How to Cook Polymer Clay Bowls

Polymer clay releases toxic fumes when baked at higher temperatures. For your safety, it's important to know how to bake any polymer clay project correctly. A clay bowl will bake relatively quickly, depending on its size.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Oven
• Foil
• Oil

1. Use a toaster or conventional oven for baking polymer clay. Since shouldn't touch any surface on which you'll cook food, use a separate oven only for baking your clay projects.

2. Find out at what temperature you should cook the clay at by reading the package directions. Never cook the clay at a higher temperature than recommended, since this causes the clay to release toxic fumes. The average polymer clay baking temperature is between 130 and 150 degrees.

3. Place the clay bowl on a piece of foil that's lightly greased. You can spray it lightly with oil or mist a paper towel with oil and wipe the foil down.

4. Put the foil and bowl on the middle rack of a regular oven or in the center of a toaster oven. Bake it for 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of the bowl.

5. Let the bowl cool in the oven before you remove it. You can release heat from the oven by opening the door, or just let the oven and bowl cool simultaneously with the door shut. This keeps the bowl from cracking due to sudden temperature changes.

Tips & Warnings

• If possible, place your oven outside so that the fumes won't fill your house. If you can't do that, open your windows and turn on any fans while your bowls bake.