Have you heard the news? Translucent Pardo Art Clay is the clearest translucent polymer clay on the market. Unlike other translucent polymer clay brands, Pardo trans doesn’t impart and yellowish color as it bakes. It’s also remarkably clear. It is a very soft clay that is somewhat difficult to sculpt because it tends to sag. It’s not mushy, so it’s good for caning, but the clay sort of “flows” a bit and that makes it hard for it to hold a shape in three dimensions.
How translucent Pardo Art Clay cures
Once cured, translucent Pardo Art Clay does feel like plastic, perhaps even more than other polymer clay brands. I found that thin sheets of it did remind me a bit of working with cut pieces of milk carton. Sanding the rough edges off my cured Pardo sheets was a bit futile. It doesn’t sand off cleanly, much in the same way sanding a milk carton would be. It has a very different feel than Premo or Sculpey III. It’s not a bad feel at all though. It’s not rubbery in the way that Kato Polyclay is.
Making Pardo translucent even more clear
But Pardo has a secret. As discussed in Lynda Mosley’s blog, you can bake translucent Pardo Professional Art Clay at higher temperatures than the manufacturer recommends.
And when you do, it seems to intensify the color and make the clay even clearer. I’ve previously shown how Pardo trans can mimic cobalt blue glass, in fact!
I have found that 315°F in my oven gives the results I want and the clay does not burn. It does, however, smoke just a bit so I always bake the clay covered in a foil pan and open the pan outside. Pardo clay contains beeswax and I believe that baking at the higher temperatures liquefies the beeswax, driving it out of the clay. So when I bake at this temperature, there is always a waxy residue on the surface that I must rub off. I should add a disclaimer here, though. If your oven (or mine) isn’t accurate, then your results will be quite different. This is so close to the burning point of this clay that you really need to experiment in your own oven before you commit to making a project. And remember that burning polymer clay does release irritating fumes, so please use caution and your own judgement. It’s a good idea to get an oven thermometer so that you know exactly what temperature your oven is running at. I have seen these for sale at many grocery stores (in the cooking implements section) and definitely in WalMart.
Getting Pardo Professional Art Clay
Pardo Translucent polymer clay has been discontinued by the manufacturer, but you can still find stock here and there. Blueberry Beads has it.
Shelf Life of Pardo Art Clay
Another thing I’ve noticed is that this stuff does not seem to have an overly long shelf life. I have one package that I purchased from Hobby Lobby in May 2012, before they discontinued the line. I used it in August and it was fine, but the other day I tried to make something with it and it’s turned crumbly and hard. Just that fast. Others have said that once it goes crumbly, unlike other polymer clays, it is very hard or even impossible to condition and make it soft again. At the very least I’d be sure I was ordering from a fresh supply. Lynda Moseley has said that an order from an Amazon seller was hard and unusable, so be forewarned.
Translucent Results with Pardo
But look how clear it is! And it’s also quite strong, allowing delicate shapes to be created from thin sheets of clay. Agnès, aka Primatoide on Flickr, has created the most wonderful little jellyfish out of Pardo Art Clay. Those little tentacles would not be possible with a more brittle clay.
And look at these lovely butterfly beads made by Claire Maunsell. Those projections would break off with a more brittle polymer clay.
With Gilladian’s Leaf necklace, you can see just how clear that Pardo Translucent clay is. Amazing!
And I just found this heavenly Fairy Breath Pendant by Pat’s Paraphernalia. Can you believe how delicate this is!
If you’re interested in more inspirational pictures of Pardo Professional Art Clay (both translucent and colored), then check out the Flickr Group.
My Flake Necklace made from Pardo Trans
My Flake Necklace was created from this wonderfully translucent polymer clay. Although it looks quite delicate I can assure you it’s not! Now I just need to get my mind around this clay’s unique properties and figure out more ways to use it.
