Have you ever used a food processor for conditioning?

[Former_Member]

I'd like a little advice please :) I love using polymer clay, but I HATE conditioning it first. I don't have a pasta machine, so I do it all by hand. It takes forever and really hurts after a while.

I've been looking about on the internet and found that a lot of people use mini food processors to condition their clay. Before I dive head first into buying a mini food processor, I wanted to ask here if anyone has used one before? Was it as good as conditioning clay by hand? And any tips on features of food processors or specific brands to look for or avoid?

Thanks!

Sophie

[BlueTurtleCrafts]

I have. I only use it for the really hard stuff. I mostly use my pasta machine for regular conditioning.

The weird thing about the food processor is that it chops the clay up into little balls so you have to work it back together. I chop up the hard-ish clay into small chunks and then throw it in with in some softener (mold maker) and hit the button. Once they are chopped up I pour them out and squish them together and then I run them thru the pasta machine a few times to get them back together. It really does help but I don't think I'd want to do the squishing-back-together part by hand :)

I got mine at Penneys or Sears, it's just a little one maybe a 2 cup size.

Honestly, I would find a coupon for Michaels or Joanne and get yourself a cheapie pasta/clay machine from them. You won't regret it.

[Former_Member]

I bought a full sized food processor at Walmart for only $25. I don't use it for everything. Mainly when I need large batches of clay conditioned, like the color used for my snowmen. I also find it excellent for when I need to mix large batches of a color. Like the flesh color I use on my figurines. That is a special mix of 3 different colors in differing quantities. I dump all 3 colors in the processor and pulse until I have lots of little clay balls about the size of tapioca pearls. I get a nice even blending. The processing also warms the clay making it very pliable and easy to condition.

Another option to try - I have a long necked lamp that clamps to my work surface. I will cut my block of clay into 1/8 inch strips. Spread them on a ceramic tile and pull the lamp down to a couple of inches above it. After a couple of minutes the heat from the light has softened the clay making it very easy to condition. You definitely have to keep an eye on it and check it every couple of minutes. I forgot about it. Got up an went to the bathroom, got something to drink, got side stracked by something else, you know what I mean. Got back and the clay had started baking. But it seems that approx 5 minutes is perfect.

The only real con to the food processor would be having to clean it between colors. Since I really only use it for blending / conditioning large amounts of clay I only have to deal with one clean up at a time. That part is pretty easy though. After removing all clay from the bowl I pour about 1-2 TBSP of alcohol into the bowl. I use a cheap stiff bristled paint brush and swipe it around to loosen all clay residue. The brush is handy for getting into the crease of the bowl. The alcohol will look cloudy / dirty. Dump out the alcohol. I use dried up hand wipes or papertowels to soak up the liquid. Add 1 TBSP fresh alcohol and wipe around the inside with a cotton make up removing pad.

[Former_Member]

I agree about investing in a pasta machine when you can. However, I didn't have much luck with the inexpensive ones at Michael's. I don't know if you have Bed, Bath and Beyond stores by you, but they have a made for 'real pasta' pasta machine for approximately $35 and they quite often send coupons in the mail for 25% or so off. I am on my 2nd BBB pasta machine since 2004 but went thru 3 machines from Michael's within the same number of months. However, in defense of the less expensive machines, I am impatient and tend to make the machine do all the conditioning by running it thru the machine before it is really soft enough to do so.

[Former_Member]

Thanks for your responses! I'm actually in the UK, so we don't have Michael's or Bed, Bath and Beyond, but thanks for all your advice about that anyway :) I'll definitely look into getting a pasta machine :)