more info on polymer n paper clay?

Question

Tks for Starworr for the 1st ans. Well, the oil vanish was recommended by a lady who has been making paper clay planters for 10 years. She told me not to use spray vanish as not even. Could you advise me further on this. What prob will oil cause? Is it due to the cheap brand that the yellow tint appear? Is a toaster oven big? my house is pretty cramp? Is it acrylic spray paint? Any specific brand that is good? I see so many diff kinds at spotlight and i get confused? Acrylic paint ,or orignal watercolour or poster colour will do? Do you know anything about spray paint. tks

Answer 1

I don't know much about paperclay, but there is some info on it on this page at my website if you want to read what I have... that section will also tell you the difference between various types of "clay" materials:
http://glassattic.com/polymer/Characteristics.htm
(click on *Types of Clays* near the bottom of the list --paper-based clays are one of the "air-dry" types)
...otherwise, I'd just do a google search for "Creative Paperclay" or Celluclay or whichever brand you're using, plus the word finish or sealer or varnish.
(You might be interested in this short book though. It was written by Emi Fukushima all about paperclay --the premixed type like Creative Paperclay or Hearty or Makins-- I'm sure it has info about which finishes are good, etc.:
Expressions with Air-Dry Clay
(whimsical jewelry, accessories, figurines, greeting cards, scrapbooks using air-dry clay; stamping, coloring, finishing, shaping) $7.99, published by Design Originals # 3352
http://www.amazon.com/Expressions-Air-Dry-CanDo-Crafts-03352/dp/157421229X
http://www.d-originals.com/polymer2.html


As for polymer clays, those must be "cured" with heat in some way-- they will never "dry" like air-dry clays will. The heat required is fairly low though... about 265-275 F (130-135 C), but it's pretty specific so we always use a cheap oven thermometer to make sure the temp is actually correct.
Many polymer clayers use a toaster oven for this (which is basically just a small countertop oven), but there are other kinds of things you can heat the clay inside of well enough to cure it... check this page at my site for all those other ways, as well as the regular ovens and toaster ovens:
http://glassattic.com/polymer/baking.htm
(... click on *Other Ways to Cure* near the bottom of the list...)

As for the finish you used, I think that generally water-based paints and finishes are used on paper products, but oil-based ones may work too but will sink in, take longer to dry, and may make the paper translucent. The person you mentioned may use it because it's automatically water-resistant ---if you used an acrylic (water-based) finish, it would probably require a number of coats to be as water-resistant.

As for sprays, they come with various types of paints and finishes inside... could be oil-based paints (often called "enamels"), or acrylic finishes, etc. We don't often use acrylic *sprays* on baked polymer clay, but when we do, we apply it lightly and in several coats, letting it dry between each one (I'd guess at least 30 min if you're not in a humid place).
(some spray finishes which have acrylic in them have a solvent in the *propellant* of the can though, and we avoid those with polymer clay because the solvent can begin to eat into the clay over time and make it sticky).

If you want to know which acrylic sprays are okay for polymer clay and don't have solvent in the propellant, check out this page:
http://glassattic.com/polymer/finishes.htm
(... click on *Sprays*...)
That page also lists a number of clear acrylic finishes (not sprays) that can be used with clay (usually brushed on or dipped).

Polymer clays (or paper clays) can be painted on top with acrylic paint (usually two coats, after de-greasing the surface with alcohol). Watercolors and poster colors are not water-proof like acrylics are, so they'd have to be sealed after they were dry on the clay.

I don't know which reason your clear finish was yellow, but I can think of a few possibilities.
"Shellac" is oil-based, I think, and it has a naturally yellow-ish color.
But other clear finishes may also yellow a bit over time if they've been exposed to too much ultraviolet light or too much heat, so if you'll be using your planters in the sun or on a windowsill you'd want to avoid using a sealer that doesn't have "UV protection"... ask for that when you look for a sealer, or if should say on the label if it does. One brand of acrylic sealer that we often use with polymer clay which does have UV protection is Rustoleum's Varathane (there are several versions... we generallly use the Indoor, water-based, Gloss one and occasionally the Semi-Gloss).
It's best to apply Varathane, etc., with a small, soft brush to avoid streaks... and to avoid bubbles, don't shake the can, don't rub the brush on the side of the can, and don't scrub" the finish on, and also going over any bubbles with a dry brush should remove them.

