How do you soften old fimo clay?

A reader on my page asked a good question.Is old, hard clay able to be given new life?If they have been sitting around too long or stored at high temperatures, some brands get hard and brittle.Some people think the clay is partially cured.The plasticizer has evaporated, leaving it dry like a loaf of bread, according to others.I don't know the cause, but I know that it's not all brands and clays.It is hit and miss.I have clay that is six months old and hard to work with.I have a clay that is nearly ten years old.Go figure.Who knows?If you are in the middle of a project and need to pull out the color you need, what do you do?Can the clay be saved?

Unless clay is already cured, it can be brought back to life.Adding new materials to make the clay more supple and workable is a combination of working and conditioning.The basic procedure is to chop up the clay in tiny bits with a blade, or use an old thrift store food processor.Add Sculpey Clay Softener, mineral or baby oil, or liquid polymer clay to it.Put it in a sandwich bag and leave it alone for a few days.The liquid will get into the clay and make it softer.You should be able to get it to hold together by running through the pasta machine.You may have to repeat the process with more liquid.It is not difficult to do it this way if given enough time.I never realize that I need that color until I am ready to use it.The process always requires a lot of elbow grease when I rush it.If your clay is too stiff, you can add some translucent clay to make it softer.The smoosh power of translucent clay is greater than that of opaque clay.Fimo Mix Quick is a product that helps soften the clay.SculpeyMold Maker is a favorite product to add.A lot of people like to whack the clay with a rubber mallet to get things moving.It is true that the more you work the clay, the better it behaves, and certainly giving it a few good solid whacks will help get that process started.If the clay is very soft, you will need to add one of the above materials to make it even softer.

Is it possible to save polymer clay?Yes and no.Unless the clay had been cured by being left in a hot car in the summer in Phoenix, given enough time and work most hard clay can be softened.The way clay behaves is not the same as it was before.The clay doesn't perform as well as new clay.I would stick with fresh clay for highly technical work.Is it possible that you are just making bead cores and playing around?Why don't you try it?How much is your time worth?Is it worth it?

The beads were made with old crumbly translucent clay, black clay and gold paint.The square mosaic beads that Kathy made had a slightly different twist on the same instructions.Kathy discovered the multi-colored stripes when she was making clay.She used the clay to make the striped beads.

The NeverKnead is a tool.It is a modified arbor press that allows you to condition it without hurting your hands.It is not a substitute for a pasta machine, but it does allow you to condition and mix clay, without as much hand fatigue.There is a great review of NeverKnead on Kater's Acres.There is a modified arbor press here.

What is my favorite way to make it softer?I have a solution to my impatience, which is to put the clay in a specially dedicated shoebox, grab my purse and keys, and go to the craft store.I can order my clay online.It is effective at making soft clay.Life is short.I am not a fan of hard clay.Some of you find it relaxing to work with it.I don't take the time to do it.Thank you Tondy for the question, have a great day.Happy Claying!

I bought some paperclay at a yard sale for 50 cents.I was going to use it, but my daughter said it was a cheap brand and she swore by White Sculpy.The air is dry as opposed to oven baking.Do you know anything about this brand or should I stick with Sculpy?

It is made from paper fibers.It can be softened by putting it in a bag.I rehydrated it a couple of weeks ago.You will have to decide what the best product is for what you will be making.

I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this question.I want to be able to bake a bunch of pieces at the same time.How long can I let my pieces sit before baking?If that is the case, I would have to bake at the end of each day rather than collect pieces for 2 days.Is there any experience or suggestions on this issue?

When the clay sits for a long time, it needs to be mixed or kneaded to make it workable again.If you are going to work clay, it needs to be refurbished.There is no limit on when you can finish your project and bake it.It can sit on your workbench for a long time.Make sure it is covered because it will attract dust and lint.

The comment on not having to bake immediately is helpful.I will once again be responsible for the mini-gardens at the church plant sale.I am a total newcomer to the world of clay and have high hopes that it will be an alternative to what is available at hobby Lobby and JoAnn's.The committee at the rummage sale does a good job of saving pots and figurines, but sometimes I need a baby or a cartoon character.I think you will save me.Many thanks.

I would like to thank you for the article.My husband is trying to make some Fimo Professional softer so he can use the towel.The clay is not soft and he has been working so hard.I would have to return them all to Michael's if I hadn't learned about the food processer.These are not on the shelves in the store.It must have come from where they get their supplies.

Sometimes you need to give up and buy fresh clay.The clay is worth saving if you can pinch the crumbles together.If you can't make it do that, then it's too far gone and should be returned to the store.Many of us prefer to buy our clay online due to the fact that what we receive is always fresh.I like the websitespolyclayplay.com andmunrocrafts.

I will definitely try any of these methods, even though it is hard to use when straight out of the packaging.

Thank you for sharing the great advice and knowledge.I need some advice on how to make sculptures that are hard for beginners to understand.Do you think I should bake them as they are, dry and brittle?Maybe the chemical composition has changed in the drying out.The material is pink.!

I would bake them.They might crack, but they might be fine.It depends on the preparation you did.You might have cracking if the clay is more than 1/2′′.The sculptures are old and hard, so they shouldn't make a big difference.I can only give general advice, but I have never done this myself.Good luck!

I will bake them and let you know how they turn out.Thanks for all the great information on this site, a gold mine.Gill is a person.

I accidentally picked up a fimo professional and opened all of the clay but the premo translucent is hard in the winter.First I tried putting it under warm water and a plastic bag, that never worked, now I am using baby oil and my hands/rolling pin, and so far it is working, I was about to exchange my other packs, but its fine.

Fimo Professional is different from other brands of clay in that it is hard and crumbly.Most brands are dried out when that happens.Fimo Professional will be softened up by conditioning.You need to get it worked so you don't lose your mind.A lot of people use a mallet.An arbor press is similar to the Never Knead.Put it in a bag and whack it with a hammer.This will help it loosen up.It will be soft and sticky when put through the pasta machine.It will smooth out after that.Premo, Fimo Soft, and Kato can be softened with conditioning.It is not the same.