Polymer clay stuck in your texture sheet? How can you get it out?
Before you do what someone online says (perfectly aware of the irony), give the tips below a try.
Prevention:
- Fresh clay is too soft and sticky and often gets stuck. Most of the problems new makers are facing right now are due to the clay being way too soft. Leach it!
- Always use a mold release. It can be a dusting of cornstarch (corn flour) (click over here for some other useful tips for using cornstarch with polymer clay), a spritz of water or even a spritz of leather protectant — such as Armor-All or Son of a Gun (Affiliate Link – learn more here).
Clean-up:
- Use a wad of sticky clay to pull out as much as you can. Just like when you get gum on the sofa.
- Dig out as much as you can with a ball-tipped stylus (aka dotting tool). Or…
- If the item is heat-safe, bake it. This is a rubber texture sheet, which is perfectly bakable. Then the cured clay just falls out. Or…
- Use OIL. No, don’t use acetone like people always seem to say. That’s a super strong solvent. Plain, regular cooking oil will work fine. The oil will dissolve the clay. Use a toothbrush to scrub it all out. THEN, use soap and water (dish liquid), also with a toothbrush, to get the oil out. Don’t let the oil sit on the rubber, though. This trick also works if you get clay stuck in your silkscreen, btw.
What method has worked best for you?
