Types of Polymer Clay
There are many types (or brands) of polymer clay available on the market today. Here, I will cover the properties of only a few of the most common polymer clays for general use.
Please refer to Polymer Clay Resources page for a list of places where you can buy these and other types of polymer clay. |
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Sculpey III
Sculpey III is soft and easy to work with. It is the easiest one to push through clay guns. This clay is available in 44 vibrant colors. The colors blend easily, which is good for color mixing, but is not that great for cane-work (millefiori). Being soft even in the package, it is a good clay for kid's projects. However, this clay is more brittle than others after baking. This clay is manufactured by Polyform (USA).
Original Sculpey
Original Sculpey comes only in white and terracotta colors. It is soft in raw form and pretty brittle when cured. I would not recommend it for jewelry making.
Super Sculpey
Super Sculpey is available in beige color only. It is as soft as Original Sculpey, but stronger when cured. Still not the best choice for jewelry making, in my opinion.
Sculpey Ultralight
Ultralight (by Sculpey Polyform) is a unique clay because it is very lightweight. This clay is extremely soft and easy to knead, but it becomes very hard after baking. This clay is available only in white, but it can be painted after baking. It makes an excellent filler for larger polymer clay beads.
Premo! Sculpey and Premo! Accents
Both Premo! Sculpey and Premo! Accents are softer than FIMO, but stiffer than Sculpey. Premo clays retain flexibility after baking, making small details less vulnerable to breakage. Each of these two lines has a rich color palette, with at least 24 colors, some of which have mica-shift particles. In my opinion, Premo is one of the best clays currently on the market, and a very good choice for a wide variety of techniques. Premo polymer clays are manufactured by Polyform (USA).
Granitex
Granitex is another clay by Polyform. It comes in 8 pastel colors resembling the colors of natural stones. It is a soft, easy to condition clay.
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