Even though no one brought polymer clay to work on at Synergy, you could tell that participants were filling their heads with ideas.
These ping pong balls covered with polymer by Gloria Askin made me smile and shifted my brain into high gear. They’re super light.
Robert Dancik showed wire forms covered with pantyhose and made rigid with white glue. Yes, you can cover the pantyhose/wire/glue forms with polymer and bake them. His classes made your head reel with the possibilities.
The glowing neon colors and velvety texture in this necklace by California’s Cheryl Lois Walker made me reconsider using Ultralight clay as a base as she did. She packages her necklaces in a clear plastic box with a matching bead glued on the lid as a handle. Nice presentation.
The microwave clay from Eberhard Faber has me stumped and wondering. Could it be useful? Do I want to use it in my microwave?
Donna Kato has information about the reformulation of Kato Polyclay on her site plus a nice album of conference pictures.
It takes time to process ideas and figure out which ones fit with your style, your ideas, your voice.
Ronna Sarvas Weltman ,
Oh my gosh — you can bake ping pong balls? Excuse me while I grab the keys to dash off to the sporting goods store …
I made a test bead from the Eberhard Faber microwave clay. It’s v-e-r-y light. It’s challenging to work with — I gave up on making a beautiful, smooth ball — but I wasn’t that concerned since I was only experimenting to use it as a base bead.
Advantage Sculpey ultra-light (which I use as a core for larger beads: Since it cures at the same temperature as other polymer clay, I can cover raw ultra-light, which is convenient. I like to cover the raw ultra-light with raw Premo and then poke the hole in and bake.
Advantage Eberhard Faber: It’s lighter, and once it’s microwaved, it can go into the toaster oven, so you can use it as a base for your polymer. It also only takes 10 minutes to microwave, which is nice. I didn’t smell any fumes. I will cover my E-F core bead with Premo, bake and then drill a hole and let you all know how it went.
Ronna Sarvas Weltman ,
Part II: While at Synergy, I fondled the necklace by Cheryl Lois Walker — it seemed to explode with delight and energy. Ditto for Donna Kato’s work — as much as I’ve drooled over the pictures online, seeing it up close and personal was a gasp moment. Not just the workmanship, but the grace. Astonishing.
Also astonishing was the whole conference — it went off without a hitch. Amazingly well-run, but in a loose, comfortable way. I can’t imagine how many hours must have gone into planning, because you just don’t get that kind of well-run event without tons of work on the front end. I’m so very grateful to all of you who did whatever you did to make our experience so fabulous. Thank you.
Marcie ,
That is one of a few good ideas on what to do with panty hose. Wearing them being one of the worst.
Sydney Wellman ,
This is a comment in general to thank Cynthia for this blog. I have been lurking here since its creation, I’m a loyal fan— but this is my first post. I’ve had the PC addiction since 1992, but my now and again my muse needs a kick in the butt. Your blog never fails to lure her into my studio—it is a continual source of ideas and eye candy! Today is one of those wintery-mix days in Southwestern PA. I’m writing from my laptop surrounded by windows that reveal nothing but cold, grey skies and brown naked trees. The colorful creations from talented artists warm my eyes and my heart. The links are teasing me to dig further—and I do. Thank you for providing them. Thank you for being there on any given day. Thank you for the tremendous effort to keep us all in the loop. My muse thanks you, too.
Hollie Mion ,
So ping-pong balls are back? I remember when some used them back in the 1990’s. They didn’t seem to stick around too long in the polymer clay community then. Perhaps the size wasn’t popular then. It will be interesting to see what happens with them this time around.
Christy Minnis ,
I had a different experience with the microwaveable clay. It left a sticky residue on my ceramic tile and dried out when exposed to air, which made me wonder if it was really an air-dry clay someone tried to microwave and it worked? I’ll stick to my Fimo- when I’m called away, I don’t come back to find it unuseable.
Caren Goodrich ,
Cynthia, I read your “daily” every day and just want to let you know how much I appreciate it. It’s always interesting.
Sera ,
I tried to find more info on eberhard’s site about microwaveable fimo – but alas – the last press release was in 2008 about their reformulation of the recipe. Can anyone provide more info?
Helen Heckenlively ,
Polymer Clay cures in your oven-Of course, but you can cure regular polymer clay in your microwave or on your stove top. Both these methods require water. In the microwave use a microwave safe plastic container–not a ceramic one. Ceramics become hot and create too much heat. The water needs to cover your clay. On the stove top use enough water to cover your item and boil for several minutes, then allow to cool before removing your clay. Instructions for this can be found on the internet–at (I think I am remembering) “garieinternational.com.