What is the easiest way to roll out modeling clay?
I have to do a project and the clay is hard and takes hours to to roll out, no lie.
You don’t say what *kind* of clay you’re using and that can make a big difference. Sometimes even the brand of a particular type of clay can make a difference.
First, technically, "modeling clay" is plasticine clay (though many people seem to refer to any kind of clay as "modeling clay"). Plasticine is the kind of kids’ clay that never hardens in air, and can’t be baked to harden either (the wax that’s been added to it will melt).
It comes in cheap sticks like the RoseArt brand, or better quality ones would be ClayToons and Plastalina (the animator’s preference).
Before thinking about rolling out any clay, if you’re using a polymer clay you need to know that it may need to be "conditioned" before using it since some brands, or just being very cool, can make it firmer than it will be after conditioning. Stretching is what’s necessary to condition polymer clays, which can be done by "kneading" in ones’ hands (rolling into a snake, twisting, rolling back into smooth ball… repeat, repeat till pliable and no longer cracks if a thick rope of it is bent in half), or it can be done in a pasta machine, for example.
The clay can be only stretched, but added heat can help make it stretch more easily too, so body heat, or under a lamp, etc, or even the friction caused by banging on it with a hammer, etc. will work.
Sometimes "additives" (often oils, etc.) need to be added to the clay too if simple conditioning isn’t quite enough.
There’s loads of info on conditioning polymer clay on this page of my site:
http://glassattic.com/polymer/Conditioning.htm
If you’re using a true modeling clay, some of those techniques will work too.
If you’re using air-dry clays though (which are water-based, not oil-based like those above), most of them will usually be pretty soft unless they’re beginning to dry out which they will do when exposed to air.
In that case, it’s best to just pick out any parts that seem especially hard and "knead" the rest till it’s warmed up and more pliable. If the whole wad of clay is pretty hard, then that clay is probably too far gone to reconstitute without a lot of trouble.
Air-dry clays can be ones like earth clay (pottery clay), Play Doh, homemade salt dough clay or bread clay, Crayola’s Air Dry Clay, and better quality ones like Creative Paperclay or Makins.
As for the ROLLING OUT part, most any clay can be rolled out with a kitchen rolling pin or with any kind of stiff rod or cylinder. If the clay is too hard to start with, stretch, bang, and/or warm it till you can get it into a slab, then roll over with the rolling pin, stiff rod, can or jar, etc.
For some clays, you’ll want to cover them with waxed paper or something to keep from dirtying up your rod.
For making EVEN sheets of clay, put a strip of wood board or something else** on either side of the clay slab (in other words, 2 strips of the exact same height).
Then lay your rod/jar/whatever on top of the clay and also the "guide rails," and roll over everything till the whole sheet is the same thickness as those guide rails.
**instead of boards, you can just use any 2 things of the same height, and also of the exact height you want the thickness of your clay sheet to be… that could be 2 magazines (or 4 or 6 so they’re stacked for more height), or playing cards taped together to make blocks, or plasic CD containers, etc., etc.
Check this page at my site for more on making "sheets" of clay using the guide rails method, or using a pasta machine if you have one and it’s dedicated to clay use:
http://glassattic.com/polymer/pastamachines.htm
…for the guide rails info, click on the category called:
NO PASTA MACHINE? –OTHER WAYS
HTH,
Diane B.
With a rolling pin.
References :
Use a steam roller
References :
a rolling pin, like what you would use on cookie dough.
or buy the clay that is easy-to-mold. (dont know brand names)
try play-doh? (if you smooth it out well, it wont crack as much, you will just have to do some minor touch-ups.)
References :
Get one of those hand cranked pasta machines. You can start with slabs or sticks of clay about an inch thick (just cut it with a wire) and feed it through at the thickest setting to start. Fold and roll it a few times until it softens, then start using thinner settings until it is the thickness you want.
References :
Alice M is absolutely right! Pasta machine!!!
I wouldn’t suggest using it for pasta after that though.
References :
You don’t say what *kind* of clay you’re using and that can make a big difference. Sometimes even the brand of a particular type of clay can make a difference.
First, technically, "modeling clay" is plasticine clay (though many people seem to refer to any kind of clay as "modeling clay"). Plasticine is the kind of kids’ clay that never hardens in air, and can’t be baked to harden either (the wax that’s been added to it will melt).
It comes in cheap sticks like the RoseArt brand, or better quality ones would be ClayToons and Plastalina (the animator’s preference).
Before thinking about rolling out any clay, if you’re using a polymer clay you need to know that it may need to be "conditioned" before using it since some brands, or just being very cool, can make it firmer than it will be after conditioning. Stretching is what’s necessary to condition polymer clays, which can be done by "kneading" in ones’ hands (rolling into a snake, twisting, rolling back into smooth ball… repeat, repeat till pliable and no longer cracks if a thick rope of it is bent in half), or it can be done in a pasta machine, for example.
The clay can be only stretched, but added heat can help make it stretch more easily too, so body heat, or under a lamp, etc, or even the friction caused by banging on it with a hammer, etc. will work.
Sometimes "additives" (often oils, etc.) need to be added to the clay too if simple conditioning isn’t quite enough.
There’s loads of info on conditioning polymer clay on this page of my site:
http://glassattic.com/polymer/Conditioning.htm
If you’re using a true modeling clay, some of those techniques will work too.
If you’re using air-dry clays though (which are water-based, not oil-based like those above), most of them will usually be pretty soft unless they’re beginning to dry out which they will do when exposed to air.
In that case, it’s best to just pick out any parts that seem especially hard and "knead" the rest till it’s warmed up and more pliable. If the whole wad of clay is pretty hard, then that clay is probably too far gone to reconstitute without a lot of trouble.
Air-dry clays can be ones like earth clay (pottery clay), Play Doh, homemade salt dough clay or bread clay, Crayola’s Air Dry Clay, and better quality ones like Creative Paperclay or Makins.
As for the ROLLING OUT part, most any clay can be rolled out with a kitchen rolling pin or with any kind of stiff rod or cylinder. If the clay is too hard to start with, stretch, bang, and/or warm it till you can get it into a slab, then roll over with the rolling pin, stiff rod, can or jar, etc.
For some clays, you’ll want to cover them with waxed paper or something to keep from dirtying up your rod.
For making EVEN sheets of clay, put a strip of wood board or something else** on either side of the clay slab (in other words, 2 strips of the exact same height).
Then lay your rod/jar/whatever on top of the clay and also the "guide rails," and roll over everything till the whole sheet is the same thickness as those guide rails.
**instead of boards, you can just use any 2 things of the same height, and also of the exact height you want the thickness of your clay sheet to be… that could be 2 magazines (or 4 or 6 so they’re stacked for more height), or playing cards taped together to make blocks, or plasic CD containers, etc., etc.
Check this page at my site for more on making "sheets" of clay using the guide rails method, or using a pasta machine if you have one and it’s dedicated to clay use:
http://glassattic.com/polymer/pastamachines.htm
…for the guide rails info, click on the category called:
NO PASTA MACHINE? –OTHER WAYS
HTH,
Diane B.
References :