Although polymer clay can last for years, it may lose some of its pliability and elasticity over time. The good news is that you can restore its original workable texture with a polymer clay softening agent like Sculpey® Oven-Bake Clay Softener or Clay Softener & Thinner.
What Is a Sculpey® Clay Softener?
Clay softeners are products specially designed to transform the consistency of polymer clay that has become hard to work with. They’re non-toxic products that contain no dye. As a result, softeners won’t change anything about your polymer clay except the way it feels. All you need is a little bit of clay softener to bring back the clay’s original softness.
When Is It Time to Apply a Softener?
The more experience you get as a clayer, the easier you can tell when it’s the right time to add a little softening agent to your clay. If you’re a beginner, look for signs like toughness and resistance to conditioning. A tiny bit of softener can make all the difference and have you molding, rolling and shaping like a pro in no time.
Can Clay Softener Be Used With All Clays?
Sculpey® Clay Softener is appropriate for use with several types of clay. Below are some of the Sculpey® clay lines that can benefit from having a softener:
- Standard Polymer Clay: Any type of polymer clay, which is made from plastics, is fine to use with a clay softener.
- Liquid Polymer Clay: You may find that your liquid polymer clay becomes a little harder to push out. Stirring a drop or two of clay thinner into a product like Liquid Sculpey® lets you get your creativity back on track.
Can Sculpey® Clay Softener Be Used With Air-Dry Clay?
Air-dry clay is different from polymer clay, which must be cured in an oven to harden. Due to its unique makeup, air-dry clay cannot be softened using a softener formulated to work with polymer clay varieties. However, you can often use water to soften air-dry clay.
Keep Sculpey® Clay Softener on Hand
Having all the tools you need is important when you love to make treasures, jewelry, crafts and more with polymer clay. Buy from Sculpey and be sure you always have some softener and thinner, just in case. You won’t have to put your imagination on hold — just apply a little softener or thinner and get back to the fun!