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Divine Gatekeeper

I recently bought some polymer clay, and I was wondering if anyone has some advice they can share.

The brands i have are sculpey, primo sculpey (is there a difference between the two???0 and fimo!

Any advice would be most helpful!~ Much thanks~

Original Lunatic



Sculpey Premo is harder than plain Sculpey or Sculpey III. Fimo is harder than Sculpey III but I don't know if it's harder than Premo. It's all about the plasticizer to clay ratio. The more plasticizer, the softer it is. But the softer it is, the more likely it will be brittle and breakable after baking.

Don't store unbaked clay in a plastic container if the clay is touching the plastic. The plasticizer can react with the plastic container and warp/melt/discolor it.

Wear tight plastic gloves to prevent finger prints, or remember to smooth everything out before baking.

Have a baking tray that you use ONLY for polymer clay. Don't cook food on something you've baked clay on, even if you wash it.

Pay very close attention to your clay while baking. If it burns, it releases nasty nasty toxic fumes.

Do not use nail polish as a glaze. Here's why.

If you have any technique specific questions (or any other questions in general), don't be afraid to ask. I work with clay a lot and more than likely I'll have an answer for ya!

Divine Gatekeeper

Albino Sea Monkey


Sculpey Premo is harder than plain Sculpey or Sculpey III. Fimo is harder than Sculpey III but I don't know if it's harder than Premo. It's all about the plasticizer to clay ratio. The more plasticizer, the softer it is. But the softer it is, the more likely it will be brittle and breakable after baking.

Don't store unbaked clay in a plastic container if the clay is touching the plastic. The plasticizer can react with the plastic container and warp/melt/discolor it.

Wear tight plastic gloves to prevent finger prints, or remember to smooth everything out before baking.

Have a baking tray that you use ONLY for polymer clay. Don't cook food on something you've baked clay on, even if you wash it.

Pay very close attention to your clay while baking. If it burns, it releases nasty nasty toxic fumes.

Do not use nail polish as a glaze. Here's why.

If you have any technique specific questions (or any other questions in general), don't be afraid to ask. I work with clay a lot and more than likely I'll have an answer for ya!



much thanks for the reply~ i have my clay i'm working with stored in a plastic baggy, will it be safe? and i have a toaster oven.. can i bake my clay in there instead of my actual oven?

Original Lunatic

Honey Samurai
Albino Sea Monkey


Sculpey Premo is harder than plain Sculpey or Sculpey III. Fimo is harder than Sculpey III but I don't know if it's harder than Premo. It's all about the plasticizer to clay ratio. The more plasticizer, the softer it is. But the softer it is, the more likely it will be brittle and breakable after baking.

Don't store unbaked clay in a plastic container if the clay is touching the plastic. The plasticizer can react with the plastic container and warp/melt/discolor it.

Wear tight plastic gloves to prevent finger prints, or remember to smooth everything out before baking.

Have a baking tray that you use ONLY for polymer clay. Don't cook food on something you've baked clay on, even if you wash it.

Pay very close attention to your clay while baking. If it burns, it releases nasty nasty toxic fumes.

Do not use nail polish as a glaze. Here's why.

If you have any technique specific questions (or any other questions in general), don't be afraid to ask. I work with clay a lot and more than likely I'll have an answer for ya!



much thanks for the reply~ i have my clay i'm working with stored in a plastic baggy, will it be safe? and i have a toaster oven.. can i bake my clay in there instead of my actual oven?





If they're unwrapped, I wouldn't store them in the plastic bag. They're even less sturdy than a plastic box and it will degrade over time. I keep all of mine in a cardboard shoe box and a plastic tote that has wax paper taped to the inside. If they're still wrapped, it's fine to keep them in the plastic bag.

You have to be VERY careful when baking clay in a toaster oven. Toaster ovens aren't as reliable as a normal oven. If your toaster oven is a convection toaster oven do not use it at all, ever. I tried using a toaster oven once at the same temp and time as I normally put clay in for, but it baked too quickly and by the time the timer went off my clay was black in parts and the house smelled horrible.

