I have been asked on queston  a lot this year by clay artist or people that have worked with polymer clay.

Q. What clay do you use?

A. I like Fimo Soft.

This is the order in which I like the clays. But you should try them all because you may like something diffferent.

Fimo Soft : I find is the best. I like the way that it conditions and seems to be constistant when baking it. I have to only set my oven and worry about timing. It remain strong and dosen't burn as easy as so others. For cane work you do need to let this clay rest between stages.

Fimo Classic: I can not get it to condition well even if I use a food processor.I know that this would be a good clay for dolls beacuse it makes small moves.

Sculpey: I will use this clay to help with colors. I find this clay in consistant when bake and burn easy. It is easy to condition. This clay is not good for cane work.

Premo: This clay is made by sculpey and at one time I would have use it if I could not get the color I wanted in Fimo Soft. They have changed the formula and now it like work with chewed bubble gum. I find that I have to leach it and even then it is still too soft. This clay is no good for cane work. The formula is in constitant in packages so I have stop buying it altogether.

Kato Clay: I haven't worked with it much. But what I have it seems to be a good clay for cane work. Everybody that knows of Donna Kato she is about cane work. The only problem I have with this clay is the order. I can't tell you baking is like because I have worked with it enough.

I know that there are other clay out there. I have not worked with them and have not form an opion on them. This is just my opion on the clays that I have used. Other people may say different and in know way are they wrong. Working with polymer clay is like having taste. You know what you like and what you don't but you can't tell until you try it.

Baking Polymer Clay

When baking polymer clay there are lots of tips. The best way to explain them would be to break them down into categories.

Ovens: Any oven can be used to bake polymer clay except a microwave (everything that I've read say don't use a microwave so don't). I have used my home oven (gas) toaster oven and now my dedicated convection oven. If you are going to be doing a lot of polymer clay work I would recommend a dedicated oven. Polymer clay has a tendencey to leave a residue on ovens so when baking in a oven where you prepare food take some cautions.You can tent the item to be baked in aluminum foil or in cheap aluminum pans. (Using one aluminum pan as a lid over the other held together with wooden clothes pins.) Wipe the oven out after your done baking clay.

Temperature and Timing: Some ovens are off a little in temperature. I have found this to be a big problem when it comes to toaster ovens. So use a thermometer. ( The kind you can leave in the oven. ) It will help make sure you ove keeps a steady heat and an accurate one.

I use a timer. The worst thing is forgetting you have something in the oven. When my timer goes off, I just turn the oven off and let the project cool off inside. Some artist don't. It's a personal choice and may also depend on the project.

How long to bake and at what tempature is also a personal choice among artist. Most do not stray to far from the manufacturer instructions. It is recommened to Follow the manufactures instructions.

The best reason that I found for using these tips on baking is : Although polymer clay is non toxic. When polymer clay gets burnt it changes the chemical make up of the clay. The fumes from the burnt clay can be toxic. So be vigilant about your clay projects when baking.

What to bake on? A small question with a lot of answers. Anything that will hold up to the recommend tempature can be used to bake on. (Do not use styrofoam) Glass pans, ceramic tile, baking sheets. These may leave shinny spot on your projects. To avoid that cotton batting, card stock. Cotton batting has a tendency to stick to the clay so I cover the batting with 100% cotton material then place it on a ceramic tile. This great for item that can't stand up in the oven. It will cradle and support the project while baking. Bead artist will take card stock and according fold it. Putting the beads on skewers placing the bead in each valley then on a tile or baking sheet. I've also used ceramic mugs, little dishes and mini bake ware to help support an item that may need it.

This seems like alot of advice on baking. Just remember to keep it simple and build on it from there. Good luck and happy claying

The Art of Polymer Clay

By Donna Kato

Watson-Guptill Publications

I Found this book encouraging. As a polymer clay artist myself, I find that I can get into a rut. This book gives the techiques and yet is veg enough to leave ideas to your own imagination. If you've seen Donna Kato on TV. The Art of Polymer Clay reads just like her. I can almost hear her tell me how these techniques are used in different projects.

I was very happy with everthing that I read and saw in this book. I would recoumend The Art of Polymer clay to any serious polymer clay artist/ hobbiest.

The tools used to work with polymer clay can come from anywhere. Just remember that any tool should be used only for clay and never touch food again.

There are some tools that should be of good quality to be sure you have good results in your projects. The oven should be one that can hold a steady tempter. An oven thermometer to make sure your oven tempter is steady and correct. Pasta machine will make sure you have even sheets of clay.

The rest of the tools can be innovative. Anything can be used for a tool as long as it gives the result you looking for. Some of my favorites are toothpicks, clay shapers, dental tools, knitting needles, green pot scrubbers. If I can't find a tool among my stash of tools I'll make it out of clay.

Keep in mind tools do not have to be expensive. Watch yard sales, flea markets and your local dollar store. The best find of all my tools is a convection oven. The inside is as big a medium size microwave with a removable rack for those larger projects. It keeps a good tempter. I picked it up at a yard sale for 5 bucks.

Polymer clay is a synthetic clay that has plasticizer in it. There are several brand names of polymer clay on the market today. Premo, Fimo, and Kato are to name a few. All polymer clays have the same basic make up. When considering working with polymer clay, you shold try a few differen brands. Different bands of clay feel different in your hands, Making some easier to work with then others. Some clays are better for sculpting as others are better for cane work. It has become a personal choice among clayers.

All clay must be conditioned before using it in any project. This is to redistribute the plasticizer in the clay. Conditiong the clay can be done by kneading it your hands, running it through a past machine. You can evern cut it into chunks and put into a food processor. Remember once a tool is used for clay it should never be used for anything else but else but clay. Conditioning the clay can be one of the most important things when working with it. So make sure it is done well.