Polymer Clay & My Basic Set of Tools
The ABC's of Working with Polymer Clay
This can be a long story or a short one but I think I will land somewhere in between! I started working with polymer clay about 7 years ago. I had originally wanted it to be just a starting point, getting me familiar with working with clay so I could move on up to working with metal clays but that couldn't have been further from the truth! Polymer Clay is NOTHING like working with metal clay!
What is polymer clay? Basically polymer clay is a type of plastic based on the polymer polyvinyl chloride (PVC). It typically contains no clay minerals. The polymer clay will remain soft and workable until you cure it in an oven. This makes polymer clay very versatile. Polymer clay has so many uses, I could never list them all here and everyday somebody comes up with another way to use it.
What have I created with polymer clay? My embellished journal covers, wine glasses and apothecary jars, trinket bowls and hinged boxes and my enchanted spiders are part polymer clay. I have also created jewelry pieces as well. Really the uses are only restricted by your imagination.
The verdict is still out on whether polymer clay, once cured is food safe? It depends on who you talk to but I personally will not create a design on any of my wine glasses where you're forced to touch it with your mouth or advertise any of my bowls as a food dish . Polymer clay manufacturers cannot certify it as food safe because it cannot be sanitized (don't put it in the dishwasher) adequately.
More about polymer clay in my new blog posts coming soon.....
So below are some of my favorite Tools, sources and supplies that I use when creating my polymer clay pieces. If you're interested in purchasing one of them just click on the image or the link. Some of the images contain affiliate links (and some do not) to items I have purchased or places where I have purchased them from. I do receive a small percentage from your purchase through those affiliate companies at no additional cost to you.
If you do purchase through one of the links below, thank you! I greatly appreciate your support, but I will always encourage you to shop around to find the best price that works for you.
Some of My Sources For Polymer Clay & Supplies
Poly Clay Play has a wide selection of colors and brands and from my experience, always has had the best prices on clay. They also carry molds, tools, embellishments, etc.
Sculpey Why not go to the source right? Sculpey carries the clay as well as tools, molds, and misc. items
Polymer Clay Super Store - Is another great place to buy polymer clay and supplies.
Maika Daughters - This site is one of my very favorite go to sites for many of the mediums I work with! They have molds for polymer clay, they have decoupage paper and supplies, and many other items that I suddenly found that I couldn't live without! They carry two of the best brands in molds, Zuri and Prima/Iron Orchid. I definitely recommend you check them out! And they're service is second to none!