Can i bake polymer clay on wax paper?

Question

im a first timer with the polymer clay i want to know a few tips on polymer clay and where can i buy some cheap polymer clay on the web

Answer 1

I know someone who has done that, although I've never tried that in fear that the paper would catch on fire. I put my clay directly on a cookie sheet that I use for clay only.  I eventually bought a toaster oven, also, to use for clay only.  It's convenient, portable, and heats up faster than the oven.  Also, the when the timer goes off, it shuts the oven down, so I don't have to worry about that.  I got mine for about $20 at Wal-Mart.

www.dickblick.com is usually cheapest for buying clay online.  Also, depending on what stores you have in your area, some Wal-Marts carry multi-packs of Sculpey III, AC Moore has pretty good prices, Michael's has good prices when they run sales on it, and Pat Catan's is probably the cheapest.

I've used Super Sculpey, Sculpey III, Premo, and Studio by Sculpey.  Super Sculpey is not colored so it needs to be painted after baking, and can become brittle and crumble or break after baked.  It also seems to be more finicky as far as temp. and time baked.  Sculpey III is colored, and is very soft and pliable, but isn't as strong as other clays such as Studio by Sculpey or Premo.  Studio comes in a variety of colors not offered by other lines of clay, and has a suede-like finish after baking; and it is durable and not brittle; it also comes in 3 oz packages as opposed to the regular 2 oz. packages of Premo, Sculpey III, and Fimo.  Premo is also made by Sculpey, isn't as soft as Sculpey III, comes in colors, is a little more expensive than Sculpey III, but is very durable after being baked.  

You can also mix some transluscent Premo with Sculpey III to make it a bit more durable.  I have a lot of Sculpey III, and that's what I've been doing to make it a little stronger.  I also use Studio a lot, as it's economical in the 3 oz. blocks rather than the 2 oz. that the other clays come in.  And I like the colors and the finish on it.

You can use water-based polyurethene to glaze clay.  And Sculpey makes glazes, but I've found that they peel right off.

For gluing clay if it breaks, etc., after it is baked, I use a strong glue I found at a hobby shop.  It sets in 2 seconds.  You just have to be careful not to get it on your skin.  Some people use Liquid Sculpey to "glue" the clay together before baking, but I think it's useless in that aspect.  Liquid Sculpey can be used to do transfers onto clay, also.

You can find a wealth of information online regarding polymer clay.  I encourage you to buy some, experiment, and have fun.  Also, get yourself a pack of tools, and you can also experiment with making your own out of regular household items like paper clips, plastic spoons, nails, needles, etc.  And maybe check out a couple books from the library.

There are lots of good videos on youtube about clay, as well.

I hope that helps you a little!