I am fairly new to Polymer clay, and I have a question about older
clay.

Are there brands that are easier to recondition than others? I don't
want to get in too deep with something I might not be able to use, but
I found several auctions for older clay on eBay, which seems like a
good place to get fairly inexpensive clay in a variety of colors.

The seller has several auctions listed, with various types of polymer
clay, and if one was in general easier to recondition that others, it
would make it easier to decide which ones to bid on.

Also, getting into it in a just basic way, honestly, how many blocks of
clay do people on average generally end up with in a short time <g>.

I ask this because I also make cards on a somewhat sporadic basis, and
found myself needing storage for all of the stuff you "need" pretty
quickly ; )

There is a FIMO holder auction also, and for a newer person, I don't
know if it would be too much, of if I would fill it pretty quickly. It
looks like it can hold tools also, so maybe would not be a bad
investment for a couple of bucks, but I wonder if empty spaces invite
more clay - That happened with my card making...I had two extra drawers
in my card making storage bin, and when I went out, I would find myself
saying, "Well, I could just put it in the bin, it would not be in the
way".....

I have about 20 now, and have been having fun with those, but keep
seeing new things I can make, but I really have to learn more before
attempting some of the stuff I see. Just curious what the average
number of blocks of clay one has when this is a hobby (not a
profession).

I had to tell you, one of the quickest, yet most fun things I make are
postcards. My friends and family love to get them in the mail, and
other than being clay hogs, they are something so fun to do when I have
a few mintes to play, and just want to do something easy and fun.

I can't believe how durable they are. I add stuff to them, like cactus
and the sun and mountains, figuring whatever makes it is a bonus, and
about 95% of the time they get to the recipient with all of the add-ons
intact.

If you decide to do this, remember the postage is higher than normal
for the weight because there is a non-machinable charge.

Sorry, got off on a tangent, I was asking about brands of clay for
reconditioning : )

Thanks!

Ttakeaway

did a quick google because this is something I wanted to know as well

this is what I found

http://www.danperezstudios.com/workshoppages/polymerclay.htm

http://www.glassattic.com/polymer/MainPages/storage.htm lots of info on
everything here

this one is a beauty .... only need a rubber mallet and baby oil
http://www.garieinternational.com.sg/clay/shop/softening.htm

from what I've seen it seems to work no matter what brand of clay

Sheila in OZ

Woohoo! Another new convert! LOL Welcome to the ultimate addiction...since
this stuff can be used in every craft and art known to man, once you play
with clay, it will take crippling arthritis or some other despicable ailment
for you to drop that clay! ROFL

Anyway, I started out exactly as you...timid that I might again spend a TON
on a craft that I might not stick with and buying old clay. Fimo and Premo
are both fairly firm clays...so, in my experience, when they get old, it
takes an act of Congress to condition them. They crumble, sometimes into
minute pieces, when old, but I have never met a block that couldn't be
conditioned with due diligence (we are talking over an hour sometimes!)
Sculpy is a much softer clay and I have never found conditioning being an
issue no matter the age. That said, I don't care as much for the Sculpy
clay because it is soft. But that is decidedly a matter of taste.

Sheila, the rubber mallet website is a hoot! It nearly brought me to tears.
Now I thought I had used some extreme measures to condition the clay...but
never to this extent! Have some older stuff in the drawer (oh, yes,
Ttakeaway, I have drawers and drawers of clay!) that I will have to try this
on. LOL

Lori

I've been doing polymer for about 12 years now and got into it when
there were not any "toys" to buy for it. So, I started out with
baggies to store the clay and copper pipes to roll it out with and
other everyday things that I used for texture. That is about as basic
as it gets.

Although I have graduated and bought all sorts of stuff for polymer
now, I still use the basics. The storage thing is simple and a lot of
manufacturers make it complicated since they want you to buy their
stuff. Bottom line............air eventually dries the clay out. Use
a good sturdy plastic bag, preferably a freezer type and make it a
small one. When you put the clay in there, try to get as much air out
of the bag when storing it. The wad it up and put it in another
container with your other bricks and they will last a long time. Put
even new bricks in plastic bags before you open them and they will last
longer, as well. I have some bricks that I bought back in 1994 and
they are still good.

Fimo tends to dry out faster than Sculpey. It doesn't seem fair, but
the more expensive the clay is, the faster it goes bad. (((The art of
diminishing returns!!!)))

When my clay is drier than I like, I use my pasta machine to initially
condition the clay. There really isn't anything better than your
hands, but if you are like me and have developed arthritis, sometimes
your hands just don't cooperate. A mallet is good too, but if your
clay has become crumbly, it just sends it flying around the room.