If you must use the toaster oven, get an oven thermometer and make sure that the temperature the dial on the oven says matches the actual temperature inside. Then, the first time you make clay, watch it like a hawk. Stay next to the toaster oven. Read a book. Be on a laptop. Something. Just don't leave it. Make sure that the clay doesn't get over baked at what would be the suggested time and temperature.

Divine Gatekeeper

Albino Sea Monkey
Honey Samurai
Albino Sea Monkey


Sculpey Premo is harder than plain Sculpey or Sculpey III. Fimo is harder than Sculpey III but I don't know if it's harder than Premo. It's all about the plasticizer to clay ratio. The more plasticizer, the softer it is. But the softer it is, the more likely it will be brittle and breakable after baking.

Don't store unbaked clay in a plastic container if the clay is touching the plastic. The plasticizer can react with the plastic container and warp/melt/discolor it.

Wear tight plastic gloves to prevent finger prints, or remember to smooth everything out before baking.

Have a baking tray that you use ONLY for polymer clay. Don't cook food on something you've baked clay on, even if you wash it.

Pay very close attention to your clay while baking. If it burns, it releases nasty nasty toxic fumes.

Do not use nail polish as a glaze. Here's why.

If you have any technique specific questions (or any other questions in general), don't be afraid to ask. I work with clay a lot and more than likely I'll have an answer for ya!



much thanks for the reply~ i have my clay i'm working with stored in a plastic baggy, will it be safe? and i have a toaster oven.. can i bake my clay in there instead of my actual oven?





If they're unwrapped, I wouldn't store them in the plastic bag. They're even less sturdy than a plastic box and it will degrade over time. I keep all of mine in a cardboard shoe box and a plastic tote that has wax paper taped to the inside. If they're still wrapped, it's fine to keep them in the plastic bag.

You have to be VERY careful when baking clay in a toaster oven. Toaster ovens aren't as reliable as a normal oven. If your toaster oven is a convection toaster oven do not use it at all, ever. I tried using a toaster oven once at the same temp and time as I normally put clay in for, but it baked too quickly and by the time the timer went off my clay was black in parts and the house smelled horrible.

If you must use the toaster oven, get an oven thermometer and make sure that the temperature the dial on the oven says matches the actual temperature inside. Then, the first time you make clay, watch it like a hawk. Stay next to the toaster oven. Read a book. Be on a laptop. Something. Just don't leave it. Make sure that the clay doesn't get over baked at what would be the suggested time and temperature.

i see then i'll have to go buy some plastic totes for my clay,,, blast... my toaster oven is a convection one... why shouldn't i use it? just curious~

what kind of clay work do you do? is it something like what is in your sig?

Original Lunatic

Honey Samurai
Albino Sea Monkey
Honey Samurai
Albino Sea Monkey


Sculpey Premo is harder than plain Sculpey or Sculpey III. Fimo is harder than Sculpey III but I don't know if it's harder than Premo. It's all about the plasticizer to clay ratio. The more plasticizer, the softer it is. But the softer it is, the more likely it will be brittle and breakable after baking.

Don't store unbaked clay in a plastic container if the clay is touching the plastic. The plasticizer can react with the plastic container and warp/melt/discolor it.

Wear tight plastic gloves to prevent finger prints, or remember to smooth everything out before baking.

Have a baking tray that you use ONLY for polymer clay. Don't cook food on something you've baked clay on, even if you wash it.

Pay very close attention to your clay while baking. If it burns, it releases nasty nasty toxic fumes.

Do not use nail polish as a glaze. Here's why.

If you have any technique specific questions (or any other questions in general), don't be afraid to ask. I work with clay a lot and more than likely I'll have an answer for ya!



much thanks for the reply~ i have my clay i'm working with stored in a plastic baggy, will it be safe? and i have a toaster oven.. can i bake my clay in there instead of my actual oven?





If they're unwrapped, I wouldn't store them in the plastic bag. They're even less sturdy than a plastic box and it will degrade over time. I keep all of mine in a cardboard shoe box and a plastic tote that has wax paper taped to the inside. If they're still wrapped, it's fine to keep them in the plastic bag.