Certain types of solvents must be used for oil-based materials and for water-based ones... so for oils, you'll need to use turpentine or paint thinner... for water-based ones, use water. After water-based ones dry though, they'll be very water-resistant though, so if acrylic paint dries in the brush you'll have to throw it away... (you can keep them from drying by putting them in an air-tight plastic, or better in an air-tight baggie in the freezer).

As for using permanent "armatures" with polymer clay (and I guess this would apply to paper clays too), we use anything that will give the stiffness or connectivity we want... and almost anything except certain types of plastic are fine at the low temps we use for curing. So we often use things like toothpicks and other wood shapes, wire and even plastic-covered wire, metal mesh, brass rods, pieces of cardstock, wadded up aluminum foil, and lots of other things.

We often "cover" other things with polymer clay too... that's similar to using an armature, but with covering, the material that's being used is large and the amount of clay used is much smaller ---in fact, just a thin covering.
So in the case of a flower pot, we might "cover" a terracotta or a ceramic pot entirely with a layer of decorative (or plain) polymer clay, then bake it... or we might just put a decorative strip around the rim, etc., or just add single embellishments here and there. It's fine to use with plants then.
http://glassattic.com/polymer/covering.htm
We also make freestanding vessels like boxes, bowls, etc. with polymer clay by covering the outside of a box then removing it after baking, or embedding wire mesh inside the clay, or just making the vessel only from clay.
http://glassattic.com/polymer/vessels.htm

There is no scoring or slip needed btw, for polymer clays, but it is important to join any parts together well to make sure they stay together. Rather than list the ways you can do that here, just read them on this page:
http://glassattic.com/polymer/glues-Diluent.htm
(... click on *Some Bonding Techniques*...)

So part of the answers to your questions would have to do with the size of the "planter" you want, the material it's made from, how strong it needs to be, whether it's freestanding or not, and how water-resistant or water-proof.
If you want a fairly large "planter" (as opposed to a smaller "flower pot"), neither polymer clay nor paper clay would probably be suitable unless you use a metal mesh (or something else inside or underneath). Polymer clays and pre-mixed paper clays will both be fairly expensive for larger items, even if they're just a covering, but both can be bought cheaper online usually and in larger quantities.
When I think of a planter, I think of something fairly large though, but you may not mean it that way. (If you do want to make your own freestanding planter though, you can make something called hypertufa which is really fun, fairly cheap, strong, weatherproof, etc.... if you want more info on that, look on this page:
http://glassattic.com/polymer/other_materials.htm
(... click on *Hypertufa*...)

You also asked about joints and wings, so I'm thinking you may want to be "sculpting" with your clays too. If that's the case, here are pages you'd be interested in if you want to work with polymer clay in particular for sculpting:

(types of sculpting clays, techniques, groups, smoothing, etc.)
http://glassattic.com/polymer/sculpture.htm
(making body parts, clothing, scales, wings, etc... also small jointed figures)
http://glassattic.com/polymer/sculpting_body_and_tools.htm
(heads ...and masks)
http://glassattic.com/polymer/heads_masks.htm
(permanent support inside clay sculpts, figures, etc.)
http://glassattic.com/polymer/armatures-perm.htm


HTH,

Diane B.

Answer 2

oooooooooh planters, well i would never make a planter out of one of those things, i have no trouble getting spray even. the oil i would think would soak into the paper, but i really dont know. a toaster oven is about 18 inches long, about 8 inches high and maybe a foot deep. i havent had one for years so i really dont know what brands are out there. I use acrylic panits with a brush on most things but i have not made plant holders out of paper clay, i doubt it would be strong enough to hold much,especially if you are trying to build handles out of the paper clay to hang them from. and the polymer clay would run into quite a bit of money to make a flower pot out of. I would try just painting and decorating clay pots. they do make acrylic paint now that you can use on things that go outside. but im in the states, you do have Michaels stores in england now though , I sure wish you the very best of luck. spray paint is either oil or acrylic based, im really no spray paint artist.