Which is the best clay to use?

Question

So for the Valentine's Day fund-raiser, one of the clubs I'm in has decided to make clay hearts with love messages on them. We're planning on using cookie cutters to cut them out, inscribing customized messages, baking, painting, and maybe attaching beads, ribbons, glitter, etc. to each heart.

Does anyone have suggestions for which clay to use?
I tried out Sculpey, and it was easy to work with and made a decent heart, but I hear that it is very fragile. I've heard of Premo, but it sounds hard to work with and I don't know if it's good for this kind of project.

We're going to go buy more brands to try them out, but it'd be a lot easier if anyone can give us any hints or tips.

The clay needs to be relatively easy to work with, strong (not likely to crack from everyday handling), and relatively cheap (we're trying to make a profit)

Answer 1

You might want to read this answer I wrote the other day on to someone looking for cheap polymer clay:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=ArDMkHnKZ_w94Jq1bPqE8.Psy6IX?qid=20070125102747AAD3EAi&show=7#profile-info-a711853b561e58297320fe1d2f0bec99aa
(" I am looking for a cheap altenative for fimo crafting clay are there any other brands out there? ")

There is definitely a difference in strength between certain polymer clay brands and others.
Sculpey (white, boxed) is the weakest polymer clay, and SuperSculpey (flesh-colored, boxed) and Sculpey III (colors, small bars) are stronger, but not as strong as Premo, FimoClassic, Kato Polyclay, and Cernit. The new version of FimoSoft is stronger than the Sculpeys, but weaker than the strongest clays.

This strength is most important in thin or projecting areas, and not important in inherently strong shapes like spheres, oval balls, etc., and important if the item will be stressed. If you use cutters to cut out shapes of clay, you'll likely be using fairly thin clay, so in this case, I'd go for Premo or Kato probably, which are very strong clays. Of those two, Premo is softer but the prices on Kato these days are very good. If you do not have a pasta machine or a couple of big guys with hot hands to condition all that clay (and also to make flat sheets to cut the hearts out of), you might want to stick with Premo (though a pasta machine can be purchased at Michaels for only about $15 if you use one of their biweekly 40% off coupons).

There are cheaper ways to buy polymer clays online though than at retail stores, though a 99 cent per bar sale at Michaels can come close. Check the other thread above for info on where to buy polymer clay online and also to read more about the differences between brands.

If you want info about using cutters with clay too, there's a lot of info on this page:
http://glassattic.com/polymer/cutters-blades.htm

And this page has info, lessons, and examples of making hearts of all kinds from polymer clay:
http://glassattic.com/polymer/Halloween_etc.htm
(...click on the subcategory *Valentine's Day*...)

Also when you say you'll be "inscribing" messages in the raw clay, I'm worried that that may not be as easy as it sounds. Unless you use some kind of "stamp" or shallow mold, it's not that easy to draw letters into raw clay quickly and neatly. There are all kinds of ways to do lettering on raw or baked clay though... if you'd like to read about those, check out this page:
http://glassattic.com/polymer/letters_inks.htm


Best of luck!

Diane B.

Answer 2

There are many different answers to this, but depending on your project, if you want something that will last you a long time and is pretty easy to work with, I would suggest model magic from crayola. It has the capability to dry after a day or so, so it will last and can't be altered once it dries. If you want more of a non drying clay you might as well buy sculpy. This will not be 100% perfect for your case it seems, but it is really easy to work with and basically gets the job done.

Answer 3

I have worked with Fimo now for over 10 years it has improved in the last few years softer and easier to work with and very durable.Depending on the size of your hearts a square of fimo will go a long way..... after baking, fimo can be painted and decorated.I hope this helps somewhat and good luck with your projects....

Answer 4

I've used Sculpey clay for lots of things (taught art for five years) and was never disappointed.

Answer 5

Omg! that reminds me, I gotta circulate examine that out on the main website! I knew from an somewhat long term in the past that hes gay. My pal and that i cracked up as quickly as we observed that he finally got here out of the closet! LOL

Answer 6

i personally like sculpey and have never had a problem with it. they also have a bendy sculpy which would be more durable.

Answer 7

Plato of course.

Answer 8

it is cheap if you use paper machea