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Necklace made with polymer clayPolymer clay is a bendable, pliable polymer compound that artists and craft workers use to make various crafts. There is a difference in traditional clay and polymer clay. Traditional clay is made of very fine silicate particles that are suspended in water. However, polymer clay is constructed of very fine particles of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) which is suspended in plasticizers. Polymer clay is used very much in the same way that traditional clay is used. -
Conditioning and preparing polymer clayConditioning polymer clay is an important process that prepares the clay to be worked with. Conditioning the polymer clay is generally done by working with clay with your hands until it becomes very flexible and pliable. When the clay is stretched and compressed by warm hands, the clays texture begins to change and it becomes more softer and bendable. Polymer clay is available in many colors and can be blended together to create new and personalized colors. Two or more colors can also be combined together with no blending to create marbling or cane working effects. Because polymer clay is so supple, methods, such as textile arts, sculpture and glass work can also be included in the crafting process. The best part about polymer clay is that artists do not have to worry about the clay drying out because it does not. This allows the artist to continue sculpting until she is satisfied with her artwork. Firing is the process that bonds particles into a solid form. To accomplish this, low temperatures are required. The temperature required is so low that a home oven can be used as a kiln to work with polymer clay. During the firing process, neither the size nor the colors are changed on the clay, but the clay becomes hard so that durable objects can be made. The clay can also be finished to acquire various consistencies and textures that range from stone like forms to glassy forms. -
Pens made with polymer clayA polymer is a really long chain that is made up of numerous very small molecules referred to as monomers. These molecules are all jointly strung one behind the other and this is what forms the very long chain. The long polymer chains can be bent or twisted. They can stick to one another and they also move very slowly because they eventually become large. Polymers are used to make all kinds of things like polymer clay, silly putty, plastic products, clothes, wood, glass, ceramics and metal.
