how do you make modelling clays hard?

Question

i made stuff using modeling clay. i want to preserve them. how do you make them hard like real figurines?

i bought the clays in a bookstore. i think its for school projects and kids. is there a difference? its label just says "modelling clay"

how do you bake it? in the kitchen oven?!

Answer 1

True!. If what you got was "modeling clay" or "plasticine" (the heavy stuff that kids have used for years), it will never harden in air because it's oil-based... and it can't be hardened with heat because wax has been added to it also, so it will just melt in the oven.
I don't really know any way you can preserve modeling clay creations besides just putting them under a glass dome or up on a shelf where they won't be disturbed. Or maybe make a mold from them, then make a cast with something more permanent.)

You can use other types of "clays" though for making figurines and other items:

"Air dry" clays are water-based, and come in various types. The most common types are usually made from paper or cellulose plus additives. (for example, Creative Paperclay or Makin's Clay or the unmixed Celluclay, or some of the heavier clays ... and Play Dough is another common one). But "epoxy" clays are sturdier and you might like those too. And there are also air-dry clays you can make yourself like bread clay, salt dough, hypertufa, etc.).
Those will all dry in the air, but they'll usually also shrink and sometimes crack depending on how you've treated them.

"Polymer clays" are oil-based though so they never "dry" out (no water in them) and they're all baked in a low-temp (265-275 degree) home oven (or can even be baked in electric roasters, etc.). They'll harden in 15-45 minutes usually, depending on their thickness, then harden a bit more when allowed to cool.

Polymer clays come in various brands and lines, but be aware that the working characteristics (softness vs. firmness, heat-responsiveness, etc.) and final characteristics (strong vs. weak, matte vs. slightly shiny, etc.) can be different for each brand --and that's important when making certain kinds of things.
Some brands available in the U.S. are Premo, FimoClassic, FimoSoft, Kato Polyclay, and Sculpey III (which is colored and comes in bars, plus SuperSculpey and original Sculpey which are flesh colored, white, or terracotta and come in boxes). There are also some special polymer clays that remain flexible after curing, even in their thicker areas, like Bake and Bend and Moldmaker.

Look below under Sources, for the specific pages at my polymer clay encyclopedia website that have a lot of info about the differences between brands of polymer clay, and also have lessons on making figurines, etc. (....also look on pages like Kids/Beginners and Armatures-Permanent for larger and/or more "serious" figurines)


HTH,

Diane B.

Answer 2

Modelling clay won't get hard, no matter what you do with it. Not to the point of preservation, anyway. It's made mainly with kids in mind so it can be left out with no worries.

I'd recommend getting hold of some Sculpey or Fimo, known as polymer clay, which you can bake in your own oven very easily (as opposed to real clay, which needs a kiln). You can pick it up at any craft store, and I buy big boxes of plain white at the local Not-Walmart. Not expensive, comes in lots of colors, won't harden until you bake it, and can be sanded and glazed and all that good stuff too.

Answer 3

u eather dry them like real clay and leave them out or bake them depending on what the size is.if it is all natural u just leave it out to dry.

Answer 4

in a kiln