Differences between Sculpey, Super Sculpey and Sculpey III

Sculpey

Color/Packaging

White; bulk only

Usage/Capabilities

Small, compact sculpture

Finish

Bisque type finish

Super Sculpey

Color/Packaging

Pink-beige, semi-translucent; bulk only

Usage/Capabilities

Dolls, modeling, and for prototypes

Finish

Matte finish, slightly translucent

Sculpey III

Color/Packaging

40 colors; 2 oz. packages, multi-packs, and sampler packs

Usage/Capabilities

Figurines, millefiori, jewelry, home decor items

Finish

Matte finish

Premo! Sculpey

Color/Packaging

30 colors; 2 oz. packages

Usage/Capabilities

Figurines, surface decoration, millefiori, jewelry, home decor items. Has excellent tensile strength due to flexibility in thin or delicate areas. Takes tooling well. Color mixing capabilities are comparable to artists’ oil paints.

Finish

Natural, satin finish that can be sanded and buffed to a semi-gloss.

Granitex

Color/Packaging

8 colors; 2 oz. packages and sampler pack

Usage/Capabilities 

Figurines, jewelry, home decor and items

Finish

Matte finish which resembles granite due to fibers suspended in the clay

Sculpey-Flex

Color/Packaging

8 colors; 2 oz. packages and sampler pack

Usage/Capabilities

Figurines, children’s craft projects, jewelry. Bakes to a rubbery, flexible texture.

Finish

Matte finish

Compatibility Chart for Clay Mold

Castings, Compounds & Modeling Materials.

Please Read!

A variety of modeling compounds can be molded. Most casting materials listed cannot be cured in clay molds. There are some exceptions to this rule. This chart is to used as a guideline only. No warranty is offered for results as this information has been compiled by our visitors and have not been tested by us. We do not make any promises or take responsibility for the use of this information. Please use your judgment when experimenting with these castings. Because of this, we request you to email us if you see any inaccurate information. We value your expertise and appreciate any insight you might be able to send us. It is up to you to determine suitability for any specific application. A small scale test is suggested before trying on a larger scale for any application. Thank you.

Casting

What is it?

Directions, Release Agents & Curing.

UTEE

Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel

Submit information.

Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel is a large particle embossing powder that adds dimension to paper, fiber and decorative arts. When heated, it creates a nice resin finish. While warm, you can imbed charms or beads and sprinkle some glitter or mica powder on it. UTEE is found in jars in the scrapbook section of craft stores.

Spray the mold with PAM cooking spray. Melt the UTEE and pour a tiny amount into the mold. Lift it out with a needle. If making a pendant, where the mold has a raised spot for the hole, you'll need to hold the tip of a pen on the raised spot while you pour the UTEE. You could also break a toothpick and hold it on the spot. Unlike clay, the UTEE becomes too hard to poke a hole when you take it out. If you have a small drill you could probably drill a hole later.

Precious Metal Clay or PMC & Art Clay

Submit information.

Soft and supple-feeling clay with fine silver powder suspended within. Enjoy the fun and versatility of playing with clay with a twist...firing the finished piece transforms it into a valuable, pure silver treasure.

Looks and feels like ordinary clay. Water and a non-toxic organic binder are mixed with extremely fine particles of silver. But then you 'fire' it with the hand held torch; the water and binder disappear - give it a brush and you're left with a unique piece of silver. See our “Art Clay” page for more information.

Liquid Polymer Clay &

Liquid Sculpey

Submit information.

A pourable form of polymer clay that was developed for commercial use about twenty years ago. In it's raw state, it looks like white glue and has the consistency of honey. When it is baked, it is opaque, flexible and strong.

Was made to cure at 300 degrees but will be fine at normal PC temperatures of 265-275 degrees. Remove the liquid clay while still warm can sometimes be done. Release agent - Armorall.

Plaster of Paris, Hydrostone, Hydrocal & Ceramic

Submit information.

Calcined gypsum, composed of calcium sulfate.

Plaster is mixed by sifting the powder into water. Sometimes salt, potassium sulfate, or potassium alum is added to speed setting.

Polymer  Clay,

Sculpey Clay,

Super Sculpey, Sculpey lll, Premo & Fimo

Submit information.

Polymer clay is a synthetic, pliable colored plastic modeling 'clay' compound that hardens or 'cures' at relatively low temperatures in an oven, without the need for a kiln. It comes in a large variety of colors and you can also mix the colors to create new ones with endless design possibilities. It takes on texture very well. In addition, it is relatively light weight, which makes it an ideal medium for jewelry.  The choices of colors and finishes (such as stone, glitter, fluorescent and even glow in the dark) are wonderful. The three main advantages of polymer modeling clays are: quick home curing, the consistency and range of color and texture, and the less than 2% shrinkage when cured. 

Cornstarch, water, embossing powders, baby powder. See our mold instruction pages to learn more about using clay with our molds.

We carry sample packs of Sculpey for sale for you to try. You can purchase them from our tools page here.

Resin & Plastics

Submit information.

Compound for creating or copying, and for business, hobby or craft use.

Armorall

Wax & Candles

Submit information.

Beeswax, ceresin, carnauba, tallow, paraffin, and micro-crystalline wax.

Wax can be melted for casting in a double boiler. Additives used with waxes include rosin, dyes, petroleum jelly, mineral oil, and many solvents.

Air-Dry Clay

Submit information.

Dries to a hard solid. No kiln or oven necessary. Easy to use with traditional modeling techniques, and is easy to clean up.

Press, remove and dry.

Bread Base Clays such as Bread Dough

Submit information.

Do not require cooking - they air dry, and they will keep up to three weeks in the refrigerator. Shrinkage can be up to 50%. You can sometimes compensate shrinkage by making your project x% larger than you want the finished product.

