Even though baking your polymer clay earrings seems quite easy, this is where most things go wrong. After this blog post, you'll know exactly how to bake your earrings correctly. Enjoy!
You know how it is: you've made something nice out of polymer clay (in my case, earrings, of course), and they're fragile and brittle. Something went wrong, but you think you baked them correctly—110 degrees Celsius, at least 30 minutes... How is that possible?
In this blog post, I'll explain how to properly bake polymer clay and show you where things likely went wrong. A blog post to keep!
Step 1
After or while creating my polymer clay earrings, I preheat the oven to 110 degrees Celsius. If your polymer clay requires a different temperature, set it accordingly. In this blog post, I'm using Fimo Soft, which I bake at 110 degrees Celsius.
Personally, I don't use the convection setting in my oven, but rather the heating of the top and bottom elements. Experiment to see what works best for you. The convection setting on my oven is a bit too fanned, and my earrings keep blowing away.
It's also important to know, especially if you're using a small oven, that your creations shouldn't be too close to the oven elements, otherwise they'll burn because the elements give off more heat.
Step 2
Once the oven temperature reaches 110 degrees, I slide the baking tray with creations (on baking paper) into the middle of the oven and place my extra oven thermometer next to it.
TIP: If you're making something from white clay, it's wise to place a little 'house' of aluminum foil over it to prevent slight discoloration.
Step 3
Reheat everything you've put in the oven (baking tray, creations, and thermometer) to 110 degrees Celsius. You'll see on your extra thermometer when everything in your oven has reached 110 degrees Celsius and baking can begin.
This is a very important step! Many people put their creations in the preheated oven and bake them for a total of 30 to 40 minutes. Unfortunately, you'll typically bake for 15 minutes at too low a temperature, as the oven cools down again as soon as you put the baking sheet with your creations in. This will make your earrings fragile.
Step 4
Once everything in your oven has reached 110 degrees Celsius, you can start the oven timer. I usually bake my earrings for 40 to 45 minutes at the correct temperature. Longer isn't harmful at all; if the temperature is set at 110 degrees Celsius (for Fimo Soft), nothing can go wrong, even if you bake the clay for a few hours.
After about 40 to 45 minutes of baking (and then allowing to cool) you will have well-baked earrings that are somewhat flexible and do not break easily.
Have fun!
At the end of this BLOG you will find some common problems with solutions!
Common problems:
- Why does my polymer clay have bubbles after baking? Bubbles or small holes in your clay after firing mean there was hidden air in it that wants to escape during firing. You can avoid this by conditioning your clay longer and stretching it a little during the conditioning process (so that air in the clay doesn't have a chance).
- Why are my polymer clay earrings so brittle after baking? If you bake your polymer clay for too short a time (less than about 30-40 minutes), the plastic powder in the clay hasn't had a chance to melt properly, and your earrings will remain brittle. Make sure your oven, including the baking dish and earrings, is heated to the desired temperature and then set your timer for the desired number of minutes (I bake for at least 40 minutes).
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After baking my polymer clay is very flexible
That's right, when the clay is still warm and thin (like earrings), it's still very pliable. As it cools, it hardens naturally. A properly baked clay stays slightly pliable, so that's a good thing!