What do you normal coat your polymer clay in after its been baked?

Question

I have been using Modge Podge, but I'm not liking what it does in the long run...I have heard that you can use Future Floor wax or Varathane Diamond Water Based Polyurethane...but I haven't tried either of those yet...do they work...will they get sticky or gummy over time.

I was thinking about buying these and using them on test tiles.

what do you used to wet/dry sand it a machine or just your hands because...I have a lot of pieces that are impossible to hit all of the surfaces...

Answer 1

I use Delta Ceramcoat paints and when that's dry overcoat it with Delta Ceramcoat varnish. It comes in both shiny and matte finishes.It's all Acrylic. I would stay away from the floor wax. Test a small piece with the Polyurethane. Sometimes it can react with the polymer clay.

Answer 2

I don't think they are mixable media. I wouldn't combine the paper clay with the polymer clay. You would probably mess up the paper clay, because of the plasticizer in the polymer clay; that's what you're baking off when you bake the polymer clay. With aluminum foil and a lower temp, I don't think your polymer clay will cure properly. Your second solution will most likely mess up the paper clay when you add the polymer clay to it and bake it. Of course, I'd say go ahead and experiment (try something simple so you don't waste time on a project that might fail), and see what happens.

Answer 3

You can use polymer clay without any special finishing treatment at all. The finish of polymer clay right after firing varies by brand - Fimo has a slight gloss, Sculpey has a matte finish, Cernit is slightly waxy-looking. For many pieces, you may find that the clay's natural finish best enhances the effect you want. For other pieces, you may prefer the shinier or glossier finish available with various finishing techniques such as wet-sanding, buffing, and glazing. Buffing produces a deeper, more subtle sheen; glazing produces a harder shine and takes considerably less time.

I prefer the sanding and buffing, followed by a light application of floor polish (I use Turtle wax brand because it takes a nice buff).

edit: Be careful with water based, it will peel over time.

edit: with beads, I use a rock tumbler and bead polishing paper, with larger pieces, I do it by hand.

Answer 4

There are actually many things that can be used as finishes on polymer clay, if you even want to add a finish at all --which is definitely not required.

As mentioned, different brands of polymer clay can bake up with different finishes naturally --with Sculpey being the most matte, Kato Polyclay being a slight sheen, (Premo and the Fimos in-between). Cernit has so much translucent clay in every color that it's appearance is less opaque.

Although many substances can be used (usually to give baked clay a *glossy* surface), the two most commonly used by polymer clayers are the two you mentioned (Varathane--water-based/Gloss, and Future) because they both work well and they're also a lot cheaper than the finishes sold "for polymer clay."

Most all the liquid finishes used to give polymer clay a gloss are acrylics, though epoxy resin could be used. Clear "waxes" can also be used to give the clay just a sheen rather than a high gloss (various types of clear carnauba wax, shoe polish, etc) ..waxes usually need to be buffed after application. Also Vaseline can be rubbed in, then buffed a bit for sheen.

Polymer clay can also be given a sheen all the way up to a glossy shine by sanding-then-buffing. Using an *electric* buffer is necessary to get it all the way up to glossy shine though...hand buffing can only achieve a sheen.
Sanding and buffing can be combined with liquid finishes too.

Liquid polymer clays or translucent clay can also be applied (then baked) to create a gloss, but they must be very thin, and/or sanded and buffed to do that.

Acrylic finishes won't get sticky or gummy over time if applied over polymer clay (...unless perhaps they just took a long time to "dry" because the coat was too thick, or thinner coats weren't allowed to dry thoroughly inbetween).
The stickiness problem is usually caused by using a petroleum-solvent-based finish or paint (the paints are often called "enamels," or just any paints or sealers that need paint thinner as clean up or to thin them).
Some acrylics that come in spray cans will also become sticky over time just because they have one of these solvents in their propellants.

ModPodge (or any thinned permanent "white glue") can work as a clear sealer on clay, as well as other acrylic things like "acrylic mediums" or dimensional glazes, etc., but many of those will scratch more easily than the stronger acrylics mentioned above, or perhaps absorb humidity more easily and look cloudy. So you can coat them with Varathane/Future, etc., or just use something different next time.

There is a load of info on all these finishes and waxes, plus brand names, etc., on this page of my polymer clay "encyclopedia" if you'd like to get much more detail about all this stuff, see examples, lessons, etc.:
http://glassattic.com/polymer/finishes.htm

P.S. If you're interested in the sanding-and-buffing --or the liquid clay or resin-- check out these pages from the alphabetical navigation bar on the Finishes page (or any page):

Sanding
Buffing
Tools > Dremels

Liquid Clay
Other Materials > Epoxy Resins


HTH,
Diane B.

EDITED TO ADD... you asked about various ways (and "machines") you could use to sand and/or buff.
You can do the sanding and buffing both by hand, or you can use various electric things for either (some quite kludgy) to help, or to speed up the process, especially with certain shapes like round beads. All of those will be discussed on the pages I mentioned above though, so I won't go into them unless you come back with a specific question about one.
I wasn't quite sure what you meant by "hard to get to all the spots"... did you mean just the lower areas of a dimensional or textured surface? If so, it's common to sand and buff only the higher areas of dimensional surfaces, which can also make them look more "real." If you need to make depressed areas you couldn't sand glossy as well as the higher areas, you'll need to go with a liquid instead of the sanding and buffing --or after it.)

Answer 5

I use Future when I want a glossy finish and use Minwax clear satin Polycrylic when I want a matte finish. If you apply either of these finishes and then put the piece back in your oven for a few minutes, it helps to set the finish. I have not had any problems with them getting sticky or gummy.

Answer 6

For small pieces, I like to use clear nail polish. I like the quick dry kind the best. It works really well & lasts forever.

Answer 7

I get the topcoat that they sell on the same shelf as the clay. It gives a good finish and makes it weather proof.
.

Answer 8

you use liquid sculpey if you want it shiny.