Polymer Clay Tutorials and More!

All polymer clay must be conditioned to some degree before you work with it. To prepare the stiffer clays for conditioning, pre-warm them by placing the unopened packages of clay on a heating pad set to low or in a sealed plastic bag in a bowel of warm water. To condition clay by hand, roll  the clay in a ball, flatten it, and roll it into a snake. Fold the snake in half, twist it, and roll it into a ball again. Repeat until the clay is soft and pliable. Polymer clay can also be conditioned with a pasta machine dedicated to nonfood use. Adjust the machine to its thickest setting, flatten one end of the clay, and run it through the machine. Fold the sheet of clay in half, and run it through the machine again, fold-side first. Use a needle tool to puncture any air pockets that form, fold the clay, and run it through the machine again. Continue to fold and run the clay through the machine until the clay is soft and pliable. Some polymer clays, like Fimo Classic, this means a lot of conditioning and for softer polymer clays, less conditioning.