Why does my cold porcelain clay crack when dried?

I’ve gotten the question “why does my cold porcelain clay crack when dried?” “What am I doing wrong?” And it has been asked quite a number of times. Well I’m going to point out a few reasons why your cold porcelain clay is cracking and what you can do about it.

If you’re interested in making cold porcelain clay, All you have to do is Google the recipe and give it a try. I mean it sounds pretty simple right? Well not so much. There are so many different cold porcelain clay recipes out there. There’s even a no cook recipe (that i haven’t tried) that calls for the same ingredients but the method is one that doesn’t require cooking the dough.

Crack is Wack!

So you’ve tried the recipe, cooked your clay and you’re ready to use it but when you use your clay you noticed that there are multiple cracks everywhere! All your efforts are gone down the drain. What am I doing wrong you ask. Well, first you need to understand the formula and the process. If the recipe you chose doesn’t call for some kind of oil such as mineral oil or olive oil then it’s something you should consider adding. I like to add a big table spoon or 2 of mineral oil to every batch of clay I’m mixing up. The oil really helps with giving your clay a very smooth and polished porcelain look and feel. In addition to oil we like to add our very own Stacie Laurell Crafts conditioning lotion for some added plasticity.

“It’s the mixing for me”

Another important factor you should consider when wanting to avoid cracks is mixing the batch of clay thoroughly. All the ingredients you’ve put into this batch must be mixed out properly. Try to avoid having any lumps or dry pockets in your clay batter. You can do this by mixing your clay batter until it’s perfectly smooth.

Water is the enemy

You can drink as much water as you can tolerate but make sure no water is in your batter. Water is your enemy. So before you start your mixture, make sure your bowls, spoons and any other items you are using to make your clay batter is 100 percent dry. If you see a layer of water settle on top of your clay batter simply take a paper towel and dab at it to remove the water. Try to avoid getting any water in your batter. Period.

Weight it right!

Do you have the right proportions for the clay mixture? For our clay we use 1 cup of glue to every cup of cornstarch. Measuring out the appropriate amount makes a difference and you can always add a half of cup of extra glue if you’ve measured out too much cornstarch or a little over the amount. It’s also good to remember not to over cook your clay as that can dry it out and create cracks in your finished product when dried.

Knead your dough!

Sometimes clay creators overlook this simple but necessary step. Kneading your clay. When your clay is done cooking it’s important to remember to knead your dough thoroughly and make sure all air bubbles and lumps and bumps are smooth out of the batch. Also, try and let your clay sit for at least 24 hrs before using it.

Salvage your dry clay

Starting over and over again with a new batch can get expensive. Especially if you’re wasting ingredients. Believe it or not your burnt dried clay can be saved. On rare occasions we may slightly burn out clay in the process. It’s pretty rare because we have got a pretty good formula and process going on but when it does happen we always condition our clay with Stacie Laurell clay conditioning lotion. It smoothes out the clay, adds back ample moisture and prevents cracking!

I do hope these tips were helpful and please come back again to learn more about crafts and cold porcelain clay!

5 Useful Things You Can Make With Cold Porcelain Clay

There are so many useful things that can be made with cold porcelain clay. You can make anything from household items to art projects with your kids but here are a few ideas for using cold porcelain at home.

1. Jewelry– Cold Porcelain clay is great for making jewelry. You can make gorgeous one of a kind earrings to necklaces even rings. Bangles are in this season. You can make your own bangles with cold porcelain. Here’s a easy tutorial.  Take one or two different colors of clay and slightly mix them together. Roll it into a ball and then roll it out into a snake about 9 inches long. Form into a semi circle or you can make it connect or over lap. Leave on a dry surface to dry. Once dried you can paint it, add swaroski crystals or sand it. Then varnish it and you have a nice bangle.
2. Kitchen Cabinet Knobs– What? Kitchen Cabinet Knobs? Yup that’s right!. If you want to upgrade your kitchen you can get really creative and make your own cabinet knobs. You can make color patterns with your clay and place it over your existing knobs or you can form the knob yourself and add it to your cabinet. It can be painted, sanded and varnished.This is also great for cabinets that aren’t functional and are just for show. If you have no idea how to make knobs no worries. You can Youtube it to get great video tutorials. This is not only fun but you will save money with do it yourself projects.
3. Christmas Tree Ornaments– Oh my Gosh! it is so much fun to make memories by making Christmas tree ornaments with your kids. Make sure to have your cold porcelain clay in many different colors or the two colors you would like. You can make great ornaments with polymer clay molds, silicone molds or by scratch. You can make miniature Christmas trees, snow mans, Santa’s angels and more! Also if you want to make round hanging Christmas ornaments you can start off by forming a ball out of foil paper. Once you’ve formed a nice round ( as round as you can make it) ball you can then add the cold porcelain clay over it, let dry and then paint. it’s easy fun and makes for great decorations.
4. Fixed chipped or cracked porcelain or figurines– If you have a cracked porcelain or ceramic cup plate you can fix it by using cold porcelain clay. Hopefully these are collectables and you are not using these cups and plates for eating and drinking. However if you are there are precautions you must take in order to do so. But right now we will talk about how to fix collectables or China that is for display only. You can take a piece of clay depending on the amount you need and use it to fix a crack or chip. First make sure to clean the area that you plan to fix with soap and water and make sure it is dried throughly. Remove all dirt and debre for maximum results. Next, take the piece of clay you plan on using and patch the hole or crack. Leave it alone to let dry. This is not for the impatient so make sure you leave it alone to dry thoroughly and properly. You make have to add more layers of clay but use your own judgement. After it is completely dried you can sand and varnish the newly patched piece. Next add a gloss varnish. You can add one that is waterproof if you’d like. It may also be a good idea to use one that is specifically for ceramic use. Once you let it dry it should be good as new.
5. Make miniature bowls, pen holders & paperweights– A few years ago i made several small bowls that i now use on my desk to store my arts n crafts needs. I once read that you cannot make bowls with cold porcelain clay and they were wrong. I suppose what they meant was you shouldn’t make bowls that will be used to hold water because cold porcelain clay melts. Again that isn’t entirely true. In fact if you want to make cold porcelain bowls and cups that you would like to use there are precautions that you must take but i think it can be done but for now we’re talking about making bowls for functional use.  I’ve made some very sturdy and durable and functional bowls and cups. To make a functional bowl first start off with firm cold porcelain clay. (please note: Stacie Laurell is the only clay that can be manipulated to be either firm or soft because of our specially formulated formula 🙂 Next, roll your clay (a good size) into a ball. stick your thumb in the center of the ball. start rotating the ball in your hand while trying to even out the walls of the ball. This is the starting process of making a pinch pot.  Pinch pots are fairly easy to make. If you don’t know how to make a pinch pot and need more of a visual guidance you can youtube how to make a pinch pot. My bowls does a great job in holding my art supplies and storing such things as beads, clips, charms and more!.

