Kato Polyclay Tips

Conditioning – preparing your clay for use. Insufficient conditioning may result in a weakened finished item.

1. To condition an entire 3 ounce block. Slice the block into 4 slices. Flatten and compress each slice with an acrylic rod, thinning each slice until they are just slightly thicker than the thickest setting of your pasta machine – this is an important step, so don’t skip it! Reset the machine, skipping one setting and roll each slice through. Fold and roll each slice through the machine until soft and pliable. Roll through, two at a time until you have one large sheet of clay.
2. If you don’t have a pasta machine, cut the block of clay into manageable, small pieces and knead them in your hands.
3. Ambient temperature affects ease of working with your clay! Kato Polyclay behaves best at a temperature of approximately 70 degrees F. If you have very warm hands, a slightly cooler temperature will probably work best for you.

Tools

1. For making uniformly thick or thin sheets, the pasta machine is best. I’d recommend the Atlas brand – it’s a bit more costly, but will last longer than the others.
2. Sheets may also be made using a rolling pin or rod. Wooden rolling pins will work but the clay will build up in the wood, making it necessary to frequently clean them. The best rod is an acrylic rod (like the Kato pro Clay Roller). Clay does not as readily build up in the acrylic surface and it’s much easier to clean. The Kato Pro Clay Roller also comes with three pairs of rubber gaskets that will enable you to roll sheets of three thicknesses.
3. A good work surface is a necessity. The oils in polymer clay may damage fine wood surfaces! Glass, acrylic, marble and Formica are good materials to work on. Formica has a very fine texture on which the clay will not stick. You may find your clay sticking to very slick surfaces like glass and marble. In certain instances, you may want the clay to stick, so this isn’t necessarily a negative trait. In very warm climates, the coolness of marble may help maintain a level of workability and keep your clay from becoming very soft and sticky.
4. You’ll want a good long blade for cutting canes. The Nublade has become the standard among most polymer clay users. Its thickness makes it easier to cut through blocks of clay and large canes with minimal torque and twisting. Clean blades frequently for best results. These blades are not for child use! Single edge razor blades are great for cutting small diameter canes.
5. The Marxit measuring tool makes it possible to mark canes or sheets of clay in 6 different mm sizes. If you’re cutting canes and wish for uniform thickness, this is the tool for you.

Millefiori Caning – technique in which clay is layered or arranged to create images in clay. Think of sushi rolls! When the roll or log is sliced, you will get the same image from one end to the other. These images may be miniaturized by applying pressure to the sides of cane, then gently stretching the cane out.

1. Certain clays lean toward the translucent side. Raw canes will look quite like any other clay canes but, after curing, you may see loss of detail due to the influence of darker colors. The addition of white to these clays will ensure greater color separation and a clearer picture. Kato Polyclay does not require the addition of white and will maintain its true color and separation.
2. For the most even reduction and the least waste, make sure the different colors used are the same softness. Kato Polyclay has been specially formulated so that all colors share the same softness, making it unnecesary to make such adjustments.
3. When you wish to make a cane (like a stained glass cane) composed of both translucent and opaque elements, wrap the translucent components with a thin sheet of white, then the leading color (black). The white will prevent the muddying influence the black might have on the translucent colors.
4. If you’re new to caning, begin by making small canes! Reduce these and see how much you can reduce a cane before you lose detail.
5. When making large canes, don’t reduce the entire cane to the smallest diameter. It’s best to retain pieces of the cane in several sizes. Remember that canes may always be reduced, you can’t make a reduced cane large again. It’s also easier to store your canes in larger diameters, rather than keeping a cane you’ve reduced to a length of several feet!
6. If you’ve made a cane you don’t like, don’t throw it into your scrap pile. What you’ve got is the chance to experiment! Try dividing it and reassembling the pieces in new ways. Make kaleidoscope images! Try flattening the cane and rolling it though your pasta machine, then stacking the pieces up.
7. When applying slices to a bead or sheet, it’s best to cut thin slices. Roll a few slices in at a time, rolling in several directions so that they flatten evenly. Use an acrylic rod, such as the Kato Pro Clay Roller.
8. Old canes should be “conditioned” before using. Gently squeeze the sides with your fingers until the clay inside feels soft.

Sculpture

1. Clay walls should be no thicker than 1”. For large pieces, it’s best to create an armature upon which clay is applied. Common armature materials are wire and foil. Armatures will also reduce the weight of the finished piece and will make it stronger as well.
2. Raw clay may be applied to cured clay and the piece cured again.

Working with Kato Clear Medium

Transfers

Michelle Ross and Gail Ritchey are two artists (and friends!) who have done extensive transfer testing using Kato Clear medium! Thank you, girls, for sharing what you know with the rest of us!

1. Michelle Ross Instant Gratification Transfer Method:
Copy an inkjet image onto Epson Photo Quality Ink Jet Paper (Matte) Product number S041062. Trim copy, leaving a narrow border.
Working on parchment paper, brush a coat of Medium onto image, stroking to the border of the image.
Holding the nozzle of a heat gun 1” from surface of the Medium, heat until the Medium becomes shiny and clear – set aside to coo. Repeat two more times for a total of 3 layers of Kato Clear Medium. Turn piece over and heat the back of the transfer for 2 minutes. Peel paper from the Medium.
Artist Michelle Ross began as a rubber stamper but succumbed to the lure of polymer clay. Michelle is a regular on the Carol Duvall Show where she has shared her many innovations and projects.

2. Gail Ritchey’s Transfer Method:
Make an inkjet copy of your image onto Epson Photo Paper (Glossy).
Trim copy and place on a ceramic tile. Squeeze a small amount of Kato Clear Medium on photo and spread with 1/2” brush. Pierce any air bubbles in the Medium with a needle or toothpick. To level Medium, let it sit for a minute or two.
Place tile in oven and bake at 275 degrees F for 5 to 15 minutes (until Medium is clear). Remove from oven and let cool completely. Repeat, for a total of two layers of Medium.
Peel copy from tile, reetrim photo, cutting away excess Medium, then place piece in water. The paper will lift from the Medium,.
In water, rub off slippery film from back of transfer. If you will be using this as a laminate onto raw clay, you must make sure that all the film has been removed from the back of the transfer.

Artist Gail Ritchey is the author of “Making Miniature Villages in Polymer Clay” Northlight Books ISBN 0-89134-956-1. Gail has been a guest on the Carol Duvall Show and is a prolific project designer and author. Look for her many articles in art and craft publications.