Conditioning Sculpey

All clays need rolling & squeezing (kneading) to become soft & pliable.

Rolling between palms, twisting, & running through a pasta machine
are easy ways to condition clay.

If you do not use a dedicated pasta machine (only for clay) use an acrylic brayer,
a piece of PVC pipe, or a heavy glass bottle to flatten the softened clay into sheets.

NOTE: Sculpey SuperFlex may need to be pre-warmed (under a low-
wattage light bulb, or by holding for 5 - 10 minutes in warm hands)
before conditioning. But, SuperFlex is very heat reactive.
If your hands are hot and it gets a bit sticky, set aside & work on
another color or piece of clay until the original piece cools.

How To Use A Push Mold

Practice to determine how much clay will fill your selection. It takes less than you think.

When building in color layers, a little goes along way. Use a clay shaper, paintbrush
handle or a pencil eraser to pull any excess away from the lower boundaries.

You want to just fill the lower boundaries, even leaving them a little shallow.
The final layer of color will fill into the shallow areas, leaving a neat border.
But, if the first colors are "domed" up, the final molding pressures will force the
"dome" out of its boundaries, leading to a smeared look.  Less is more in this case.

When the lower boundaries are filled with their colors, press the main clay color
into the center of the mold. Gently press & pat so it flows into shape. When the clay
is nearly level with the top of the mold, use your index finger to gently pull any
excess away so that you can see all edge boundaries of the mold.
This eliminates a "skin" that would need to be trimmed away.

For an easy release, put the mold into the freezer for 90 seconds or longer.

Remove from the freezer, and gently "pop" your molded piece out by
pressing the backside of the mold. It will come out like an ice cube.

Bake molded items on index card placed on baking surface.

DO NOT place pushmolds in oven at any time.

If any color residue remains, wipe the mold out with a baby wipe or a
window cleaner dampened paper towel. 

Baking Instructions

Use an oven thermometer to check the temperature of your oven or toaster oven.

Place your creations on baking parchment, copy paper or index cards,
and then place in a glass dish.  Place the dish in the middle of the oven,
away from heating elements.

CAUTION: Contains pigments that may stain. May damage finished
wood surfaces.

Do not place unbaked clay on furniture, flooring, carpeting, unholstery or fabric.

Do not back clay at temperature hotter than recommended to speed up process.

Do not microwave.