Crystal Clay is AMAZINGLY easy to work with. It’s a 2 part clay, like epoxy resin. The two parts are 1 part richly coloured clay and 1 part epoxy, equal parts of which have to be combined and kneaded together before being pressed into your favourite setting before placing the crystals into the clay in a pattern of your choice. Common brands of UV resin are Lisa Pavelka’s Magic Glos and this really fast-curing resin from China (their branding needs some work, but we all recognize that label design). Many people also love to use UltraDome resin, but I’ve not tried it. This UV resin from China sets up extremely fast and is very hard. It also smells really bad. But it is a very good doming resin. Epoxy Resin Pros: Inexpensive, readily available, works well to seal surface effects. Can be rebaked. Great for making textures glossy. Varnish (sometimes called glaze or sealer) is just wood varnish or the varnish that’s used to coat acrylic paintings. On wood, it soaks into the fibers to form a super-durable surface. On polymer, however, it merely forms a super thin skin on the surface of your clay. A popular brand of varnish is Varathane. I also like a newcomer on the market, Brite Tone, that you can read about in my article here.

All types of finishes can be applied with a sponge. We like this method for projects that have flowing lines and organic curves. It works best with thinner sealers that absorb well into the sponge and flow evenly. Resin contracts as it cures, often pulling the resin away from the edges of your polymer clay pieces. Both UV and epoxy resin have a short shelf life, so buying in bulk isn’t always wise. Frankly, there are poorly performing resins out there, and you won’t know they don’t work well until you have ruined your pieces.As a general rule, sealing air dry clay isn’t an expensive proposition but prices do vary from one product to another. As you might expect, price follows the performance, and the more you are able to spend the better protected your air-dry clay projects will be. Resin flows like syrup, and if your surface isn’t level, the resin will spill over and make a mess. Make sure the table you’re pouring onto is level. Air-dry clay has a much softer feeling, like Play-Doh or Model Magic. It’s more moldable than pottery clay and is more flexible to work with. Epoxy resin usually takes from 12 to 36 hours to cure. This is somewhat temperature dependent, and your pieces will cure faster in a warm room. But don’t assume that more heat is always better. You can’t speed-cure in an oven, for example. Acrylic paint will seal air dry clay but only to a certain extent. Most acrylic paint is water-resistant but will not make your air-dry clay pots waterproof. Unlike polymer clay, air dry clay is water-soluble. To be made waterproof it has to be completely coated with a waterproof coating like epoxy or polyurethane. Most Acrylic paints, including outdoor acrylics, are water-resistant not waterproof. Will Air-Dry Clay dissolve in water?

We recommend liquid epoxy resin for those who are experienced in working with resin, or those who are looking to display their pottery outdoors and want a higher level of long-term water-resistant protection.Both doming and coating resins contract during the curing process and some brands are worse than others at giving poor coating coverage. If you’re frustrated with one brand, try another. Also be aware that some brands of polymer clay will be better at “grabbing” the resin than others. Doming resin can also cause thin polymer clay pieces to curl upward. These Holo Effect cutter ornaments were coated with the Chinese UV resin mentioned above. The strong contracting effect cause the thin polymer clay to curve upward. Coating vs. Casting Resin The real art of this particular product is in the placing of the stones into the clay. I’ve seen pieces where anything goes regarding pattern and these can be very eye-catching but I’m not very confidant in my abilities to pull that off so placed the stones in a regular and symmetrical pattern. I became more adventurous with my second attempt and chose a heart shaped pendant which I filled to overflowing with gold clay for a nice big fat chunky pendant and placed the stones to make a flower with a decorative trim at the three corners of the heart. The first thing is you can’t rush the drying of your clay. Our best advice is to allow your air-dry clay projects to dry according to the manufacturer’s recommendations and then give them an extra 24-48 hours to make sure it is completely dry. Resin has a bit of a learning curve, and many people prefer not to use it because it can trigger intense allergies. It eventually will turn yellow. While it’s usually easy to remove bubbles that rise to the surface, it’s not uncommon for more bubbles or odd swirls to form during curing. Once coated with resin, you cannot rebake your pieces.

