Crafts Using Ceramic Powder

Ceramic possesses several characteristics, making it a good material for pottery and craft-making. It's hard, nonmagnetic, resilient and chemically stable. In its powdered form, it can be combined with water and a binding element to form a clay paste, which is malleable to any shape and form. There are several easy crafts using ceramic powder that any hobbyist can do.

To create a ceramic fruit basket, start by mixing equal amounts of china clay, ceramic powder and glue. Mix the ingredients well until it has a dough-like consistency. Start molding fruits and leaves either manually or by using molds and create the basket by taking a large piece of the dough and cutting it out to form a trapezoid. You can incorporate different designs while the basket is drying, such as creating horizontal lines by using a blunt knife to create grooves on the basket. Once the pieces are dry, paint the fruits, leaves and the basket using ceramic paint. Wait for the paint to dry before applying any varnish.

By using this technique, ceramic powder can make a regular earthen pot look like an art piece. Start by combining equal parts of ceramic powder and glue to create a batter. Take an old earthen pot and start putting the batter around it; you can use your hand to create a rough texture or you can use a brush to create a smooth one. Let the batter dry for a few hours and then apply ceramic paint. To make a glossy look, paint the pot with varnish once the paint dries.

Like the fruit basket, start mixing equal amounts of glue, ceramic powder and china clay to create dough. Take portions of the dough and start rolling it to make sausage-like strings. Shape the string to your desired form; for instance, circles, squares or triangles. Take out a hardboard and start stacking the shapes atop each other. Let your stacked assembly dry and paint it with your preferred color.

Prepare ceramic dough as you normally would and start making anything you want; fruits, regular objects like pencils, or even miniature pillows. The only limit to consider is the size of the object that you're molding; you need to make sure that a small magnet can handle its weight. For thicker or bulkier objects, you can create a small pocket at the back where you can insert the magnet. Paint your crafts once the dough is dry and attach the magnet at the back by using heavy-duty adhesive.