Can I bake air drying clay to make it waterproof and stronger?

Question

Has anyone made anything with airdrying clay with fine detailing? I want to make magnetic miniatures.

Answer 1

It depends on the clay.  If you have the packing, email or write the manufacturer and see what they suggest.

You might experiment with another piece of the same clay and see what works.

You might also make a mold of  the original and then cast from the mold (something else for you to learn) This way you sculpt only once and then use the mold to make 100s more of the same quality item.  And while you are at it, make several molds of the item  so if you break one of the molds you have some more.

There are many different methods for doing this so do some reading.  I make a lot of my molds from Alginate (it's the stuff the dentist make a mold of your teeth) Its fast but the mold is only good for a few hours because it continues to shrink as it drys.

good luck

Answer 2

it depends on the temperature you bake ,when it reaches 1300 centigrade ,surely it will be waterproof and stronger, if the temperature never above 1100c ,mostly it will absorbe water thirstily, and under 600c ,it still be clay

Answer 3

You can also cover the miniatures with wax. After you have baked them in the oven and they are warm'n hard, take some wax and melt it onto the surfaces. The wax will resist water and moisture. I've used this technique to seal and protect soapstone sculptures and served me well.

Another Idea "that may work" is to rub oil into the surfaces. The textures of the clay will posibly obsorb the oil. It might work and help the miniatures to be waterproof aswell. Purely an experiement though.

Perhaps you can take it a step even further and mix something into the clay. You'll have to take a look around and see what other things have waterproof qualities. Like polyurithane or something.

Anyway, hope the best.