Polymer Clay: Baking

One of the most frequently asked questions is how to bake (or cure) polymer clay. Here are a few tips and tricks.

To bake your polymer clay (PC) creation, you will need a regular oven, a toaster, or a convection oven. It is OK to use the regular oven if you are not baking PC too often or if you have a tall item to bake. However, if you are planning to produce a lot of PC items, consider buying a dedicated toaster oven or a convection oven.

Different brands of polymer clay require different temperature for baking. For example, it is 275°F (130°C) for Premo and Sculpey, but 300°F (150°C) for Kato. Check your polymer clay package for the exact baking temperature.

If you combined two or more different types of clay with different baking temperatures in your creation, bake it at the lowest required temperature.

Before baking PC object for the first time, check the temperature setting on your oven at the temperature you are planning to use. Do not trust the built-in thermometer, use a separate one (special thermometers for PC are available in craft stores in PC sections and on the Internet). Since different sections of the oven may reach slightly different temperatures during baking, you need to identify these “cool” and “hot” spots specific to your oven. Do the “oven mapping” – check the actual oven temperature in a few different locations (in the middle, near the walls, and up front).

Never bake polymer clay items and food in the same oven at the same time.

When using a regular oven for baking PC, consider covering your PC item with foil (another idea is to place it between two disposable aluminum pans clipped together).

Polymer Clay is rated “non-toxic” for people; however it smells a little bit even during the normal baking. Some brands of clay smell stronger than others, and some people are more sensitive to it than the others. There are warnings, however, that PC fumes are dangerous to birds. It is also a good idea to limit exposure of small children and pets to PC fumes during baking.

Burned PC has a horrible and irritating smell, coming from thick black smoke. The burning temp of polymer clay is above 350°F, so if you are using an oven thermometer and being careful to set the oven temperature right, that should never happen. If it should though, hold your breath, turn off the stove, leave the room and air it out. Make sure to remove the pets from the room as well.

Recommended minimum baking time is 30 minutes per 1/4" thickness at the appropriate temperature. This means a few things:
- oven has to be pre-heated and enough time allowed for it to reach the set temperature;
- you may bake a 1/4" thick piece longer if you wish, but keep in mind that light colors may darken with prolonged baking (darkening may be slowed down or even completely prevented by tenting the light-colored parts with pieces of foil);
- a complex sculpted piece may be baked a few times in between the sculpting sessions;
- thicker pieces need to be baked longer, not a higher temperature (for example, a set of round beads 1/2" in diameter will require about 60 minutes of baking);
- set your timer based on the thickest part of your creation.
After baking, you may leave the PC item in the oven to cool down. This minimizes the spread of unpleasant smell (again, not everybody is equally sensitive to it). Alternatively, you may remove the item from the oven right away to speed up the cooling process. When using translucent clay, an iced-water bath is used to enhance the translucency of the finished item.


				Polymer Clay: Baking One of the most frequently asked questions is how to bake (or cure) polymer clay. Here are a few tips and tricks. To bake your polymer clay (PC) creation, you will need a regular oven, a toaster, or a convection oven. It is OK to use the regular oven if you are not baking PC too often or if you have a tall item to bake. However, if you are planning to produce a lot of PC items, consider buying a dedicated toaster oven or a convection oven. Different brands of polymer clay require different temperature for baking. For example, it is 275°F (130°C) for Premo and Sculpey, but 300°F (150°C) for Kato. Check your polymer clay package for the exact baking temperature. If you combined two or more different types of clay with different baking temperatures in your creation, bake it at the lowest required temperature. Before baking PC object for the first time, check the temperature setting on your oven at the temperature you are planning to use. Do not trust the built-in thermometer, use a separate one (special thermometers for PC are available in craft stores in PC sections and on the Internet). Since different sections of the oven may reach slightly different temperatures during baking, you need to identify these “cool” and “hot” spots specific to your oven. Do the “oven mapping” – check the actual oven temperature in a few different locations (in the middle, near the walls, and up front). Never bake polymer clay items and food in the same oven at the same time. When using a regular oven for baking PC, consider covering your PC item with foil (another idea is to place it between two disposable aluminum pans clipped together). Polymer Clay is rated “non-toxic” for people; however it smells a little bit even during the normal baking. Some brands of clay smell stronger than others, and some people are more sensitive to it than the others. There are warnings, however, that PC fumes are dangerous to birds. It is also a good idea to limit exposure of small children and pets to PC fumes during baking. Burned PC has a horrible and irritating smell, coming from thick black smoke. The burning temp of polymer clay is above 350°F, so if you are using an oven thermometer and being careful to set the oven temperature right, that should never happen. If it should though, hold your breath, turn off the stove, leave the room and air it out. Make sure to remove the pets from the room as well. Recommended minimum baking time is 30 minutes per 1/4" thickness at the appropriate temperature. This means a few things: oven has to be pre-heated and enough time allowed for it to reach the set temperature; you may bake a 1/4" thick piece longer if you wish, but keep in mind that light colors may darken with prolonged baking (darkening may be slowed down or even completely prevented by tenting the light-colored parts with pieces of foil); a complex sculpted piece may be baked a few times in between the sculpting sessions; thicker pieces need to be baked longer, not a higher temperature (for example, a set of round beads 1/2" in diameter will require about 60 minutes of baking); set your timer based on the thickest part of your creation. After baking, you may leave the PC item in the oven to cool down. This minimizes the spread of unpleasant smell (again, not everybody is equally sensitive to it). Alternatively, you may remove the item from the oven right away to speed up the cooling process. When using translucent clay, an iced-water bath is used to enhance the translucency of the finished item. More Tutorials Up \| Down \| Top \| Bottom