You may recall that Steve and I took pottery classes before we had a baby. I love the pottery that we made and use it often in our daily life.
When we took the classes we talked about getting a wheel and a kiln. But it never happened.
So, recently, I decided to give air-dry clay a try. I did a lot of research and decided to go with Crayola-brand air-dry clay (there are others). Here are some things to know about air-dry clay:
- Air-dry clays harden within a few days and do not need to be fired in a kiln to create a permanent form.
- Air-dry clays are soft and moldable but dry to a hard finish, comparable to kiln-fired ceramics. That said…
- Air-dry clay items are more fragile than traditional kiln-fired ceramics. You can actually use paint and shellac to "toughen" them up.
- Because the Crayola-brand air-dry clay shrinks when it dries, it works best for smaller projects as larger, thicker forms may develop cracks.
- Air-dry clay needs to be sealed tightly when not being used since it hardens with exposure to air.
- You have a long working time (it hardens in about 24 hours), so if you need a slightly stiffer clay, you can leave your clay out for a few hours. Trust me, rolling the clay out when it's just out of the container is a soft and wet mess. Wait a bit.
- You can paint and color air-dry clay very easily.
- I did notice that the Crayola-brand air-dry clay warns, "Do not mold into candleholders or other like items for use around flame. Do not put in oven, microwave or kiln. Do not allow finished pieces to come into contact with food or liquids." So, that's rather disappointing since candleholders and things that hold food and liquids are some of the main clay items I'm interested in.
After thinking about it for a while, I decided to make a vase. But I forgot about the whole warning about the cracking and I did end up having to fix a lot of major cracks. I built the vase around a jar, just to be sure that it would hold water, so I suspect that didn't help the cracking (the side against the jar probably dried more slowly than the side touching the air). Nonetheless, I'm thrilled with how it turned out:
I put a shiny glaze on it…
…and if I didn't know it was air-dry clay, I'd think it was traditional kiln-fired clay.
My air-dry clay adventures are far from over. One of the lessons I'm teaching in my upcoming August class, The Artful Holiday, is all about using air-dry clay to make artful earrings! I'm so excited to share the process with you in August.
Thanks for stopping by!
Do it!
Do it!
Do it!
Do it!
Do it!
Do it!
Do it!
Very cool! ❤️
Very cool! ❤️
Very cool! ❤️
Very cool! ❤️
Very cool! ❤️
Very cool! ❤️
Very cool! ❤️
Have you ever tried the Quick Cure clay from Ranger? I think it might work better for what you have in mind, although I don’t know if it would be safe to use with food. I do know it’s very durable after curing with a heat gun, so you eliminate the fragility issue.
Have you ever tried the Quick Cure clay from Ranger? I think it might work better for what you have in mind, although I don’t know if it would be safe to use with food. I do know it’s very durable after curing with a heat gun, so you eliminate the fragility issue.
Have you ever tried the Quick Cure clay from Ranger? I think it might work better for what you have in mind, although I don’t know if it would be safe to use with food. I do know it’s very durable after curing with a heat gun, so you eliminate the fragility issue.
Have you ever tried the Quick Cure clay from Ranger? I think it might work better for what you have in mind, although I don’t know if it would be safe to use with food. I do know it’s very durable after curing with a heat gun, so you eliminate the fragility issue.
Have you ever tried the Quick Cure clay from Ranger? I think it might work better for what you have in mind, although I don’t know if it would be safe to use with food. I do know it’s very durable after curing with a heat gun, so you eliminate the fragility issue.
Have you ever tried the Quick Cure clay from Ranger? I think it might work better for what you have in mind, although I don’t know if it would be safe to use with food. I do know it’s very durable after curing with a heat gun, so you eliminate the fragility issue.
Have you ever tried the Quick Cure clay from Ranger? I think it might work better for what you have in mind, although I don’t know if it would be safe to use with food. I do know it’s very durable after curing with a heat gun, so you eliminate the fragility issue.
I havent heard of it before. Ill take a look.
I havent heard of it before. Ill take a look.
I havent heard of it before. Ill take a look.
I havent heard of it before. Ill take a look.
I havent heard of it before. Ill take a look.
I havent heard of it before. Ill take a look.
I havent heard of it before. Ill take a look.
Hi Julie, what timing, we bought the Das air dry clay ages ago with the plan to make some simple bird shapes to become cane toppers for hubbies tomato canes supports in the garden. I’ve just done some research and now think it’s not going to work. What do you think?? The finished birds would be solid except the hole in them to put them on the bamboo cane and out side, so I think I would have to seal them. Any advise would be very welcome. Thanks
Hi Julie, what timing, we bought the Das air dry clay ages ago with the plan to make some simple bird shapes to become cane toppers for hubbies tomato canes supports in the garden. I’ve just done some research and now think it’s not going to work. What do you think?? The finished birds would be solid except the hole in them to put them on the bamboo cane and out side, so I think I would have to seal them. Any advise would be very welcome. Thanks
Hi Julie, what timing, we bought the Das air dry clay ages ago with the plan to make some simple bird shapes to become cane toppers for hubbies tomato canes supports in the garden. I’ve just done some research and now think it’s not going to work. What do you think?? The finished birds would be solid except the hole in them to put them on the bamboo cane and out side, so I think I would have to seal them. Any advise would be very welcome. Thanks
Hi Julie, what timing, we bought the Das air dry clay ages ago with the plan to make some simple bird shapes to become cane toppers for hubbies tomato canes supports in the garden. I’ve just done some research and now think it’s not going to work. What do you think?? The finished birds would be solid except the hole in them to put them on the bamboo cane and out side, so I think I would have to seal them. Any advise would be very welcome. Thanks
Hi Julie, what timing, we bought the Das air dry clay ages ago with the plan to make some simple bird shapes to become cane toppers for hubbies tomato canes supports in the garden. I’ve just done some research and now think it’s not going to work. What do you think?? The finished birds would be solid except the hole in them to put them on the bamboo cane and out side, so I think I would have to seal them. Any advise would be very welcome. Thanks
Hi Julie, what timing, we bought the Das air dry clay ages ago with the plan to make some simple bird shapes to become cane toppers for hubbies tomato canes supports in the garden. I’ve just done some research and now think it’s not going to work. What do you think?? The finished birds would be solid except the hole in them to put them on the bamboo cane and out side, so I think I would have to seal them. Any advise would be very welcome. Thanks
Hi Julie, what timing, we bought the Das air dry clay ages ago with the plan to make some simple bird shapes to become cane toppers for hubbies tomato canes supports in the garden. I’ve just done some research and now think it’s not going to work. What do you think?? The finished birds would be solid except the hole in them to put them on the bamboo cane and out side, so I think I would have to seal them. Any advise would be very welcome. Thanks
Oh this vase is SUPER cool, I love it.
Oh this vase is SUPER cool, I love it.
Oh this vase is SUPER cool, I love it.
Oh this vase is SUPER cool, I love it.
Oh this vase is SUPER cool, I love it.
Oh this vase is SUPER cool, I love it.
Oh this vase is SUPER cool, I love it.
Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you!