Posted on 5 Comments

Sculpey Ultralight

I’ve had a package of Sculpey Ultralight since January but I haven’t opened it until tonight.  I could never figure out what to do with it.

Today, while wandering around Chester (a tourist trap town, if ever there was one, but I like it), I was struck by an idea.  I wanted to make big floral pins, two to three inches across, that could be used as embellishments on tote bags, bucket hats, casual dresses, etc.  Ultralight seemed like the perfect choice, since a 3-inch chunk of clay could get heavy.

I gave it a try tonight, starting smaller (only about 1.5 inches) just to see if the concept would work.  The solid colors are 3/4 Ultralight and 1/4 Sculpey III, and I left them matte.  The caned portion is a thin veneer of Sculpey III over an Ultralight base, and then coated with liquid Katoclay, both for protection and for the nice satiny shine it gives.  Each flower is topped off with a small Bali Silver bead.  I did a few adjustable rings, too.

I like them, but I don’t think they are strong enough.  Can anyone here who has used UL verify whether it’s supposed to be as brittle as Sculpey III?  It could very well be that I just have to check my oven temperature once again, but I was able to break a test piece pretty easily.   I can’t sell them like that.

These posies are really way more “cute” than I am usually drawn to.  Lately, though, there is a part of me that is really enjoying the girly, crafty, playful stuff, and I think it’s the same part of me that has been playing with fabrics and learning to sew.   It’s kind of a weird thing for someone whose winter wardrobe is a black turtle neck, bootcut jeans and chunky black shoes (with a summer wardrobe that’s not a whole lot brighter).  Suddenly I’m into pink.  And fuzzy flip-flops.  And purses.  Weird.  When did I turn into a girl?  It can’t be a midlife crisis – I fully intend to live to be 100 and I’m only just over 1/3 of the way there – I’ve got another 14 years to go before I hit “midlife”   Maybe just living in a house full of boys has finally pushed me over the edge!

At any rate, I still intend to pursue the more “artsy” side of my claywork.  I’ve got a few ideas for new canes dancing around in my head, and those bead frames from Libby are calling my name, too.  I’m just on a playful kick at the moment.

Lisa

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Posted on 5 Comments

5 thoughts on “Sculpey Ultralight

  1. Such fun rings and buttons! I’ve never had UL be brittle, but I have never mixed it with SIII. I suspect it’s either underbaked or you may want to mix it with premo instead. I’ve found UL to be very very flexible. You can tear it, but not break it in thin sheets, larger forms are strong.

  2. I’ve used UltraLight in a 50/50 mix with Premo & it seems pretty sturdy to me — plus the UltraLight’s much easier to use that way (I’m not crazy about UltraLight by itself!) Cute idea with the coordinating buttons.

  3. Thanks for the feedback! I’m going to rebake them in my regular oven – it’s been more reliable than the toaster oven lately. I hope the small addition of Sculpey III isn’t a big deal – I already have the colors I want mixed. I’d rather not have to find new formulas in Premo if I can help it. I may also want to try making all of the layers thinner. Right now they’re #1 sheets. Maybe I should try #4.

  4. […] interested in sharing some opinions with me?  As you may know, I have been playing around with polymer clay posies.  The six to the left are my first batch.  The solid colors are matte and the patterned layers […]

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