Thank you for taking the time to read my guide and i sure hope it was helpful in teaching you more about cold porcelain clay!   http://stores.ebay.com/Stacie-Laurell-Crafts

Stacielaurellcrafts.com   http://stores.ebay.com/stacielaurellcrafts/

5 Useful things you can make with Cold Porcelain Clay

There are so many useful things that can be made with cold porcelain clay. You can make anything from household items to art projects with your kids but here are a few ideas for using cold porcelain at home. 

1. Jewelry– Cold Porcelain clay is great for making jewelry. You can make gorgeous one of a kind earrings to necklaces even rings. Bangles are in this season. You can make your own bangles with cold porcelain. Here’s a easy tutorial.  Take one or two different colors of clay and slightly mix them together. Roll it into a ball and then roll it out into a snake about 9 inches long. Form into a semi circle or you can make it connect or over lap. Leave on a dry surface to dry. Once dried you can paint it, add swaroski crystals or sand it. Then varnish it and you have a nice bangle.
2. Kitchen Cabinet Knobs– What? Kitchen Cabinet Knobs? Yup that’s right!. If you want to upgrade your kitchen you can get really creative and make your own cabinet knobs. You can make color patterns with your clay and place it over your existing knobs or you can form the knob yourself and add it to your cabinet. It can be painted, sanded and varnished.This is also great for cabinets that aren’t functional and are just for show. If you have no idea how to make knobs no worries. You can Youtube it to get great video tutorials. This is not only fun but you will save money with do it yourself projects.
3. Christmas Tree Ornaments– Oh my Gosh! it is so much fun to make memories by making Christmas tree ornaments with your kids. Make sure to have your cold porcelain clay in many different colors or the two colors you would like. You can make great ornaments with polymer clay molds, silicone molds or by scratch. You can make miniature Christmas trees, snow mans, Santa’s angels and more! Also if you want to make round hanging Christmas ornaments you can start off by forming a ball out of foil paper. Once you’ve formed a nice round ( as round as you can make it) ball you can then add the cold porcelain clay over it, let dry and then paint. it’s easy fun and makes for great decorations.
4. Fixed chipped or cracked porcelain or figurines– If you have a cracked porcelain or ceramic cup plate you can fix it by using cold porcelain clay. Hopefully these are collectables and you are not using these cups and plates for eating and drinking. However if you are there are precautions you must take in order to do so. But right now we will talk about how to fix collectables or China that is for display only. You can take a piece of clay depending on the amount you need and use it to fix a crack or chip. First make sure to clean the area that you plan to fix with soap and water and make sure it is dried throughly. Remove all dirt and debre for maximum results. Next, take the piece of clay you plan on using and patch the hole or crack. Leave it alone to let dry. This is not for the impatient so make sure you leave it alone to dry thoroughly and properly. You make have to add more layers of clay but use your own judgement. After it is completely dried you can sand and varnish the newly patched piece. Next add a gloss varnish. You can add one that is waterproof if you’d like. It may also be a good idea to use one that is specifically for ceramic use. Once you let it dry it should be good as new.
5. Make miniature bowls, pen holders & paperweights– A few years ago i made several small bowls that i now use on my desk to store my arts n crafts needs. I once read that you cannot make bowls with cold porcelain clay and they were wrong. I suppose what they meant was you shouldn’t make bowls that will be used to hold water because cold porcelain clay melts. Again that isn’t entirely true. In fact if you want to make cold porcelain bowls and cups that you would like to use there are precautions that you must take but i think it can be done but for now we’re talking about making bowls for functional use.  I’ve made some very sturdy and durable and functional bowls and cups. To make a functional bowl first start off with firm cold porcelain clay. (please note: Stacie Laurell is the only clay that can be manipulated to be either firm or soft because of our specially formulated formula 🙂 Next, roll your clay (a good size) into a ball. stick your thumb in the center of the ball. start rotating the ball in your hand while trying to even out the walls of the ball. This is the starting process of making a pinch pot.  Pinch pots are fairly easy to make. If you don’t know how to make a pinch pot and need more of a visual guidance you can youtube how to make a pinch pot. My bowls does a great job in holding my art supplies and storing such things as beads, clips, charms and more!.

Thank you for taking the time to read my guide and i sure hope it was helpful in teaching you more about cold porcelain clay!   http://stores.ebay.com/Stacie-Laurell-Crafts  & Stacielaurellcrafts.com