Children, and many adults, have a blast using polymer or other kinds of modeling clay. These kinds of clay are meant to be used for making things such as ornaments, dolls, etc. that will either air dry or be baked to a permanent, hard finish. Unfortunately, these kinds of clay are often expensive, particularly when children go hog wild making lots of different creations.
Luckily, there is a better way to provide this kind of clay for yourself or your children. This project involves making modeling clay that you can air dry, bake or even microwave to a hard finish that is suitable for painting. The modeling clay is great for making toys, ornaments and other decorations.
The recipe for this clay calls for inexpensive items that you most likely already have in your kitchen allowing you to whip up a batch anytime. You will need a cutting board that has been dusted with flour, a medium size mixing bowl, small saucepan for boiling water, 1 cup water, 1 cup salt and 2 cups of white all-purpose flour. Do not use self-rising flour, the additional additives in it do not work well with this recipe.
Begin by bringing the one cup of water to boil in the small saucepan. While the water is heating up place the cup of salt into the mixing bowl. Once the water has come to a boil pour it into the bowl, taking care not to splatter the water and burn yourself. After adding the water, mix the solution thoroughly until the salt has completely dissolved.
Next, stir in the two cups of white flour. Continue stirring the mixture until all of the water has been absorbed. When the mixture resembles dough stop stirring. Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on the cutting board that you dusted with flour. Knead the clay for for several minutes until it is pliant and smooth. If the clay is still sticky after you have kneaded it for the allotted time, add a tablespoon of flour and knead it some more. Repeat this process until the clay is smooth and not sticky. You can tell that you are finished when it is easy to mold the clay into any shape you like.
Depending on your preference you can use food coloring to add color to the clay at this time. It will color the clay and survive the baking process, however the color will not be as bold as it would be if you painted your finished creation instead. If you wish to add color then separate the clay into portions the size of golf balls. For every golf ball sized portion add roughly 7 drops of food coloring, then knead and mix the clay by hand until the color is uniform and well blended. If you wish to make more elaborate colors than what food coloring usually comes in mix the colors in a separate container and then add them to the clay to keep the color uniform.
Now your clay is ready to use. Keep it in a sealed bag in the refrigerator when not in use to keep it from drying out. After you have used the clay to make whatever object you desire you have several choices. You can allow it to air dry (this can take as long as a day) or you can bake it in a warm oven set to 200 to 250 degrees. You can bake the clay for up to two hours and the total time it will take to harden depends on the thickness. Be sure to check the clay periodically. You can also microwave your finished creations for a minute or two. But I have found the microwaving method to be hit and miss, every time that I have used it I usually had to allow my creations to air dry for another hour or so.
If you left the clay uncolored it will be a very light white or very light golden brown (unless you bake it too long). You can paint it with acrylic paints if you wish. You can also use acrylic paint to add accents to finished creations made with clay that you previously colored with food coloring. After painting allow the paint to completely dry then add either a layer of clear coat paint or simply paint the object with clear nail polish.
This project is also great for the holidays, particularly for Christmas. If you wish to make Christmas ornaments simply use a rolling pin that you have dusted with flour to roll the damp clay out. Then use cookie cutters of your choice to cut out designs such as snowmen or Christmas trees. Be sure to make a small hole at the top of your creation so you can thread string or yarn through it after you have cooked and painted the clay. Then follow the rest of the process as you normally would and enjoy your finished creations.
