Expert: Leisha Hiester - 6/17/2008

Question
I recently decided that I'd like to make a creative rack-type thing for my necklaces and earrings.  The problem is that I don't have a kiln, so I'd need to use something that hardened on its own.  Any suggestions as to what to use?

Answer
Kate,
There are self-hardening clays. I have only used them with kids. I'm not certain if they are strong enough for what you want to make. I'd suggest you test a small piece first. Clays can be strengthened with either an armature inside or with other materials. Visit your local hobby store (like Hobby Lobby) and check out what they have. Reading the labels is free and you can learn a great deal.

Another idea is to make it out of clay and search out a shop or someone in your town who has a kiln. Often their kiln isn't full when they fire. They'd welcome you paying a nominal fee to fire your piece. It helps them pay for their electricity.

Here's a kids recipe I've used. I got this one from Kidscrafty.com

What you need:

4 cups of flour

1 1/2 cups of salt

1 1/2 cups of water


What you do:

Mix the salt and flour in a bowl.

Add water gradually to form a ball.

Knead (pound, roll and pull) until it no longer falls apart.

Do your project and allow it to dry at room temperature for approximately 2 day (more for larger or thinker projects).

Paint

Store any unused clay in a sealed bag in the fridge. Allow it to warm to room temperature before you use it again.

I use this recipe for a ton of crafts. My favorite are seasonal decorations. You can roll it out and use a cookie cutter to cut out trees, bells or stars for Christmas, bunnies for Easter, hearts for a Valentine. Whatever you want. When the shape is dry, the children can paint them and use them for tree ornaments, necklaces, card decorations. You chose. Another option? Allow your child to create dinosaurs, animals, vehicles, handprints, anything they wish. Paint when dry.

Here's another great source to read up on clays:

http://www.sculpturehouse.com/self-hardening_clays_info.aspx

Hope this helps. Leisha