Angela of CraftyGoat’s Notes (fun blog, btw) posed a question about release agents for Sculpey Ultralight polymer clay in the comments on a previous post. The release agent that has worked the best for me so far has been cornstarch or cornstarch baby powder. (the baby powder version seems to clump less) If you’re going to use UL alot and you don’t already have a “pouncer”, it’s worth making one. The one I’ve got is made simply from a piece of doubled up woman’s stocking. Fill it up, tie it off and you’re good to go. I keep it in a little cup on my work table.
UL also appears to be a polymer clay that can be easily over handled. I keep the conditioning to a minimum and if the clay is getting sticky, I let it rest. For most things I prefer mixing Ultralight with Premo either 50/50 or 60/40 with the greater portion being UL. Ultra light works wonderfully to fill a shaped form, but I have found that a thin layer of liquid clay is the key to getting layers to stick together.
Check out some of the latest crafty/beading magazines at the local bookstore. There are lots of new project articles on Ultralight.
There’s a Southern Connecticut Polymer Clay Guild meeting today. I am looking forward to seeing everyone. Between family life and snow storms I haven’t been to a meeting in ages. I love the energy in guild meetings! Plus, there’s nothing like the feeling of showing new work to other polymer clay addicts.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Angela 04.24.07 at 10:58 am
The pouncer sounds easy enough to make — I’ll give that a try. It’s not like I have anything better to do with my hose!
I’ve been playing with UL a little more — no water this time — & liking it much better. Thanks for the tips!