Move your project from whatever working surface that you have been using and place it on top of the paper covering your baking sheet. Depending on how moist you work your clay and how long it has been setting, you may want to let your piece firm up before transferring it. Allow your glaze to dry according to the varnish’s directions and inspect for any problem areas before proceeding further. The most expensive sealants for making air-dry clay water-resistant are epoxy resins. In fact, they don’t just repel moister they are waterproof. When you also consider that they are also resistant to impact, UV rays, and abrasion it is easy to understand why they are worth the cost. Epoxy sealants provide more flexibility, impact resistance, and durability than any other type. They are also the only varnishes that provide a true water-repellant coating. Epoxy coatings must be brushed on or thinned before sponging. How to Seal Clay While air-dry clay doesn’t have to be glazed unless it is going to be in a moist environment or exposed to the elements, There are several reasons you might want to apply a varnish to your air-dry clay projects.A better use for varnish is to seal surface effects such as mica, pastels, or complex color treatments. In this case, the varnish protects the stuff that’s ON the clay. Varnish is also your best choice when you want a textured surface to have a glossy or shiny finish. Getting started at my first attempt with the crystal clay I was careful to read the instructions properly and followed them throughout, but as I said earlier, this product is so easy to work with that there wasn’t a whole lot to follow. There are really only two very important factors to take into consideration; one is to wear the gloves provided with the clay as the epoxy resin can cause irritation to some people. I value my hands too much to ignore this instruction and wore the gloves throughout the whole process. And the second is to mix the parts in equal quantities otherwise the finished clay will not set properly. Two brands of epoxy resin, Little Windows Brilliant Resin and another one called Art Resin both advertise that they’re non-toxic. They’re not made from something particularly unique. They’re both made of the same general ingredients as the other brands of epoxy resin. Remember, resin is NOT toxic. They’re not lying. But it’s a bit of marketing sleight of hand to avoid mentioning this hypersensitivity issue. Slightly less expensive than epoxy coatings are polyurethane varnishes. These are the sealants that we use most often and the choice of many professional crafters. They are not quite as durable as epoxy but some come very close. They are also much easier to apply as there is no mixing involved. Polyurethane can be bought as a brush-on liquid or a spray.

There are also opaque and tinted sealants available or you can create them on your own by blending clear sealants and paints. One last category is company brand sealers. Depending on the company and product their prices can vary greatly as does their quality. As these are proprietary mixes normally designed to be used with specific clays. You will have to make your own determination as to how well they will suit your project and if they are worth the cost. How to Seal Air Dry Clay Neither epoxy nor UV resin is acutely toxic (technically speaking). It will not poison you. However, because the material in BOTH UV and Epoxy resin is highly allergenic, you should absolutely minimize your exposure. Some people become intensely hypersensitized and have severe allergic reactions. Therefore, organic vapor respirators are recommended but not required. You should also prevent skin exposure (use gloves!) and use proper ventilation when mixing and pouring resin. Once you are sensitized to this material, you will always have an intense allergic reaction to it. And the more exposure you have, the more likely your body will become hypersensitized to it. If you want to create a shiny surface on plain, smooth polymer clay, there is no better approach than to create a sanded and buffed finish. This technique enhances the natural beauty of polymer clay, has a wonderful tactile feel, and avoids the chemical and performance issues that you face when adding a product to the surface of polymer clay. Metallic clays are enhanced and come to life when they’re sanded and buffed, too. Final ThoughtsRegular and paper air-dry clay can be warmed to 200 degrees Fahrenheit (93 Celsius) to make them dry faster. However, any hotter than this and you risk them catching on fire. Air-dry clays can be very flammable. This is especially true of paper clays.