How to prepare an air dry clay at home

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Besides being foolproof, it is by far the strongest & most durable air dry clay to DIY and work with. Do try this WhyNotDIY idea at home!

I was a little girl when my aunt introduced me to this air-dry clay recipe. I remember I used to sit next to her when she used to prepare, knead and create designs with this air-dry clay to fulfill her customers’ requests. As I grew older, I learned how to prepare this air-dry clay and started helping her in creating new designs, and mixing different elements to create new ornaments to add to her collection.

Lately, I tried to create air-dry clay using different recipes. Some with salt base and others with baking soda base. However, I must admit that none of those recipes impressed me enough to adopt them moving forward. The Cornstarch & glue base recipe has always been my best option. Besides being foolproof, it is by far the strongest and most durable air-dry clay to prepare and work with.

So, if you haven’t yet tried creating this clay, I strongly advise to start today.

Why is this recipe convenient?

This recipe is simple and easy to make. It requires a couple of minutes to be ready. 3 out of the 4 ingredients are found in your kitchen.

The clay can be used in multiple decorative projects and dries in a couple of days.

Lastly, if you want to end with high-quality work and avoid any cracks, then this recipe is by far your option to go.

What can you do with air-dry clay?

Projects including the use of air-dry clays are fun, easy, and productive. My kids always try to play to convince me into giving them a portion to play with. And I end up every time preparing edible playdough for them to imitate their mama and play calmly while I work on my clay. There are many items that you can create using air-dry clay. I will list below some projects but I strongly recommend reading my article focusing on the best 10 air-dry clay projects that you can enjoy.

• • Planter pots
  • Earring
  • Necklaces
  • Coasters
  • Clay bowls
  • Keychains
  • Mirror designs
  • Baby favors
  • Pens holder
  • Hanging ornaments

What is air-dry clay made of?

• 1 cup cornstarch
• 1 cup wooden glue or any white glue
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon oil you can also use baby oil or vegetable oil
• A pinch of salt

How to make the air-dry clay?

• Mix cornstarch and white glue together in a non-stick pot.
• Put the pot on medium to low heat and start stirring.
• You will need to cook the mixture for a couple of minutes.
• Stirring is key to avoiding any lumps. Therefore, this process should not be discontinued at any time.
• Add the salt, white vinegar, or lemon juice and the oil.
• Keep stirring. As it cooks, the mixture will turn into a hard mashed potato texture instead of a soft creamy texture.

• Transfer the dough immediately to a surface covered with baby lotion or Vaseline
• Apply cream to your hands and start kneading to remove any lumps and keep the clay soft.
• Transfer the dough to a zipper bag and keep it in an air-tight container.
• Make sure to remove the amount you need from the clay and return the remaining clay to the zipper bag and container for future use.
• The glue and cornstarch clay will take between 5 to 7 days to dry completely. It will then become hard and durable.
• The drying process should be away from any heat or sun, especially during the first 3 days.
• To dry completely, place the clay on a cooling or baking rack so that it dries from all sides.
• Make sure to measure all ingredients precisely to avoid any cracking.

Can I paint air-dry clay before it dries?

To create beautiful and attractive items from air-dry clay, then you must learn how to color an air-dry clay. After all, this is a basic technique that you should master,

Let’s start clarifying that coloring can happen at one of these below 2 stages:

Before modeling. At this stage, you can use one of the following options to color your clay.

• Acrylic painting
• Tempera
• Food coloring
• Nail Polish

After modeling. At this stage, you will use painting to color your items. Your options are:

• Acrylic painting
• Water painting

How to color your clay before modeling:

This means that this must be done during the cooking process. Therefore, if you are coloring at this stage, you may end up with one color for each batch of clays. If your project consists of a unified color, then you can easily opt for this option. You can cook as well two batches if your time is flexible and you need only two colors.

However, if your project is multi-color, then maybe you should consider opting for the after modeling option.

It is worth noting, that with Acrylic paint, you can divide your clay after kneading to different portions, add the color to each portion separately and mix/knead again.

How to color your clay after modeling:

This process calls for coloring the clay after finishing the clay model.

Many people opt for this option as it is more flexible, and they can easily control the color of the clay.

During this stage, the clay must be fully dried before starting the coloring process. Acrylic or watercolor paints are the best two options for modeling coloring.

• To paint with a second cot, wait until the first coat is dried.
• To preserve the color, make sure to paint or spray varnish.

Let the first layer of paint dry before moving to the next paint layer.

Finally, protect your painted clay model with a thin layer of clear nail polish for small items, spray varnish or mod-podge.

How to store air-dry clay for future use?

If you are not planning to use your clay immediately, you need to ensure that the clay will remain soft and undried. Therefore, you will need to wrap the clay tightly in plastic wrap and store it in an airtight container, this way the clay can last for 2 weeks or more.

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