Starting to work with polymer clay, first of all, you should study safety techniques well. If you follow all the instructions, using polymer clay at home will not do any harm.
How to protect yourself from harmful substances
The basis of plastic is polyvinyl chloride, in itself this material is safe, but if the recommended temperature from 110 to 130 ° C is exceeded during baking, carcinogenic substances will begin to be released in large quantities. Among them is a delayed-acting neurotropic poison - vinyl chloride, and besides it - gaseous hydrochloric acid, hydrogen chloride.
Plasticizers that are part of polymer clay are also harmful to humans when evaporated. Therefore, when working with baked clay, you need to be very careful not to use the kitchen oven for baking, as well as other tools and surfaces intended for eating and preparing food. It is best to equip a workshop on the balcony or in the garage, and in case the plastic burns, just close the door to the apartment and open the windows.
Features of working with polymer clay
Before starting all work with plastic, you need to knead it well, giving it the softness and elasticity that it has, thanks to the plasticizer it contains. Sometimes clay can be very difficult to knead, as it immediately begins to crumble. In this case, knead in small pieces, in especially difficult cases adding a special softener for plastic or a little fresh soft translucent polymer clay. You need to knead very well until the clay becomes elastic and viscous, and the plasticizer is evenly distributed throughout the piece. You can warm it up a little by putting it on a warm battery. It is necessary to knead the clay, even if it is very fresh and initially soft, in order to evenly distribute all the components. Otherwise, the finished products will be too fragile.
By mixing colors one with another, new shades are obtained. Mix thoroughly until completely homogeneous, unless initially sharp color transitions are planned. Clay often needs to be rolled into one thin layer, for this there are very convenient paste machines, it is also convenient to work with acrylic rolling pins. The workplace should be kept as clean as possible, always have a pack of wet wipes on hand to wipe your hands and work surface after each new color. Thin rubber gloves will come in handy so as not to leave fingerprints when sculpting.
Any mini oven with a precise temperature control is suitable for baking. Depending on the thickness of the product, the clay is baked for 15-30 minutes. It is most convenient to use a tile or baking sheet for baking. Many people also use glass, but it can break.
After the product has cooled down, you need to carry out the final processing. It needs to be filed, sanded and polished. You will need fine sandpaper or a nail file. In order not to remove dust later, it is best to process in water, after which the product dries and, if necessary, is varnished.
