Modelene is a plastic compound which when cured in an oven at 130°C becomes a strong yet flexible plastic. Also known as polymer clay, it consists of fine particles of polyvinyl chloride(PVC) suspended in plasticiser.

Yes. As with any artist’s medium, certain precautions should be followed. Please Click here to read the General Safety information.

To condition the clay you simply cut off small bits at a time and knead with your hands, rolling and squeezing it until it feels soft and pliable. A really easy way to condition is to use a pasta roller…(e.g Atlas or Imperia). By rolling folded sheets of clay through the rollers several times (rule of thumb is at least 15 times, longer if clay is a little old), conditioning is much easier and much faster. The pasta roller also makes mixing colours a breeze, and is invaluable for making uniform sheets of clay.

The best way to check this is to roll the conditioned clay into a fat snake, about as thick as your thumb, and then bend it in half. If the snake cracks you need to condition some more.

If the Modelene is really fresh or the weather very warm, you may find that the clay is too "sticky" to work with. In this case you can "leach" it to remove some of the plasticiser. To do this you need to roll your clay into sheets and lay them between two sheets of cheap copy paper. Just how sticky your clay is will determine how long you need to leave it, but the minimum is at least 24 hours. More if you find the clay is really sticky. To hurry things along you can place a heavy book on top, and changing the paper once it’s been stained with plasticiser can help hurry the process along as well. Placing the clay in the refrigerator at intervals during your work session will also help

Hint: Don’t use printed paper for leaching…the print will transfer to your clay!

This can happen when Modelene isn’t stored properly or if it has exceeded it’s shelf life which is around a year. If you have an old food processor that you can dedicate to clay use, try processing small pieces for 30 seconds or so, or until soft. Put the processed clay onto some waxed paper or a tissue, and squeeze it into a ball. You should then be able to continue conditioning in the normal manner. Another way is to get a small amount conditioned, then add some of the crumbly clay, a little at a time to the conditioned piece. Add some mineral oil, a drop at a time, or a little vaseline or glycerine may also help.

Always wrap left over Modelene in its original plastic or use Glad Wrap. Place into zip lock sandwich bags and store in an airtight container away from direct sunlight. NOTE: Do not use polyurethane trays or containers for storage as it reacts adversely to polymer clay. Some clay artists actually store their clay in the refrigerator.

This is usually a personal choice. Some people swear by glass or marble. Others find that a good quality cardstock works just fine. Laminated wood or ceramic tile is another option. No matter what surface you use, you may find that the clay will stick to it. A potters’ metal kidney shaped lifter is an invaluable tool to keep near your work surface.

Besides your hands, the most necessary tools you need are:

• An oven - it is perfectly safe to you use your home oven. However if you intend working with polymer clay every day, it may be necessary to purchase a small bench type oven that can be dedicated to clay.
• Baking tray - this can be an old cookie sheet or a ceramic or glass tile. You should line your baking surface with Tiger Bake or piece of cardboard to avoid shiny surfaces on the underside of your work
• Craft knife with various blade sizes.
• Blade…tissue blades as used by the medical industry are popular blades since they are very sharp and will slice thinly. However, they can be expensive and hard to get. A good alternative is to buy a pack of 5 Big Blade Strippers by Oldfields from hardware stores.
• Acrylic roller or straight-sided glass or bottle.
• Potter’s metal kidney shape lifter.
• Metal pasta roller.
• Needle tool or darning needle for making holes in beads.

Other tools to consider having are wooden skewers, lino cutters/carving tools, cookie/canapé cutters, clay gun extruder, modeling tools. As you continue to work with Modelene you will continually find useful tools around the house, however once used for clay, they should not then be used for food preparation. The tools you choose generally reflect the path your creativity with Modelene follows and over time you will collect a good range of useful ones.

Usually this means that the piece wasn’t cured for the correct amount of time, or the temperature of your oven is off. Always check your oven is working correctly with an oven thermometer. It’s also possible that the clay wasn’t fully conditioned although the general concensus amongst clayers these days is that under-conditioning doesn’t affect strength. If in doubt however, condition as previously explained.

In a word? NO!

It’s best to cure beads by threading them onto lengths of wire or skewers and suspending them across your baking surface. This will prevent the flat spots that occur if you place round beads directly on the baking surface.

While it is possible to use Modelene for outside decorative purposes, be aware that cured Modelene does soften a little if left in the sun. This won’t cause any permanent damage and the piece will return it its original hardened state once it’s cooled down. It is worth noting that some polymer clay artists have purposely exposed cured polymer clay work to all weather extremes, with no ill effects apart from a very slight fading in the colours.

The quick answer to the question about paints is to only use "acrylic" paint. The surface should be degreased first with a solvent such as Isocol or methylated spirits. No need to use much...just a gentle wipe over the surface is enough and although you can paint on either raw or cured clay I believe it works best on cured clay. It's possible more than one coat may be needed as well as some acyrlics can be a little 'translucent' with just one coat. It's also a good idea to use a good quality paint...not the really cheap artist's acrylics.

It is always safer to hand-wash your Modelene buttons, but it is certainly possible to machine wash them, providing you use cool water and a gentle wash cycle. Modelene buttons were also dry-clean tested with no ill effects, however the solvents may cause fading with repeated dry cleaning.