Liquid Sculpey® Initial Key Chain

Getting Started with Liquid Sculpey:

Please make sure your work area is covered and you are not working on an unprotected surface. We recommend working on the Sculpey® Oven Safe Work Mat, wax paper, metal baking sheet, or disposable foil. Uncured Liquid Polymer Clay may damage unprotected furniture or finished surfaces. Be sure to cover your crafting area appropriately. - Stir Liquid Sculpey® completely. Thin with Sculpey® Liquid Clay Softener as needed - Wash hands after use (we have found that baby wipes work best)

Baking:

• It is important to use oven thermometer when you bake the liquids so that you can ensure your oven is at the correct temperature. • Do not microwave the liquids. They must be baked in a Preheated oven at 275 ºF (130 ºC) for liquid colors and 300 ºF (149 ºC) for Clear – Do not exceed baking temperatures. • If your piece is less than 1/4” bake for 15 minutes. For thicker pieces that are 1/4” or above bake for 30 minutes. • If your liquid project has become yellowed or discolored in the oven, when you remake it, tent it by placing either – folding an index card in half and placing your project under it or by using aluminum foil over your project.

This tutorial will show you how to fill one letter. But feel free to go crazy making the entire alphabet if you so desire!

Fill the letter of your choice in the alphabet mold halfway full with White Liquid Sculpey® (LS). Allow the White LS to settle and level.

Next make sure the Clear LS is stirred completely well. Clear LS will have a layer of sediment that naturally forms in the bottom of the bottle. This sediment layer needs to be mixed completely back into the liquid layer in order for the Clear LS to be ready to use.

Add a small amount of Clear LS to the bottom of a glass dish or silicone baking cup. Add one drop of purple alcohol ink to the LS and stir it in completely. The alcohol ink will darken considerably when baked. You may want to do a color test by baking a few drips of the mixed color to make sure you like it. If you look now at the finished photo and compare the purple there to the purple in this step, you can see how much the color has darkened during baking. If the purple LS feels very thick, you can thin it with a drop or two of Clay Thinner & Softener and stir it in completely.

Add a few random splotches of the Purple LS to the letter shape. The dyed ink color and the White are very different in viscosity and so they will interact a little randomly with each other. This is what gives the finished design it’s cool tie dye look.

Add more drops of White only on top of the White areas. Add more drops of Purple only on top of the Purple areas.

Keep adding the same color on top of the same color until the letter shape is full to level. Tap the mold on the work surface a few times to settle the colors and to release air bubbles.

Add a few random drops of Gold LS next. Insert the Needle Tool in the center of a Gold drop and drag it just slightly from side to side to create minute swirls and veins. Remove the Needle Tool from a dot and wipe it with paper towel before dipping it into the next dot. Clean the Needle Tool after each Gold dot with paper towel.

Bake the mold following the baking instructions for Liquid Sculpey®. Allow the mold to cool completely before flexing it to release the shape.

Poke a hole in the top edge of the letter with the Needle Tool to mark where the screw eye should go. Remove the Needle Tool and push the screw eye into the hole. Then turn the screw eye deeply into the baked LS to provide an eye for the key chain finding. You may find it helpful to use flat nose pliers to screw in the eye. Add the snake key chain to the eye. Add a colorful tassel if you like with a jump ring.