Crafts people, which would be better to craft a game piece.?

Question

I was wanting to make custom pieces for the game "Settlers of Catan". They don't receive heavy wear when you play, but I was wondering which would be better, or if a great difference cheaper, to cast - clay or plaster? Both should paint without much trouble. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

Polymer clay would defintely be better than plaster, especially if you use a strong brand/line**. Air-dry clay would be another possibility, but not as good a polymer in many ways.

If you want to check out some other game pieces made with polymer clay, check out this page at my site:
http://glassattic.com/polymer/kids_beginners.htm
(...click on the GAMES category near the bottom of the list at the top of the page... and also check the chess and other pieces under that category)

(if you decide on polymer clay, also look on the Table of Contents page for everything else about using polymer clay... baking it, etc.
http://glassattic.com/polymer/contents.htm
....then use the alphabetical navigation bar on the left to go to any page that interests you)

**the polymer clays which are stronger after baking in any thin or projecting areas are Premo, FimoClassic, Kato Polyclay and Cernit in the U.S.... the less strong ones in those areas are Sculpey, SuperSculpey, Sculpey III, and to a lesser extent FimoSoft


Diane B.

Answer 2

It seems like polymer clay would be less likely to chip.