Newbie needs help

Hi,
I just started with polymer clay trying to do some image transfers. My
clay is browned on the back side...the transparent is orange! Is my
oven too hot or am I baking too long or ???

Thanks,
Mary

Hey, Mary--

your clay is scorched. You need to get an oven thermometer to check the temp
in your oven (maybe someone on this forum knows how reliable oven
thermometers are; I'm suspicious myself), but more important, you need to
tent light colored and transparent clays with aluminum foil or something
else that will protect them from temperature spikes. You apparently can bake
clay almost *forever* if you don't get above the recommended temperature.
Baking at lower temperatures will result in very brittle clay; you will not
be happy.

For more information on polymer clay, including pages on image transfers,
check out www.glassattic.com (a completely non-commercial, labor of love
site)

Georgia
www.georgiamorgan.net

"twinkiesmom" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi,
I just started with polymer clay trying to do some image transfers. My
clay is browned on the back side...the transparent is orange! Is my
oven too hot or am I baking too long or ???

Thanks,
Mary

Thanks...that's what I thought. But my oven does so well baking
cookies that I thought it was accurate.

Can someone recommend a good book on how to learn how to make canes???

I've gotten into PC from the stamping/embossing/collage angle, but I
think my kids would really enjoy the canes.

your oven may have "hotspots" too---as with cookies, always go for the
center of the oven in the center of the rack, if you can....and when testing
with a thermomenter test several areas. Its great to have a thremo in a
stable corner, but NOT if the rest of the oven is not even---sometimes
there's proximity to a heating element...or....

I, being the obsessive person I am, bought two different oven therms for
less than 8 bucks each, and tested them together....what if one was wrong?
how would I know!!
I got things calibrated--the oven has a 50 highspike at the beginning, and
then goes to a steady 275 where I have it set...but if I hurry, I scorch.
also, theres a hot spot in the back, so I put things a wee bit closer to
the front. AND---there's a tremendous difference in How Clay Brands Scorch.
Anything with trans in it burns easier. I scorched a whole pan of face cane
slices last week---forgot they were in there and it overbaked by 6 hours or
so. The mostly premo flesh faces turned black and had little flecks of the
eye whites showing (the only really matte color in the face, all other parts
had lots of flesh/trans) and the fimo Japanese girl faces were mostly
ok--being mostly white and ecru which is very matte not trans--EXCEPT for
the eyes and the outside layer of the cheek, which burnt dark brown!! I had
premo mixed in there. I almost saved them for show and tell, but they really
didnt scan well, you had to look in good light.

anyway--try baking your pieces on some cardstock on top of a little layer of
batting or stuffing. It wont melt if your temps are ok, and will keep the
back of the pieces from getting overly heated from contact with the pan.
Also, be aware that Sculpey discolors the easiest of the brands.

--
Sarajane's Polyclay Gallery
Beads-Dolls-Wearable Art
www.polyclay.com
see the current auctions at:
http://snipurl.com/aiid
"twinkiesmom" wrote in message
ups.com...
Thanks...that's what I thought. But my oven does so well baking
cookies that I thought it was accurate.

Can someone recommend a good book on how to learn how to make canes???

I've gotten into PC from the stamping/embossing/collage angle, but I
think my kids would really enjoy the canes.

(and not to blow my own horn....but there are canes shown in how-to's in
both my books. More in "Celebrations" I think.)

--
Sarajane's Polyclay Gallery
Beads-Dolls-Wearable Art
www.polyclay.com
see the current auctions at:
http://snipurl.com/aiid
"twinkiesmom" wrote in message
ups.com...
Thanks...that's what I thought. But my oven does so well baking
cookies that I thought it was accurate.

Can someone recommend a good book on how to learn how to make canes???

I've gotten into PC from the stamping/embossing/collage angle, but I
think my kids would really enjoy the canes.

I just got a covection toaster oven at Target as they'd been
recommended for baking clay. I guess the moving air keeps the temp
consistent. Works great!

Ingrid

Sarajane,
You can toot your horn all you want...You're awesome. I just can't
imagine myself getting very good at making canes unless there is a book
like Making Canes for Dummies.

--Mary

Sarajane,
You can toot your horn all you want...You're awesome. I just can't
imagine myself getting very good at making canes unless there is a book
like Making Canes for Dummies.

--Mary

aw, thanks Mary! but cane making just takes some persistance....which isnt
hard at all once you start having fun with it. That, and start with the
right firmness of clays, not mooshy. Its very very difficult to cane with
mooshy clay. another thing to remeber is that the colors have to have some
contrast or they don't show when they are reduced in the design. Most all
canes come down to some simple componants---and maybe LOTS of them, or
not......and some finicky placement at first, then careful reduction.

--
Sarajane's Polyclay Gallery
Beads-Dolls-Wearable Art
www.polyclay.com
see the current auctions at:
http://snipurl.com/aiid
"twinkiesmom" wrote in message
oups.com...
Sarajane,
You can toot your horn all you want...You're awesome. I just can't
imagine myself getting very good at making canes unless there is a book
like Making Canes for Dummies.

--Mary

Best way to perfect caning techniques is to do it, do it, do it, then do it
some more. Keep samples of even the ugliest ones so that you can look back
and a) see how far you've come or b) get inspiration for variation of the
same cane.

--
--
Barbara
www.penguintrax.com

eBay: penguintrax
Justbeadsenguintrax

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/O\


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