Salted dough is a material that is not inferior in elasticity and plasticity to modern polymer masses for modeling. But unlike them, it is an environmentally friendly product and absolutely safe for people and animals, so crafts made from it can be used as interior decoration even in a house where there is a small child.
The process of decorating the interior with the help of hand-sculpted flowers, boats and airplanes begins with the preparation of the dough. It will require half a glass of flour and the same amount of fine salt. In this case, it is worth giving preference to the simplest products without special additives such as baking powder or iodine. Otherwise, the dough may "rise" and the finished product will crack or deform during the drying process. In addition, the salt should be ground into a powder in a coffee grinder. So grains or crystals will not be felt on the surface of the sculpted jewelry.
Mix the salt with flour thoroughly with a spoon. Then add one teaspoon of water to the bowl. After prolonged stirring, the entire dry mixture will "gather" in a lump, it must be thoroughly washed and placed in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.
To make the dough more plastic, instead of water, you can use PVA glue in the same amount.
Before the start of modeling, the chilled dough is kneaded and, if there is not enough coolness, several additional tablespoons of flour are kneaded into it. After that, you can start creating unusual decorations or accessories for your home.
There are two ways to sculpt salt dough. The first involves making a complex figure from a single piece of mass. That is, if there is a need to highlight the details of the product, for example, petals, limbs of a man or animal, they are slowly pulled out of the main piece and carefully shaped into the desired shape.
The second method is that all the details are sculpted separately, and then they are assembled together. Moreover, sometimes the joining process takes place before the drying of the figure begins, and sometimes after that. This method of sculpting is much easier than the first, it allows you to make really graceful shapes.
When sculpting from salt dough, it is worth keeping the material either in a closed container or in a plastic bag, otherwise its surface will dry out and become covered with cracks.
Experienced craftsmen use all kinds of materials at hand in the sculpting process. So, to imitate a rough surface, the dough is pressed against a coarse fabric, forks and table knives are used to create stripes, even the grooved sole of a shoe can serve to make the figure acquire texture.
The finished product is dried for 24 hours on a flat surface at room temperature, turning it from time to time from one side to the other. If the figure is rather large, you can leave it for a couple of days, but large forms often dry out, so it is better to sculpt several small parts and then connect them. Dried decorations or their elements are placed in a cold oven, after which the oven must be heated to a temperature of 90-100 degrees. Firing takes place within an hour or two, depending on the size of the parts, with the door slightly open.
The cooled and "rested" parts of the figures, if necessary, are glued together with colorless gel-based glue and covered with paint, for example, acrylic. Ready-made ornaments are used in the manufacture of bijouterie, decorating mirrors, furniture, lampshades and small interior items.
