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Sunday, May 8, 2011

Polymer Clay 101 (cont.)







Clay can be used to cover items (as discussed in previous posts) or alone.
Some things that can be covered are
  • vases (received flowers and don't know what to do with the plain Jane vase?)
  • clear glass votive candle holders or bases/dishes (cover the bottom)
  • candle sticks, interesting shaped bottles (be careful of bottles that have raised lettering -- your clay will need to be thick enough so the wording doesn't come thru)
  • metal trays (decorate the edges)
  • metal tin/boxes (cover it all! inside & out - but plan ahead if you cover the inside of the lid -- make sure it will close -- as well as the edge that fits up into the lid)
  • tool handles (cover your Xacto knife blade handle or knitting needles, ink pens, knife handles, etc.),
  • Picture Frames
  • salt & pepper shakers
  • cooking oil dispensers
  • light switch plates (always test plastics first!)
  • wood pieces for signs
  • cabinet knobs/pulls
  • ashtrays (cover the outside!)
  • jars and cans
  • kitchen canisters
  • container lids
  • small planters
There are many items to cover!  Use your imagination.   Some plastics will melt...some woods are easier to cover than others and some thin pieces will warp.

Items not recommended:
  • Toys for young children (we all know they put everything in their mouth!)
  • Items meant for food
  • Items that will get consistently dirty and need to be scrubbed clean (I haven't tested anything in the dishwasher...)  A damp cloth for cleaning is recommended.
  • Items that won't fit in your oven! Duh!  :-)
  • Items that are soft/flexible (some clays will be slightly flexible after curing and the thinner the piece the more flexible it may be, but it won't fold or bend very far without cracking)
Items in direct contact with food...
  •  Mugs, drinking glasses, etc. (outside of dishes, bowls, etc. can be covered if used for display, but don't cover the surface that food touches.  Don't cover mugs and glasses that will be used for drinking.)
  • Items for pets/amimals (if they eat it, they are eating plastic.  My dogs seem to love plastic -- bottle caps, etc.  I don't even feed my dogs out of plastic bowls).

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