Tips and Tricks

How to make flawless clay reproductions

Start filling the mold with small pieces of clay, pressing it firmly into the tiniest details. Keep adding clay until the cavity is completely filled. Use a roller to compact it into the mold. Use a blade to carefully slice away excess clay, taking several shallow passes instead of one deep cut.

For shallow molds without fine projections, try turning the mold upside down and flexing it—the clay may drop out easily. If that fails, invert the mold onto a clean glass or glossy tile. Press down firmly so the clay sticks to the surface, then flex the mold as you lift it off.

If the clay still won’t release without distortion, don’t worry—you can cure it directly in the mold.

Avoid these polymer clay mistakes

Not conditioning your clay. Do not assume that because the clay is soft it doesn’t need conditioning. It does. Knead it into you hands until it stretches without breaking into pieces.

Air bubbles. Avoid trapping air in your clay, particularly when you use a pasta machine for conditioning and sheeting. Failure to do so will most likely result in bubbling and cracks in your finished product.

Expired product. Yes, polymer clay does expire. At times, you may be able to soften it by adding a few drops of baby oil, but more often than not it becomes hard and brittle, no matter how much you condition it.

Failure to clean work surfaces. Clay is a sticky product, so things like lint, dust, dirt of any kind, pet hair and so on. It is worth taking the extra minute to wipe your work surfaces clean with a wet wipe before working with clay.

Failure to preheat the oven. Many clay crafters do not preheat their ovens when baking their polymer clay pieces. Placing your pieces in an already HOT oven will ensure that they cure at the correct temperature over the correct length of time.

Under-baking polymer clay. If you are a clay crafter, you are certainly familiar with the hideous cracks that sometimes appear on the beautiful surface of your finished polymer clay product. In some instances, the clay quality is the culprit, but in most cases, cracks are caused by under-baking. Under-baking can often occur when you do not pre-heat the oven, or miscalculate the time needed to bake your piece. To avoid these issues, always pre-heat the oven and make sure you follow the clay manufacturer’s instructions about how long to bake the clay based on the thickness of the piece. If your project has multiple thicknesses, make sure you select the baking time based on its thickest part. Some crafters are reluctant to sufficiently bake their creations, as they believe that they may burn. Polymer clay does not burn unless it reaches temperatures near 350°F (176°C).

Using Nail Polish as a Polymer Clay Glaze. While this seems to be a good idea at first, it is not. Nail polish on polymer clay will very often turn sticky and goopy over time. While some brands of nail polish may not affect your clay, it is better not to risk it.

Using a Spray Varnish on Polymer Clay. With very few exceptions, most brands of spray varnish remain sticky when applied on polymer clay. If you didn’t know that and the damage is already done, use a wipe doused with 91% isopropyl alcohol, as it will remove the spray varnish in most cases.

Embedding Eyepins Without a Kink. If you make a piece of jewelry, always remember to make a kink in the eyepin before embedding it in the clay. Failure to do so will lead to the eyepin sliding right out after baking.

Casting clear resins – things to know

Achieving optically clear parts using resin is not impossible. But as anyone with experience will tell you it’s not a slam dunk either, especially if the cast possesses complex detail. Today’s materials and methods allow manufacturers and model-makers alike to attain water-clear parts without excessive rejects. It just takes the right combination of process and resins.

Vacuum degassing and pressure casting are perhaps the most popular if not the most efficient methods employed to create clear, void-free and bubble-free castings. But not everyone is familiar with those methods, and most crafters do not own the required equipment, which could run in the hundreds of dollars or more.

Warming up the resin. This procedure helps relieve surface tension and allows air bubbles to more easily escape while filling the mold. Using a heat gun or lighter to remove bubbles is also efficient, as long as you don't linger over an area, as this can burn the resin.

Our molds are highly suitable for resin, because of their self-releasing properties and flexibility. Regardless, we recommend that you use a suitable release agent to prolong the life of your Zuri mold.

Always use a good quality resin and keep in mind that less expensive clear resins tend to bubble more and yellow over time.

Using release agents

When you use your molds with certain mediums, you may at times find it difficult to remove the finished product from the mold. That is particularly true for air-dry clay if it you don’t wait for it to harden before removal.

To make things easier, use cornstarch, petroleum jelly, cooking oil (in spray) or baby oil before filling the mold with clay. Always apply these mediums in very thin layers.

Perhaps the most effective method to remove a clay casting from the mold is placing the filled mold in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. After this time, the casting should pop right out.

Silicone molds cleaning hacks

A clean mold is a long-lasting mold that can be used time and time again, for many years to come. Therefore, spending a couple of minutes cleaning your mold after use is really worth it, as it will save you money and effort.

Clean your molds immediately after use. Do not allow leftovers of the medium you used (clay, fondant, etc.) to dry on the mold, as they will be difficult to remove later on.

Use baby wipes to wipe off any stains, lint, small particles of any kind. For more stubborn stains, use a wipe and rubbing alcohol.

You can also use warm water and soap. Use a softened chunk of clay to pick up lint or pieces of clay stuck in hard to reach areas.