Baking Polymer Clay on a Bed of Baking Soda or Cornstarch
- 6 years ago
Video #463: A technique that works great for sculptural polymer clay pieces. More Info: Polymer Clay Tutor.\r
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Topics Covered In This Video:\r
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* A few years ago I posted about Baking Beads on a Bed of Cornstarch. It has been getting a lot of pins and re-pins on Pinterest.\r
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* Here is a link to the original corn starch article at my blog: \r
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* Todays video post is an update on this popular topic.\r
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* I mostly make polymer clay beads and jewelry projects, so I mostly bake on a ceramic tile or on a bead baking rack. But there are times when it makes a little more sense to bake either on a bed of cornstarch or a bed of baking soda.\r
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* It is a good idea to place sculptural pieces like polymer clay flowers, dolls and other beads that have a lot of detail or curved areas that may droop or get damaged somehow in the oven, onto a bed of baking soda or cornstarch while they are baking. It helps to support and protect the pieces.\r
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* You use either cornstarch or baking soda, depending on the brand of polymer clay that you are have. \r
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* I use Premo Polymer Clay and prefer to use cornstarch. It is ultra smooth. Wont leave a texture on the clay. Rinses clean off after baking. Wont leave a residue on the clay. And it doesnt adversely effect the strength of the clay after baking.\r
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* However for Kato Polyclay users, I have heard that cornstarch will weaken the clay when baked in it, so they prefer to use baking soda instead. It is a grittier powder than the cornstarch and can leave a slight texture on the clay. I have also found that it can leave salt stains on the surface which can be difficult to remove.\r
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* Dont leave raw polymer clay in your cornstarch or baking soda for very long before baking. Both powders are very absorbent and will leach out the polymers, plasticizers and oils from your polymer clay, making it more brittle after baking. Once you place your piece in the powder, make sure to bake right away, and you wont have any issues.\r
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* I forgot to mention in this video, to not put pieces that have liquid polymer clay on them, into the cornstarch or baking powder. The powder will bake right into the liquid clay and stay white! Thank you to Tammy Kennedy for mentioning this tip. \r
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* Use aluminum rectangular cake pans 20cm x 14cm x 3cm (7-7/8 in x 5-1/2 in x 1-1/8 in) which fit perfectly in my toaster oven. There are many sizes available which you can look for in your local grocery or general merchandise stores. Another advantage of these tin pans, is that you can use two of them together. one as a base and the other as a lid. It makes a nice little mini-oven to bake your pieces in. They can be clipped together with metal binder or bulldog clips from a office supply store.\r
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* Bake your pieces in the cornstarch/baking powder at the correct temperature for your brand of polymer clay, but bake for at least one hour or longer. I usually bake for 75 to 90 min just to be sure. It takes the heat longer to reach the buried polymer clay, so it is important to bake for a slightly longer period of time.\r
\r
* I do plan to do a PcT Test Lab Video in the future to see which brands do better in which medium.. so I can give you a bit more scientific proof on which one will be best for you to use. But that will need to be another day.\r
\r
* Additional Resources.
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Topics Covered In This Video:\r
\r
* A few years ago I posted about Baking Beads on a Bed of Cornstarch. It has been getting a lot of pins and re-pins on Pinterest.\r
\r
* Here is a link to the original corn starch article at my blog: \r
\r
* Todays video post is an update on this popular topic.\r
\r
* I mostly make polymer clay beads and jewelry projects, so I mostly bake on a ceramic tile or on a bead baking rack. But there are times when it makes a little more sense to bake either on a bed of cornstarch or a bed of baking soda.\r
\r
* It is a good idea to place sculptural pieces like polymer clay flowers, dolls and other beads that have a lot of detail or curved areas that may droop or get damaged somehow in the oven, onto a bed of baking soda or cornstarch while they are baking. It helps to support and protect the pieces.\r
\r
* You use either cornstarch or baking soda, depending on the brand of polymer clay that you are have. \r
\r
* I use Premo Polymer Clay and prefer to use cornstarch. It is ultra smooth. Wont leave a texture on the clay. Rinses clean off after baking. Wont leave a residue on the clay. And it doesnt adversely effect the strength of the clay after baking.\r
\r
* However for Kato Polyclay users, I have heard that cornstarch will weaken the clay when baked in it, so they prefer to use baking soda instead. It is a grittier powder than the cornstarch and can leave a slight texture on the clay. I have also found that it can leave salt stains on the surface which can be difficult to remove.\r
\r
* Dont leave raw polymer clay in your cornstarch or baking soda for very long before baking. Both powders are very absorbent and will leach out the polymers, plasticizers and oils from your polymer clay, making it more brittle after baking. Once you place your piece in the powder, make sure to bake right away, and you wont have any issues.\r
\r
* I forgot to mention in this video, to not put pieces that have liquid polymer clay on them, into the cornstarch or baking powder. The powder will bake right into the liquid clay and stay white! Thank you to Tammy Kennedy for mentioning this tip. \r
\r
* Use aluminum rectangular cake pans 20cm x 14cm x 3cm (7-7/8 in x 5-1/2 in x 1-1/8 in) which fit perfectly in my toaster oven. There are many sizes available which you can look for in your local grocery or general merchandise stores. Another advantage of these tin pans, is that you can use two of them together. one as a base and the other as a lid. It makes a nice little mini-oven to bake your pieces in. They can be clipped together with metal binder or bulldog clips from a office supply store.\r
\r
* Bake your pieces in the cornstarch/baking powder at the correct temperature for your brand of polymer clay, but bake for at least one hour or longer. I usually bake for 75 to 90 min just to be sure. It takes the heat longer to reach the buried polymer clay, so it is important to bake for a slightly longer period of time.\r
\r
* I do plan to do a PcT Test Lab Video in the future to see which brands do better in which medium.. so I can give you a bit more scientific proof on which one will be best for you to use. But that will need to be another day.\r
\r
* Additional Resources.