Polymer clay is a super fun medium which can be used to make jewelry, models and a million other things!
Step 1 – Setting up your work space
Working with polymer clay needs very few tools to get started. In our beginner kits we provide the following
- A tile; to make on as well as bake on
- Polymer Clay; enough to get a few pairs of earrings
- Multi-tool; This can be used to roll the clay as well as for fine details and smoothing
- Earring hardware; A set of basic earring parts with jump rings which, when opened with pliers, can be used to add multiple clay parts together.
There are some additional items that can be very helpful for making polymer clay items which we don’t include for safety reasons.
These include a razor blade or craft knife for cutting clay and for scraping it gently off the tile (either baked or unbaked). Super glue to stick parts together when baked. Liquid polymer clay for attaching unbaked parts together for extra strength.
You also need an oven to bake your pieces in. We recommend baking your clay at between 110 to 120 degrees Celsius for 15 to 30 minutes per 1 CM of the clay thickness.
For most jewelry pieces made using our cutters I bake for 20 minutes but all ovens vary in temperature and you need to monitor your pieces.
Polymer clay can be baked multiple times though, so if you take them out and they cool and still feel too bendy, put them back in the oven for another couple of minutes. If you bake your clay for too long however it may become brittle.
Step 2 – Working the Clay
Polymer Clay needs to be worked and softened before you can start actually making anything. Start by softening it between your fingers and then move your clay to your tile or another non stick surface (you can even use A4 printer paper).
The next step is called “conditioning”, in this step you need to roll your clay out and fold it back up multiple times until it becomes smooth and the edges stop cracking. Its important with this step to try not to get bubbles of air caught in the clay so start your roll from the fold or the side so that any air get pushed out rather than trapped.
Step 3 – Cutting
This is the fun bit! You can cut out all of your clay and get super creative!
I love stacking and connecting shapes to make even more interesting designs.
Remember during this step to make holes in the shapes for jump rings and other hardware. You can use the tool provided or a pin or a paper clip for this. Alternatively if you have a Dremel or a very small hand drill you can put your holes in after the clay is baked. This is less likely to warp the shapes but is also a lot scarier!
Step 4 – BAKE!
We recommend baking your clay at between 110 to 120 degrees Celsius for 15 to 30 minutes per 1 CM of the clay thickness.
For most jewelry pieces made using our cutters I bake for 20 minutes but all ovens vary in temperature and you need to monitor your pieces.
Polymer clay can be baked multiple times though, so if you take them out and they cool and still feel too bendy, put them back in the oven for another couple of minutes. If you bake your clay for too long however it may become brittle.
You can bake your pieces directly on the tile provided or you can use A4 printer paper either on the tile or on an oven tray.
It’s very important when using Polymer Clay to not use utensils or tool that are used for food prep. Polymer clay is toxic! If you do use a regular oven tray, line it with something so that it is protected from the clay. It is completely safe to use your regular oven but you don’t want clay particles to end up in your food.
I hope you found this beginners guide to Polymer Clay useful. If you want to purchase one of my beginner kits or clay cutter sets click here.
If you do make some clay items using this tutorial then please tag us on Instagram, I would love to see what you create!