MAKING ADJUSTMENTS
But - I have a heart like a soldier so I've moved on to other more cost effective projects like trying cold porcelain clay for the first time and also looking forward to resin and resin powder pours (which are surprisingly affordable) and learning how to make Kawaii characters. I try to stay busy. This stuff is so easy to make. I still love polymer clay but some things need a different type of clay to look right. Here is my first batch of cold porcelain trinkets and they are so cutie patootie I can hardly stand it.
MOVING ON WITH PORCELAIN CLAY
I can't believe I've never tried to make porcelain clay but with the holidays coming, I want to make some pretty things for my favorite people and I've just gotten into Kawaii charms and cute little animal dolls that are too big for polymer clay.
So I've been wanting to make a few things that are just too big to make with polymer clay and some might require UV resin like trinket dishes, durable key chains, ornaments, etc. Polymer clay is expensive but my clay is a little dried out and probably all of it needs to be reworked with some extender or liquid clay to make it usable again. It is a lot of work and expensive to replace.
I also discovered resin powder that has plaster mixed with resin so it's really hard and durable. It pours into molds for larger projects like trays, objects and containers.
You just mix with water and pour into silicone molds. I got these tray molds and necklace charm molds from the Dollar Tree! The other tiny molds, heart box and turtles are molds from Amazon.
So I looked up a few porcelain clay recipes and tried a few batches to see what worked and what didn't. My first batch turned out pretty good but the clean up in my only old teflon pan was a nightmare. I cooked it on the stove. You can also cook it in a microwave and use cheap throw away dollar store plastic bowls if you don't want the mess.
So I prefer the microwave method and disposable bowls. Plastic gloves just didn't work for me because the dough is just too sticky and pulled my gloves off.
After some trial and error, I caught on and this is what I came up with for a good smooth recipe.
1 C white all purpose glue (school glue is fine)
2 TBSP baby oil
1 TBSP white vinegar
1 tsp glycerin (optional - or coat your hands with hand lotion before kneading)
1 C corn starch
2 TBSP white titanium dioxide (I had a pack left over from soap making) makes the clay white or just use white acrylic paint
mix the first 4 wet ingredients together and then add 1 C corn starch a little at a time and beat it into a smooth paste with a silicone spatula. Add the white titanium powder in too. You can use the microwave (1100 power) to heat it in 30 second intervals, stirring in between until it starts to form a solid mass too thick to stir. This took me about 3 - 4 minutes. After three minutes you might want to switch to 15 second phases because when it goes stiff, it goes pretty quick.
You want to catch it before it gets too stiff to easily work with. I cooked it until it was the consistency of bread dough and then I turned it out on a plate with corn starch sprinkled on it. I coated my hands with oil and worked more corn starch into it like dough until it was pretty stiff like clay. It will be hot straight out of the micro so wait until it cools off a bit so you don't get burned while you're kneading it.
Then when it cools and looks and feels right, you want to wrap it up in saran wrap tightly and store it in a container with a lid. You can't work with it right away because it has to rest while all the ingredients merge for at least overnight - it's better at 24 hours or more to get really smooth like silk. It will keep at room temperature for up to four months. The vinegar retards mold.
At the right consistency it will give you a non-sticky clay that you can easily work with to make little Kawaii characters, push into molds for baked goods and bows and roll out easily to make some cute charms or keyrings.