Press, remove and dry.

Paper Casting

or Paper Pulp

Submit information.

Paper Casting is a way to make beautiful products from recycled paper. Great for sculpted ornaments, cards, gift tags and framed art.

Get some soft toilet tissue. Place it in a bowl. Pour water over it, wait a half an hour or so, then stir it up a bit with a fork. It doesn't matter how much water; however the more the water the easier it is to work with. That's it. The castings made with this will fall out when dry.

1) Nothing special has to be done to the mold. Just heap a little pulp in to the mold. Gently squeeze the water out with your finger tips or a flat surface. Then place the mold and pulp upside down on a paper towel and gently push the excess out. You don't have to be especially neat with the pulp, as it is very easy to trim off with scissors, if you'd like. Or leave the little bits on.

2) Leave the pulp to dry. Your casting will fall out as soon as it is dry. If it's later in the evening, just leave them on a heat vent overnight. Allow to dry completely (I wait 24 hours just to be sure) and remove.

3) That's it! These can be painted, glued to special greeting cards, packages...  on and on... They are as inexpensive as tissue paper and your time, so you can make a bunch up at a time and have so much fun!  

You can use colored tissue or white tissue (maybe put in just a drop of food coloring for a marble look!). You can seal and paint these pieces for added durability as well.

Metals

Submit information.

Friendly Plastic

Submit information.

Friendly Plastic Compound is a rugged, impact resistant plastic.  Many designs can be made with Friendly Plastic sticks by softening them in warm water then shaping with your hands, molds, craft tools or any household object. Key Benefits: Easily molded by anyone, Extensive range of colors, Non toxic, Unique, Strong and Flexible. A product that can be used by almost anyone to make almost anything!

There are two popular methods for warming Friendly Plastic prior to making jewelry - the hot water method and the oven method. Just pour the rice sized pellets or sticks into boiling water. In 30 seconds, it melts and sticks together. When you pour off the water, it is cool enough to be handled comfortably. Shape it with your fingers like clay, or use it in mold. In a few minutes it cools to a tough plastic. Once hard, carve it, drill it, machine it, paint it, or dye it with clothing dye. When reheated, it can be reformed, additional pieces added, or completely recycled.

Soap

Submit information.

Cake Decorating

Fondant, Gumpaste

& Candy

Submit information.

You can cast in our molds, however it is not recommended to use edibles with clay molds. Many people are still using molds for candy, frosting and lip balms and are aware of the warning. Many of our customers uses are molds for decorating cakes. Our molds are made with a non-toxic clay and approved to use the AP non-toxic seal by The Arts  Creative Materials Institute (ACMI). However never bake our molds in a microwave or under a broiler and they should only be baked at the manufacturer's recommended temperature of 275 degrees.

So, I guess this is a personal choice. I hope this helps, and if you have any other questions feel free to email us anytime.

Use cornstarch to dust the mold or luster dust if you want some iridescence.

Cornstarch Base Clays such as Cold Porcelain, Victorian salt clay, and pasta francesa.

Submit information.

Actually resemble fine porcelain.

See recipes for cornstarch clays on the next casting page.

If it feels a bit firm, it should be warmed up by kneading a small amount between the fingers. If it feels too soft, it can be left unwrapped and exposed to the air for a few minutes. It will then firm as the moisture evaporates. They require cooking to prepare. Cornstarch clays air dry, but drying can be accelerated in a warm oven. The shelf life varies from one week to one month depending on the ingredients, storage temperature and humidity. Expect up to 30% shrinkage. 

Glue Gun Glue

Submit information.

Craft sticks found at craft stores or in the craft department.

Coat well with embossing fluid, which will act as your release agent. Pour in glue from gun. Let glue cool completely. Once cool, inset craft knife blade into glue and pop shape from mold. Can brush with Polished Pigments and set with spray fix. Enhance with metallic rub-ons or a variety of paints.

Bone China

Submit information.

Made from 50% bone. The bone is what makes pottery white. Has a low deformation and a shrinkage of about 12%.

Experiment with transforming a porcelain body into throwable bone china by adding synthetic bone ash. Be aware that ingredients from different countries may produce different results. The general rule is to use the purest possible ingredients. Try experimenting with variations of the bone ash content and firing temperature.

American Art Clay Casting Compound

Submit information.

Create whites, fine-textured, durable cast pieces.

When mixed with water and poured into a mold, AMACO® casting compound sets hard in a few minutes.

Paperclay

Submit information.

Creative Paperclay is a non-toxic modeling material that can be sculpted, molded or shaped, and air dries (no baking!) to a hard finish that can be carved, or sanded - perfect for artists and crafters.

Solid Perfume

Submit information.

Perfume in a solid state. Can be poured into chap stick tubes or lockets worn as jewelry. Can be molded for use in a compact.

Recipe

melted Beeswax 1/2 oz.

Infused oil 2 oz.

Essential oils 40 drops about Start by melting the beeswax on the stove top. It another pan simmer water with the jar you intend to put your perfume in sitting in the water (double boiler effect) pour your infused oils into the jar sitting in the simmering water and add the melted beeswax. Stir well. Take the jar out of the water and add the essential oils stirring well. Put the top on and let cool. Makes approx. 2 oz.

Porcelain Slip / Clay

Submit information.

Many of our customers are using porcelain slip, however more information a needed on how it is used. Porcelain is often used for doll parts or figurines.

Fusing Glass

Submit information.

Does not work in kiln. At about 500 degrees or so they begin to burn up and produce some nasty fumes.

Playdoh

Submit information.

A brand name for children’s modeling compound. It’s usually pretty cheep and it comes in many generic names as well. Usually it comes in bright primary colors.

No mold release is needed with Playdoh. It works well with mica powder for a pretty shiny finish.