You have to be VERY careful when baking clay in a toaster oven. Toaster ovens aren't as reliable as a normal oven. If your toaster oven is a convection toaster oven do not use it at all, ever. I tried using a toaster oven once at the same temp and time as I normally put clay in for, but it baked too quickly and by the time the timer went off my clay was black in parts and the house smelled horrible.

If you must use the toaster oven, get an oven thermometer and make sure that the temperature the dial on the oven says matches the actual temperature inside. Then, the first time you make clay, watch it like a hawk. Stay next to the toaster oven. Read a book. Be on a laptop. Something. Just don't leave it. Make sure that the clay doesn't get over baked at what would be the suggested time and temperature.

i see then i'll have to go buy some plastic totes for my clay,,, blast... my toaster oven is a convection one... why shouldn't i use it? just curious~

what kind of clay work do you do? is it something like what is in your sig?





Convection ovens work by blowing hot air all around the oven to heat the food more quickly. With clay, this will result in the outside burning while the inside is still soft and unbaked. With polymer clay, you don't want to just bake it as quickly as possible. Slow and steady makes it less brittle.

I use Sculpey III for dolls, mini food, and some decoden stuff. The stuff in my sig are actually made of a homemade dough recipe I've come up with to make more realistic cookies.

Divine Gatekeeper

Albino Sea Monkey
Honey Samurai
Albino Sea Monkey
Honey Samurai
Albino Sea Monkey


Sculpey Premo is harder than plain Sculpey or Sculpey III. Fimo is harder than Sculpey III but I don't know if it's harder than Premo. It's all about the plasticizer to clay ratio. The more plasticizer, the softer it is. But the softer it is, the more likely it will be brittle and breakable after baking.

Don't store unbaked clay in a plastic container if the clay is touching the plastic. The plasticizer can react with the plastic container and warp/melt/discolor it.

Wear tight plastic gloves to prevent finger prints, or remember to smooth everything out before baking.

Have a baking tray that you use ONLY for polymer clay. Don't cook food on something you've baked clay on, even if you wash it.

Pay very close attention to your clay while baking. If it burns, it releases nasty nasty toxic fumes.

Do not use nail polish as a glaze. Here's why.

If you have any technique specific questions (or any other questions in general), don't be afraid to ask. I work with clay a lot and more than likely I'll have an answer for ya!



much thanks for the reply~ i have my clay i'm working with stored in a plastic baggy, will it be safe? and i have a toaster oven.. can i bake my clay in there instead of my actual oven?





If they're unwrapped, I wouldn't store them in the plastic bag. They're even less sturdy than a plastic box and it will degrade over time. I keep all of mine in a cardboard shoe box and a plastic tote that has wax paper taped to the inside. If they're still wrapped, it's fine to keep them in the plastic bag.

You have to be VERY careful when baking clay in a toaster oven. Toaster ovens aren't as reliable as a normal oven. If your toaster oven is a convection toaster oven do not use it at all, ever. I tried using a toaster oven once at the same temp and time as I normally put clay in for, but it baked too quickly and by the time the timer went off my clay was black in parts and the house smelled horrible.

If you must use the toaster oven, get an oven thermometer and make sure that the temperature the dial on the oven says matches the actual temperature inside. Then, the first time you make clay, watch it like a hawk. Stay next to the toaster oven. Read a book. Be on a laptop. Something. Just don't leave it. Make sure that the clay doesn't get over baked at what would be the suggested time and temperature.

i see then i'll have to go buy some plastic totes for my clay,,, blast... my toaster oven is a convection one... why shouldn't i use it? just curious~

what kind of clay work do you do? is it something like what is in your sig?





Convection ovens work by blowing hot air all around the oven to heat the food more quickly. With clay, this will result in the outside burning while the inside is still soft and unbaked. With polymer clay, you don't want to just bake it as quickly as possible. Slow and steady makes it less brittle.

I use Sculpey III for dolls, mini food, and some decoden stuff. The stuff in my sig are actually made of a homemade dough recipe I've come up with to make more realistic cookies.


i see, i never knew that~ it's very good to know... so is there a safe way to bake it in my original oven?

i see~ i'm trying to make a chibi doll for a keychain, any tips on that?? i'm sorry if i'm bugging you~ ^^; and your pieces are very cute~ by the way~

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