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Hard Clay -> can it be saved?

Now, let's say you forgot about a piece and left it leaching overnight. Uh oh...what now? What about that portion of a block that got pushed to the back of your cabinet and was long forgotten? Do you have to toss all of this in the trash and spend more money on new stock? This is an emphatic NO! Cernit has two great products that enable you to recover almost all hard polymer clays of any manufacturer. We say almost all as there are two ways polymer clays get hard. One is the aging process and this is recoverable. The other is the heating process which, unfortunately is not so forgiving. Now the real difficult part is knowing the difference. We have worked with clay so hard that you cannot dent it with you fingers in the package. And that very one rolled out into a rope easily by rolling it between my palms. Then, try another and it crumbled. So that crumbling is the key. If it crumbles, you can try the Magic Mix detailed below. However, this is the key that the product may no longer be usable.

Cernit Soft Mix

Cernit Soft Mix is literally a very soft polymer clay add in for restoring a hard clays elasticity or softness. Simply mix 1/3 of a package of Cernit Soft Mix to 2/3 hard clay. As long as you maintain these portions, this will not change the color of the hard clay. If you use more than 1/3 of the Cernit Soft Mix, you do risk lightening the color so use only as directed. The mixture must be well mixed until no color variations can be seen. This process continues just like normal polymer clay conditioning.

Cernit Magic Mix

Cernit Soft Mix is for making small changes in a firm clay. The "sledgehammer" of all polymer clay tools is called Cernit Magic Mix . And it really works like magic. To use Cernit Magic Mix on a hard clay, start like you normally would to condition any polymer clay block. Some chop it up into tiny bits. Some shave off slices and break those up. Once you have the hard clay prepared, add a drop or two (literally, that is all it takes sometimes) to the pile and work it in. Cernit Magic Mix is a plasticizer. Where you use copy paper for removing excess plasticizer and oils, this process adds plasticizer to the clay. Work the clay until you feel you have the consistency you need for your project. The interesting thing about Magic Mix is that you can take your clay all the way to a "bubble gum" effect if you continue to add more and more.

Magic Mix use is not limited to polymer clays either. It can be used with paints and other materials as well. Magic Mix is a perfect ally with acrylic paint: make it more flexible, perfect for the technique of pouring where the acrylic tends to crumble or crack! Mix up to 10% of Magic Mix with your paint.

Questions? Please use our Contact Page to send us your requests. Can you improve on this? GREAT! We would love to add your input. "It takes a village" is a great way to look at it!