Although it offers lower protection, Mod Podge is great because it’s so easy to apply. Simply apply it to your pottery with a brush and allow it to air dry. Once it’s had time to fully dry, display it anywhere inside your home. You only need to seal and protect what you put ON the surface of your polymer clay project. When you apply mica powders, chalks, glitter, or metal leaf to the surface of your polymer clay project, it will need to be protected if the item is subject to wear. Note thatlight dustings of chalk or mica, such as rosy cheeks on a sculpture, do not need to be sealed. The same holds true for dots of paint and antiquing in the recessed areas of a design. There are also opaque and tinted sealants available or you can create them on your own by blending clear sealants and paints.

Now that we’ve discussed a little bit about the natural state of air-dry clay and warned you against using it as a material to serve food with, let’s get into the methods for making air-dry clay water-resistant. 1. Varnish There are many ways to seal air-dry clay, including coating it with common white glue. The best method to seal it is with one or more coats of polyurethane varnish or an acrylic sealer. Both can be had in gloss, semi-gloss, and matt finishes and provide a non-porous coating. Can you microwave air-dry clay? Pros: Easy once you know how, has a wonderful feel. Removes flaws and textures. No worries about chemical incompatibility. Getting started at my first attempt with the crystal clay I was careful to read the instructions properly and followed them throughout, but as I said earlier, this product is so easy to work with that there wasn’t a whole lot to follow. There are really only two very important factors to take into consideration; one is to wear the gloves provided with the clay as the epoxy resin can cause irritation to some people. I value my hands too much to ignore this instruction and wore the gloves throughout the whole process. And the second is to mix the parts in equal quantities otherwise the finished clay will not set properly.There are other waxes that work just as well. Neutral shoe polish and paste wax both work nicely on polymer clay to create a warm, enhancing sheen. But frankly, so does Vaseline, at a tiny fraction of the cost. Liquid epoxy resin is by far the strongest water-resistant seal you can use for air dry clay. It will provide you with the most protection, but it’s also the most difficult to use. Move your project from whatever working surface that you have been using and place it on top of the paper covering your baking sheet. Depending on how moist you work your clay and how long it has been setting, you may want to let your piece firm up before transferring it.

Varnish (sometimes called glaze or sealer) is just wood varnish or the varnish that’s used to coat acrylic paintings. On wood, it soaks into the fibers to form a super-durable surface. On polymer, however, it merely forms a super thin skin on the surface of your clay. A popular brand of varnish is Varathane. I also like a newcomer on the market, Brite Tone, that you can read about in my article here.

Doodlecraft

I’m very sad to say that at this point of my Crystal Clay experience I ran out of blanks to fill but still had lots of clay and stones left over. It’s been a week or more since I was last able to set crystals into clay and I now find myself looking around the house for things to cover in clay and sparkle up. It doesn’t just have to be jewellery items. Fridge magnets? Mobile phone covers? I need to do more. Now…..where’s the cat?….he’s been looking rather dull of late….. Because some materials like varnishes, paints, and glues can be softened by the plasticizers in polymer clay, compatibility with polymer clay is a common concern for clayers. Rest assured, both UV and epoxy resin work perfectly well on cured polymer clay. There are no short or long-term interactions. When Should You Use Resin? Resinsare quite hard after curing and are crystal clear. The surface will be extremely glossy and can’t be easily peeled or lifted from a project. While you can apply resin to curved pieces, it is an advanced technique, so I only recommend applying resin to flat pieces until you have a really good feel for how to use it. Resin is lovely on sparkly or mica-covered projects as it will intensify the sparkle. Resin is a rewarding finish, but it has a huge learning curve, and your first few projects will likely incur a few tears and swear words. Always apply resin after baking your polymer clay project. It cannot be baked. There are three types of clear-coat resins as follows. The most expensive sealants for making air-dry clay water-resistant are epoxy resins. In fact, they don’t just repel moister they are waterproof. When you also consider that they are also resistant to impact, UV rays, and abrasion it is easy to understand why they are worth the cost. One of the most versatile sealants on the market, Krylon Crystal Clear Acrylic Coating can be used on just about anything from air-dry clay to dried flowers. It is easy to apply in very light coats and provides a deep color-enhancing finish when built up.