Conditioning
Polymer clay conditioning techniques for softening crumbly blocks, firming sticky clay, and rolling uniform sheets.
Articles
How to condition polymer clay and roll an even slab for cutters
Get every clay colour to the same softness, roll each layer to its measured thickness on a tile, and let warm clay firm up before you cut.
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Why Is My Polymer Clay Cracking? Causes and Checks
When polymer clay cracks, check the package bake, measured oven temperature, conditioning, thickness, and support before assigning one cause.
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Polymer clay too soft or sticky? Chill it, then leach it, and know when to stop
Test whether the clay is warm or too soft, chill it on its tile, then leach it: let plain paper draw some of the plasticiser, the liquid that keeps clay workable, out of a thin sheet, and stop as soon as a cut piece lifts clean on a blade.
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Best pasta machine for polymer clay: Atlas, Sculpey, Makin's or a roller
Buy the Marcato Atlas 150 for earring slabs and blends, or the Atlas 180 for slabs over 14 cm wide. Measured widths, thickest settings and lower-cost machines, compared.
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Check clay firmness before changing cutters.
If clay is too stiff, it crumbles and cracks; if it is too warm, it sticks to rollers and smears under your cutter. These guides cover suggested conditioning methods, such as using liquid clay to revive old blocks, leaching sticky clay between sheets of paper, or resting warm slabs in the freezer. Get the texture right before you roll your slab.
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