getting was correct. I make polymer clay flowers and I was wondering if you have tips on getting the petals to bond better without having to squish them and distort any of the details I would like to put on the petal, such as lines, texture etc. ? This is an example of one of my flowers. facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=231588033686148&set=pcb.231588180352800&type=1&theater

@ursulathigpen5409 2 жыл бұрын

How do you stop your weight clay from turning brown

@paramitabanik5579 4 жыл бұрын

Hi, can I glue polymer clay to a coffee mug after baking the clay? If yes which glue to use for that? If no, is there any way to decorate a coffee mug which is not oven safe using polymer clay? Thanks

@myleneribeiro7009 Жыл бұрын

Hello, I would like to know about how thick is good for the earrings?thanks

@S.N.Customs 9 жыл бұрын

ive got sculpey 3 can you boil it?

@chippy8569 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much! I'm new to polymer clay and wasn't sure why it was so bendy after baking.

@clairesemayo9547 8 жыл бұрын

What is the most flexible/strong polymer clay you have used after baking ?

@als8412 Жыл бұрын

May you please do a video about what’s the best type of polymer clay to use for earrings? I have been having trouble with flexibility (need the clay to be more flexible) , breaking when falling on the ground and lastly I would like to know if you have a technique for earrings to bake the backs into the clay to eliminate the need of gluing the earring backs on the clay. Thank you in advance and thank you for making all these videos! So helpful!

@layanabigelow127 Жыл бұрын

Thx so much

@raggedygirl1 8 жыл бұрын

How do we bake polymer clay when it is around something, like wood dowels or pens. I have several Awls ready to do but cant find my books to see how to bake them. How long do we bake them. I love your tutorial, thanks for doing them.

@TheGlamGramma 5 жыл бұрын

Thank you so miuch! I just started with polymer clay and I made some donuts and buttons today and they were bendy and I was panicked but your video helped a lot!

@serenahilton8191 9 жыл бұрын

I want to make polymer clay hair wraps like I bought for my daughter at a craft fair. It needs to be flexible and sturdy after baking what kind of clay would you reccomend. You can look at amazinghairwraps to see what I mean.

@ratisoneja 2 жыл бұрын

I am a beginner and today I baked my first ever earrings. My earrings were around 1.5 mm thick but there were 2 layers - one flower on top of another. It was okay. Not very bendy but it broke and on slight pressure, it crumbled. I used Oytra clay. I also saw a video today where they said that we can use wood varnish too. Please confirm.

@nancehug888 2 жыл бұрын

Good to know. I'm totally new into this. And bit frustrating since yesterday to find out what i can do, i have to do and can't do. Esp why after bake my clay sometimes bend and the others not. And i checking it yes because it's quite thick that's why it stays. Thanks for the video

@alleaha.6546 3 жыл бұрын

Can I bake it in a oven toaster? And how many minutes gonna bake?

@SherAli123go 3 жыл бұрын

Which clay is more suitable for hardening it in the Oven and in how much degrees the model should be heated ??? Please tell me ...Pretty please

@k9drwho1970 8 жыл бұрын

I have baked in a convection mini oven at correct temp for fimo 110 for 30 mins (about 1 playing card thick) but it breaks when it bends. There is no spiking of temp, what am I doing wrong. A thicker piece is no prob at all but the thinner pieces all have snapped. Please help, love ya vids by the way. Sebastian a newbie

@sayeedhajaleela5536 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks it was very useful....

@MsPrettybyrd 3 жыл бұрын

Can I maker a stamp or stamps.

@annafountain9863 7 жыл бұрын

I baked my clay like you said for an hour. it was really thin and I put it in a convection oven with manila mats like you said and made sure the temp stayed at 275 degrees. I took it out of the oven after it cut off to let it cool but when it was cool the pieces were still brittle and broke. I had the pan really full of the polymer clay pieces. if it is full do I need to cook it longer or hotter or both. and if I discover it is brittle can I put it back into the oven and cook more

@PolymerClayTutor 7 жыл бұрын

Did you use an oven thermometer? Most oven are off by quite a bit. Also what brand did you use? Some brands are brittle, no matter how well they are baked.

@ChasenJersey 5 жыл бұрын

I've done test pieces that are pretty thin. All under 1/4. I baked at 275 (additional oven thermometer shows correct temp) for 30 min. When it's first out of the oven it is flexible but once it's out for say 20 min or so it snaps when I try to bend it. What can I do to fix this?

@lakeishaj584 Жыл бұрын

Same here

@MrSpikesterman 10 жыл бұрын

thank you for the tip

@lianlucansky2024 Жыл бұрын

Hi there! I’m interested in making some shapes out of halfway-baked clay and hope to experiment with how bendy they are based on how long they’ve been in the oven. Has anyone else tried something like this?

@marywhiteaker5766 3 жыл бұрын

Can you use food coloring in clay

@PM-tx8co 4 жыл бұрын

My problem is that all my clay pieces are flexible after baking but after a couple days they feel so brittle and if I try bending them they crack and break

@onyx2047 7 жыл бұрын

I have a question regarding polymerclay and making fine details with it. I made a pendant with fine detail and after I could snap and crumble the piece apart no problem. Does this mean that the piece wasn't baked long enough? Also, if you could do a turorial on baking gems/stones with your polymer, that would be great! I'm not sure if I should be gluing the stone in with liquid clay or not. Thank you.

@t-.-t. 6 жыл бұрын

pro vocation i have the same problem. Ive made very delicate roses and the petal seems to break if i touch them. :( i'll.bake them a little longer and see.

@raju98242 9 жыл бұрын

Hello..My name is Raj ...from India...i watch most of all your videos and its really nice of you to share ideas about clay and its work...My wife wants to start small business of clay jewellery ...hope she will be more thankful to you .....take care god bless you

@miaweasley94 Жыл бұрын

Mines is thin and it hardens after it cools. Is that normal?

@thidaly1525 7 жыл бұрын

I have a lot of questions with polymer clay. Can u plz tell me. 1. All kind of polymer clays are harden by baking? I bought some polymer clays, bake it for 10mn, then, it still soft. 2. My polymer clay doesn't stick with each other well. What should I do? 3. What is the best brand of polymer clay for baking? Thank for ur reply.