I recently started to carry Hearty Clay on my website : www.takaratown.com , and I would love to share my expierence using it for those of you who purchase it.
First of all Hearty Clay comes in many colors: White, Black, Brown, Magenta, Red, Orange, Cyan, Blue, Dark Green, light green, and yellow.
The great thing about this clay is that you can mix all the colors to make a rainbow of any colors you can imagine. This company actually has a mixing kit, which includes a chart and measuring system that they sell which shows you exactly how much of each color to mix to get another color! I do not currently have the mixing kit for sale in my shop, but I can get them if you are interested.
The black is great for making darker colors, and the brown is great for breads, and
chocolate items.
So a good idea for those making Japanese Decoden, Fake Sweets, or Miniature Foods, is to go with these colors:
White - you will want mostly white for a mixing base
Black - just a little to make darker colors
Brown - like I said above
Red/Magenta - if you mix red/blue/yellow you can create any color, just like a printer ink cartridge!
Cyan/blue - see above
Yellow - see above
The oranges, and greens and other colors they sell are nice if you just do not want to hassle with a bunch of mixing....but I have to say its super easy to do!
This clay is very very lightweight. It feels spongy like a marshmallow! It is super easy to work with and can be sanded when dry.
Once dry it is slightly spongy still, like a dried marshmallow. Some people say that it is flexible, but I consider it spongy, it is not like you can bend it or anything.
It has a nice soft vevet like texture once it is dry.
When you open the package you will notice some moisture on the package, and that the outside is wetter than the inside of the clay. This may prompt you to "work" the clay, but I advice agianst it. It is best to knead it just a bit then use. This means that when you need to mix colors be advised to mix just enough to incorporate the color, and not beyond.
I think that when you work it too much moisture is drawn from the clay to your skin and it begins to dry out more quickly.
The other option which I have tried with success, is to spray the clay with some before kneading, which seems to prevent the drying out that typically comes with kneading. Be aware, this will get your hands a bit dirty, and you may need to let the clay sit for a few minutes before using in a mold.
It is very easy to pull a chunk of clay out of the package to use. It pulls apart easily, and is not sticky at all. Be sure to take only what you will use right away, because it begins to dry out right away.
To store to remainder of the clay I have found that plastic baggies do not work. I have tried double bagging as well, but it always dries out. What I do know is to get an airtight jar such as a canning jar, then I place the clay in the jar, and mist with water to store. I have not had any problems with it drying out since I started using this technique.
Hearty Clay is great for use in molds! It takes the finest details with ease, and pops out of the molds remarkably well. I tend to put a little mold release oil in the mold every 15 or so uses when it starts to stick a little bit, but even without it will come out of a mold much easier than other clays such as polymer clay.
It dries completly in about 24 hours.
At this point you can either use as is, and keep the velvety feel, or you can put a sealer onto it to make it more durable. It really depends on what you want to use it for.
I am still working on testing the sealers, but I have used Modge Podge several times.
Modge Podge needs at least three coats to be effective, and you can get a nice texture, and partially matte finish with Modge Podge.
Hearty Clay and Modge Podge is great for figurines, and other crafts, but does not make the clay durable enough to use on decoden items like cell phones, or jewlery. Anything that will be used a lot will not last very long.
It is good for earings however....and decoden for picture frames, or desktop computers.
HERE ARE SOME MORE TIPS AND HELPFUL HINTS FOR USING HEARTY CLAY:
- When wet Hearty Clay will stick to itself, and create a very strong bond. If the clay is dry, you must use glue to bond the peices. Another thing you can use is Fuwa Fuwa or Padico Whipped Cream Clay or Whipped Cream Silicone to bond items.
- Keep plastic wrap on hand to wrap unused portions while you are working with it.
- Keep a bowl of water or a spray bottle of water on hand to mist clay to keep it from drying out.
- When drying thin items, dry for about an hour, then sandwhich between two flat items like phonebooks ( what else are you going to use them for!) to prevent the item from warping as it shrinks.
- You may cut the clay when wet or dry with a razor blade or sharp scissors. I find that Fiskars Brand Scissor are perfect.
HERE ARE SOME TIPS FOR MIXING COLORS:
- As I mentioned above you can mix Hearty Clay Colored Clay together to make an endless rainbow of colors. You can also use paints to mix with Hearty Clay. Rumor has it any kind of paint works, but I like Acrylic Paints. The oil paints are messier and harder to clean up. I do find that mixing with Hearty Clay Colored Clay works best for darker colors, but for pastels colors a touch of paint works good. Adding too much paint makes the clay to wet more molds, at least to use right away.
- You can apply paints to dried clay as well, which bonds with the clay. I reccomend a sealer top coat, but it is not neccesary in my expierience.
TIPS AND TECHNIQUES FOR RUBBER STAMPING:
You can stamp into Hearty Clay to make an embossed image of the stamp! The possibilities are endless, especially if you make your own stamps. Great for jewlery, containers, and kids crafts.
- Rubber Stamps should be lubricated with a releasing agent before using them with Hearty Clay. I use Padico Brand Mold Release Oil, which is for sale on my website.
- The best stamps are ones that are deeply etched, and not overly complex.
- Be sure to press into clay evenly. You may want to put some Padico Mold Release only onto your work surface if you find that it is sticking after you have pressed the stamp into it.
- If the clay sticks to the stamp, use a peice of wet clay to pick up what was left behind.
