Does anyone else have this issue with their polymer clay?

[Former_Member]

Hey fellow polymer artists! I figured that this was the perfect place to ask this question and see if there is anything I could do to prevent this from occurring.

Anyway, I've been wasting so much polymer clay because I notice that little fibers get trapped inside of my clay (especially the lighter colors). Last night, I remade a clay magnet for a client FOUR times because I noticed after it had baked that there were little black fibers trapped inside of it. Does anyone else have this issue and is there any way I could prevent this from happening? Clay could get expensive, and I really hate having to waste it!

Thanks!

[StarfallsAtDusk]

There is no real way to avoid it.
Tips: keep work area clean (I have an air filter running to try to trap fuzz)
before you bake you can CAREFULLY remove lint and smudges with a needle tool or a paintbrush dipped in rubbing alcohol.
If the lint appears after baking I can sometimes scratch it off with a blade, then sand the area to smooth it again.

I hope that helps!

[raneemuArt]

This always happens to me and it is perfectly normal. Make sire to wash your hands really well because most if those fibers come from your clothes and when you touch them they get on your fingers. Also after you bake your clay you could also soak the items in ice cold water. It helps to rid some of the dust/fibers. I hope this helps c:

[Former_Member]

I NEVER wear jeans or a dark shirt when working with clay as that seems to be a guaranteed way to get fibers trapped in the clay. I agree with what has been said above, try to get an fibers out that you can see before baking, and then sand any off afterward. You can always paint over your piece as well, if that's an option.

[Former_Member]

It's so annoying, isn't it? Sometimes I scrape off the parts that have fibers before the clay gets bakes because they just get everywhere.

[Former_Member]

Couple of things I've learned and do now.

*Babywipes - the cheaper the better! Wipes that are meant to be soft on a baby's butt have too many fibers in them. You want really thin and cheap ones like the little alcohol wipe packets you would get in a restaurant.

*Keep some light colored scrap clay within arms reach, If you don't have any, donate some good clay to yourself for the cause. I use that clay to wipe off my work surface, roll it thru the pasta machine before i roll the light colors I'm working with. If there are any left over bits of color my little scrap ball will get them. Also,even the cheap wipes can have or pick up fibers and each time you wipe your hands it will leave fibers. After wiping i roll my scrap clay around in my hand and squish it etc like I am conditioning it before i touch my good clay.

*before baking look at your piece in really bright light. That makes it a little easier to see those nasty bits. You can use a soft paint brush and some hand sanitizing gel. That will also help smooth fingerprints. Also a baby wipe swiped across the surface. If the wipe doesn't 'actually pick it up' it will usually push it all to one location and then you can gently scrape with an exacto knife.

*after baking - you can scrape with an exacto knife or use 3M wet / dry sanding sponges. I used to use just plain wet dry sand 'paper' and hated it. But I have since discovered the sanding 'sponges'! They are wonderful.

Hope this helps.

[Former_Member]

This is realy annoying. I wash my hands all the time,and when i wash them i wait to dry alone,do not wipe them with towel.When i wipe them with towel,then there are a lot of lttle fibers on my hands although towel is white . I separately do dark from white parts.In this way I diminish amount of fibers a lot.

[Former_Member]

This happens to me ALL the time too!
I found that using nail polish remover takes out dust, specks, even little specks of different color clay! Also, if you have a bump or need help smothing something out, it does it too! I don't have too worry about having to wash my hands over and over. I just go with the flow and if my charm gets dirty, I use the nail polish remover and it gets everything out! It even works when the clay is baked! (Accept the smothing part, obviously:)

I hope this helps!
Best,
Ashley :)

[Former_Member]

Thanks so much for all of the good tips, guys! I appreciate it so much.

I tend to wash my hands SO much that I have chapped hands that hurt so badly. I always have wipes by me and hand sanitizing gel too. I'll try to wear lighter colored clothes when working with white clay. I typically wear black and grey, so that could be the culprit of so many dark fibers! Thanks!

[Former_Member]

in praise of the white coat... :)

yes, I've taken to wear a white coat while working, as things can get very messy at my worktable, what with resins, paints, glues and the like, and I must say I wish I'd have thought of it earlier. Not only it is white, but being made of tight-wowen fabric I find it doesn't shed. Also, it actually protects my clothes from spills and other accidents and I love the ritual of putting it on-taking it off to mark the start and end of worktime ;)

(it has pockets, too, which I find very useful to corral and carry items such as my phone+earphones, some tissues, etc without worrying about "losing" them among the tabletop mess)

re: wipes, towels and the like, whenever I wash/wipe my hands, I always finish by a clean paper towel - the ones that come in very big rolls. It helps drying my hands completely in a lint- and fiber-free way.

hope this helps too! And thanks for all the other tips as well :)

[Former_Member]

Oh wow, good point marcella! I was mad that I had to buy a lab coat for one sem, but now I can get my money's worth..plus it makes everything feel ten times more awesome

[Former_Member]

I was going to suggest the white "baker's apron" I use - the kind that has a bib front, but if you have a lab coat that's even better because it means that your sleeves are covered, as well. Wearing old clothes that have been through the dryer a bazillion times also helps, as the loose fibers have gradually been removed and are less likely to contribute fuzz.

I also find that when I'm working with white clay the sooner I finish the item enough to bake it, the better. The longer it's out there in a raw state, it can pick up little stuff that's floating through the air.

[Former_Member]

The lab coat idea is PERFECT! Or a raincoat or something of the sort that wouldn't have any cotton fibers to stray - might look funny but would do the job! It's so hard to avoid. Today I wore light clothes and took out brand new, fresh clay to sculpt and what do you know? Seconds later, fibers in the clay. Ugh! Guess I'll have to try out some more of these options - even if I could lessen the amount, that would be wonderful!

[Former_Member]

I've had this problem a lot too, and there's so much good advice here!
Next time I think I'll try out the nail polish remover method, and baby wipes with sand paper, while using a parchment paper work surface and non-fuzzy light colored clothes.

[ThisLittleKittenShop]

I keep a huge bottle of hand sanitizer gel to use on my hands when handling clay and that has helped lots, and also don't have to keep running to the bathroom to wash.

baby wipes work good for me like everyone here has said. You can also use rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover with a q-tip or cotton pad to gently rub the clay.

baby powder also works well to rub out fingerprints.

check out youtube there are lots of tutorials for cleaning clay.