The Best Cold Porcelain Clay Recipe
Cold Porcelain Clay :
Cold porcelain clay was very commonly made in India by mixing corn starch and white glue in a proportion of 1:1/2 and just kneaded into a dough.
In Dubai and the Middle East we used to get a powder specially sold for making cold porcelain flowers known as "ceramic powder" and the cold porcelain flowers known as ceramic flowers. I intended to get a lab testing to find out what the ceramic powder was but never managed to do it. I guess it should be some kind of starch.
In Latin America and other places when you search over the net you find tons of recipes, and they almost all work well unless if you haven't got the right paste.
The clay is made with just a few ingredients found in the kitchen like cornstarch, glue, oil & preservatives which is then cooked on the stove or either the microwave and kneaded well to a smooth clay. Commercial pastes are available but I don't find them any different from what I have been making except that the commercial brands are far harder than the home made one.
You can color the paste with almost any kind of coloring medium and can be painted with oils or acrylics.
The projects you make must be sprayed with a layer or two of varnish to seal the colors and the make them more protective against moisture and water, since the paste is water based it looses its shape in contact with moisture.
Choosing The Ingredients
Glue
The glue, one of the main ingredients of the recipe, must necessarily be high tack, white wood glue, Elmer's school glue or PVA glue.
Lemon
Some recipes for recommend the use of formalin as a preservative. This product, beyond being of difficult acquisition, causes damages to the skin and the health and is highly toxic. This recipe substitutes lemon juice (or you could use citric acid if you are out of lemon). Both are easily found and safe to the health. Both are helpful to conserve the work after it is dry.
Cream
Used only at the moment of kneading the paste and only 1 Tablespoon. It must not be greasy. The commonly used brands are Nivea & Ponds, which are found easily in stores selling cosmetics such as pharmacies or supermarkets.
The Recipe:
Ingredients :
2 cups (0.47 l) of Corn Starch
2 cups (0.47 l) of Elmer's Glue or wood glue (should be white)
1 Tbsp. of lemon juice (it acts as conservative) or 1 tsp of citric acid
2 Tbsp. baby oil (you could use any oil be it mineral, cooking, baby or even Vaseline petroleum jelly will work)
1 Tbsp. of white liquid tempera paint
1 Tbsp. of cold cream (non-greasy, without lanolin and silicone, I use Nivea or Ponds) Glass bowl (microwave compatible) Wooden spoon
Directions:
Mix all the ingredients in the bowl, excluding the cold cream, which is used for kneading the paste. I use a hand mixer to mix as it removes all the lumps and is a very smooth mixture.
Place the bowl in the microwave and cook it during 3 minutes on maximum power. Open the oven on each minute and mix the paste with the wood spoon, so that it cooks all around equally. Variations in the electric stove, differences in the size of the cups used as measured and the different models of microwaves can modify the cooking time of the paste. Therefore, it is essential that you observe it minute by minute. If necessary, monitor it every 30 seconds for the last minute, always moving to each last minute.
As soon as the paste will be cooked, spread only 1 Tablespoon, as it indicates the recipe, on a marble or kitchen counter top surface and place the paste, still hot. The hotter the paste when kneaded, better the results.
Knead the paste for some minutes; say about 5-7 minutes. The trick, the more you to knead, better it will be to work.
Wrap the clay in a sealed zip lock bag. A plastic film/kitchen Wrap/cling film can be used to prevent it from drying up. (I use a plastic bag lightly greased with the hand cream).
The Best Cold Porcelain Air dry clay for making flowers, jewelry, charms, sculptures and more.
How To Make Your Own Cold Porcelain Clay
Essential tips
- The secret of a good texture is in kneading the paste while it is still hot, using only the amount of cream indicated in the recipe: 1 Tablespoon. - The paste can be used as soon as it is completely cold. (With my experience the best resulting clay is after it is left for 24 hours to mature)
- While working, keep all the paste that is not needed covering in a plastic bag or cling film, so that it does not dry up.
- Color only the amount of paste needed. Color paste does not keep for long.
Very important: If you work with children, do not let them place the paste in the mouth or swallow it. The glue used has a low degree of toxicity but it should not be ingested.
FAQ On Cold Porcelain Clay
1. Any white glue can be used in the recipe? Elmer's (U.S.A.), Aleene's high tack or white PVA glue.
2. Why is my paste hard (or soft) and excessively difficult to work with?
The cold porcelain clay, when passes the point beyond hardening, is rubberized. When it has not reached the point, it is soft and sticky.
So that this does not happen, one should observe every minute to estimate the time it will have to be in the microwave.
The point clearly to start to knead is when, if you raise the paste within the bowl, still a little glue in the bottom exists, with the appearance of a cream. Remove everything from the bowl (also this cream), place on the greased smooth surface with a little non-greasy cream for hands and add the remaining (until completing a tablespoon) as you knead. When you are done kneading, the paste will be soft. Pack it in a plastic bag immediately.
3. I wrapped the hot Cold Porcelain clay in the plastic bag & it had condensation in bag. What must I do?
We must dry the Cold porcelain paste with clean cloth as many times this happens.
4. Can I keep the CP paste in the refrigerator or freeze it?
The paste, if well stored in a closed plastic bag, will stay for a long time. In some regions where the climate or the temperature will be very hot, it is advised to place it in the refrigerator. This paste can be frozen indefinitely. Just thaw it for 24 hours before use.
5. What should I do when the ready clay creates a layer of mold?
The paste is with mold when an extreme amount of cream is used and clean hands are not used. To avoid this, always use the indicated amount of cream and make sure you have very clean hands when you start working with cold porcelain. If the climate of the region you are in is very hot, the clay can be stored in the refrigerator.
6. How long will the clay stay for?
The well packed clay in air-tight closed plastic bag lasts for 30 to 45 days.
7. When my clay is hard, can I improve it?
You can improve it by mixing the hard paste with the new softest one that you make. It can be wrapped up it in a plate with a cloth and steam it with water and it will come back to the normal state. Knead it again, and wrap it up in the plastic bag.
8. What colors can be used to dye the paste?
Gel food colors oil paints, acrylics, poster paints, fabric paints, tempera paints, chalk pastels, any kind of color medium would work. But only color the paste when you need it. Use very little amounts at first, till you achieve the color you want as the color darkens once your work is dried.
9. How long does it take for a finished project to dry?
The drying depends on the thickness of your project. The flowers would dry in 5 - 6 hours & larger projects would take 24 hours to 3, 4 days to dry completely.
Conclusion Cold Porcelain clay can be made with just a few ingredients found in the kitchen. You can make your own clay jewelry, flowers with our specially designed clay cutters & flower cutters Which doesn't need baking. Which doesn't need any baking.
Like flowers made out of cold porcelain clay
Cheers & Happy Crafting!