Types of Polymer Clay
There are many types (or brands) of polymer clay available on the market today. I will cover the properties of only a few most common ones here. Please refer to Polymer Clay: Resources page for a list of places where you can buy these and other types of polymer clay.Sculpey III is soft and easy to work with. It is the easiest one to push through clay guns. The colors blend easily, which is good for color mixing, but is not so good for cane-work (millifiore). Being soft right out of the package, it is good clay for kid's projects. However, this clay is more brittle than others after baking.
Premo! Sculpey is softer than FIMO, but stiffer than Sculpey. It retains flexibility in thin areas, making small details less vulnerable to breakage. It has a rich color palette.
Fimo Classic is stiffer than any of Sculpey clays, so it keeps the shapes and colors you want, making it a very good choice for cane-work.
Fimo Soft is very similar to Sculpey III in its properties.
Kato is the stiffest of all of polymer clays, but it is also the strongest when baked. This is my clay of choice for all my jewelry projects.
Tips and Tricks: Here is one thing some new polymer clay enthusiasts may not realize right away:
IT IS OK TO MIX DIFFERENT BRANDS OF POLYMER CLAY.
Mixing different brands gives you a wider range of polymer clay properties and colors. Just remember to mix the two brands thoroughly.
