Sculpey Soufflé™ Silk Screened Trinket Box

Getting Started:

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
clay may damage unprotected furniture or finished surfaces. Be sure to
cover your crafting area appropriately.

 Start with clean hands, unwrap and knead clay until soft and smooth, or condition by running clay though a Pasta Machine. We recommend using a designated machine for clay purposes only. When working with multiple colors, clean hands with soap and water or baby wipes (we have found that baby wipes work best) before switching colors. Shape clay, pressing pieces firmly together.  Wash hands
after use.

Baking:

Begin by preheating oven to 275 °F (130 °C). After
you are done creating; for best results bake clay on an oven-proof surface such
as metal, aluminum foil, an index card or the Sculpey® Oven Safe Work Mat at
275°F (130 °C) for 30 minutes per ¼" (6 mm) of thickness according to package directions. Oven safe glass or ceramic surfaces are also acceptable for baking; however please note that the baking times may take longer as the glass or ceramic surfaces take longer to heat up. For best baking results, use an oven
thermometer. DO NOT USE MICROWAVE OVEN. DO NOT EXCEED THE ABOVE TEMPERATURE OR RECOMMENDED BAKING TIME.

Start by preparing the box. When covering wood objects with oven bake clay, it is best to pre-bake the wood to allow sap to release from the wood grain. Bake the wood box in a pre-heated 275F oven for 30 minutes. If sap appears after baking, it can be scraped off or sanded away with sandpaper.

After the box is cool, use a pencil and ruler to mark an area on top of the lid that leaves a 1/2” border all the way around. This inside area will be where the silk screened clay will be positioned.

Next place a bead of Oven Bake Clay Adhesive all over the areas that will be covered with clay; including the lid top and lid sides.

Place a bead of Oven Bake Clay Adhesive on the box bottom sides as well.

Use your fingertips to smooth the bead of Oven Bake Clay Adhesive to a smooth thin coat. You should still be able to see the pencil line on the lid through the adhesive.

Set the box aside and allow the Oven Bake Clay Adhesive to seep into the wood while you work on the silk screened clay and the sheets of clay needed to cover the box.

Measure the square that you marked out on the top of the lid in Step 2. Use an Acrylic Clay Roller or pasta machine on the second thickest setting to create a sheet of Hydrangea that is this dimension. Trim the clay sheet to match the desired measurements with a Clay Blade.

Burnish the Feather silk screen to the clay.

Squirt a bead of Navy Metallic Liquid Sculpey® (LS) over the screen.

Squeegee the LS over the area that is burnished to the clay sheet.

Carefully remove the screen.

Immediately place the screen in a shallow vessel with enough rubbing alcohol to cover it. Allow it to soak for a couple minutes. Remove the screen from the rubbing alcohol bath and wipe away residual LS with paper towels. Clean the screen gently with soap and water afterwards and allow to dry completely.

Allow the screened clay to sit while we work on sheets of clay for the sides of the box.

Use an Acrylic Clay Roller or pasta machine on the second thickest setting to create sheets of Hydrangea that are large enough to cover the sides of the box bottom (just under 1/8” thick).
Wherever there are seams between sheets of clay, smooth these with your
fingertips. Make sure the clay is secured to the wood and that air bubbles are
not trapped.

Trim excess as needed from the top edge and bottom of the box.

Use the 6 mm Ball Tool to hammer a random pattern all over the clay. This will also help to hide seams.

Carefully pick up the piece of clay that has the silkscreened image on it. If it has set long enough, the screened image will be tacky allowing it to be handled without distorting the image. You may want to wait until the image is tacky before proceeding.

Position the screened image clay in the area that we lined out in Step 2 on the lid. Tap it into place with fingertips.

Border the sides of the screened image with sheets of Hydrangea.

Bend the sheets over the edges.

Cover all the wood areas on the box top and box top sides with sheets of clay.

Smooth all seams with your fingertips.

Repeat with the hammer pattern using the 6 mm Ball Tool all over the areas that are not screened.

Bake the box bottom and box top side by side in the oven following the baking instructions for Sculpey Soufflé™.
Allow to cool completely before handling.