How to Harden Clay Quickly

Save your clay projects by hardening the clay.

Creating crafts with clay is an easy-to-do project for kids and adults. All you need is your imagination to create figurines or objects with clay. Hardening the clay can make your work of art last. Professionals use kilns to harden clay; you can harden clay quickly at home simply by using your oven. You can use this technique with commercial modeling clay and homemade dough clay.

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Modeling clay
Aluminum foil
Cookie sheet
Oven

Instructions

- 1
  
  Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
- 2
  
  Cover the cookie sheet with aluminum foil.
- 3
  
  Place your clay piece on the cookie sheet. If you have more than one piece, place them 1 to 2 inches apart.
- 4
  
  Bake the clay for 30 minutes. Check the texture after 30 minutes. If it has not hardened, bake it for additional five-minute intervals.
- 5
  
  Set your clay to outside in the sunshine, if you do not want to use an oven. Check it every 20 minutes until it is hardened sufficiently.

Tips & Warnings

Clay hardens by simple exposure to the air. You can also harden clay by leaving it in a hot, dry environment.
Children should have adult supervision when using the oven to harden clay.