BTW - - - crumbly clay makes great texture on conditioned clay, mixed
in. Try some, you might like the outcome.

The answer to how many bricks you need. When I started out, there were
only a couple dozen colors. I managed with that for many years and
learned how to create color. Just like mixing paint, polymer acts
somewhat in the same way. It just takes experimenting to find out what
colors make what color. At the present time I have about 75 bricks,
some are 12 years old, some are brand new. I bought a couple of bricks
on clearance at a craft store a few weeks ago and they were dried out
like a stone. So, sometimes "new" clay in a store is also old.

Hopefully some of this helped. Don't get suckered in to buying too
many store-bought gadgets. The stuff you find laying around the house
is sometimes better than the expensive tools that have been invented
for polymer.

Start little, you might not like polymer and then you will feel guilty
for spending too much.......rather to spend little, find out you love
it and then go for it!!!!

http://www.smilingarmadillo.com

Truly excellent advice!

Regarding tools, it depends on what you are going to do with the clay.
Obviously, all clay needs conditioning. And although your hands (and
possibly a mallet!) will do it, ultimately I couldn't imagine not having a
pasta machine. After working with the clay for about 5 or 6 years, I also
invested in a motor for it...LOVE it!

Another tool that I couldn't live with out is the bendable,
brother-to-razor-blade now referred to as the polymer clay blade, but which
is actually a tissue blade from medical supplies. I bought mine on eBay.

Lastly, dental tools (nasty looking bits of metal) are fantastic if you
should get into finely detailing the clay. Also available on eBay. (but
then, what isn't? lol)

All clay can get old, but most of it can always be brought back to a
workable consistency. The only time it can not is if it got too hot
from some means...and the sun can do that very easily. So don't store
it or leave it on a counter that will be in the sun.

For extreme conditioning problems, this is what works best for me:
As for conditioning old clay, if it is really crumbling, which is the
hardest clay to condition, is to put the clay into a small food
processer (look at thrift stores for a small old used one). Break up
the clay into small pieces, add some sort of clay softener, such as
diluent or mix quick, and pulse. First the clay will break into
smaller pieces and then after the diluent or mix quick mixes with the
old clay it will start to clump into larger clumps and become soft.
This is the point when you take it out of the food processor and press
it into a somewhat flattened sheet and start putting it through your
pasta machine several times until it is to your liking.

One can also purchase those little food processors in the stores for
$15 to $20. They are very valuable if you have really old clay that
crumbles. In the old days when Fimo Classic was the popular clay
choice, everyone used food processors to condition fimo. Now days the
clay is much more user friendly in a fresh state, making the food
processor not the necessity that it was at one time.

Helen

If ability to easily condition clay is a strong factor for you, I wold
get new clay -- hit Michael's or AC Moore or sometimes JoAnn's on their
special sales. (I just took the Michael's 99 cent ad to AC Moore and
got 40 blocks of clay for 99 cents MINUS the 10% discount they give
when honoring a competitor's ad.) No shipping, fresh soft clay, any
variety you want, and still pretty cheap.

As others have said, older clay (if not partially cured) can be
conditioned, and used for years and years, but that does NOT mean it's
EASY! It can be a nightmare! But if the clay is cheap or you really
like something about it (discontinued color, maybe) it may be worth it.

Pasta machines are really useful for conditioning (although don't force
too much clay through at a time -- the machines are made for soft mushy
pasta dough, and you can bend and warp parts by abusing them.) I have
over the past few years purchased for my guild and friends about five
of them for less than $5 each, at yard sales, thrift shops, and flea
markets. Just keep an eye out.

Sherry Bailey

I absolutely LOVE those blades.
I was given my first one a few years ago and have since found a friend
that is an EMT.
She gives me the old scalpels that they have to throw away. And
yes..........I am very careful not to use ones that have "nasties" on
them. Most of the time she says they open them up to cut something
that is not human and have to throw them away!!
I also get old dental tools from my dentist. They don't use tools that
have nicks and breaks in them and they are awesome clay tools.
If you don't have these resources, there are many vendors on eBay that
sell them, as well.

I've had good luck finding dental tools at flea markets. There's
usually a vendor or two who specialize in tools, and you can find all
sorts of interesting detailing tools scattered among all sorts of
implements in a bin or two.
And I find that the paintbrush sized "rubber chisels" or paint
shapers are indispensable. I have about 8 different tips and sizes and
literally can't work without them. There usually available in good
sized art stores and some will order them for you.