Trouble conditioning Cernit

by jennie
(Lancaster, PA)

I notice that you say Cernit is easy to condition and can be conditioned by hand. This hasn't been my experience at all. My Cernit crumbles and takes a tremendous amount of elbow grease to become workable.

Is it possible I got a bad batch, or clay that hadn't been stored properly? This is the first time I've worked with it, but I ordered a variety of colors and am finding the same problem with each package I open.

Thank you.

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Trouble conditioning Cernit

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May 10, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar		 Blue spots on clay
by: Anne Cecilie

Hi Jennie,
I don't think the spots on your clay are because it is burned. Burned clay turns yellow. Do you cure them in a new stove or toaster? Sometimes residue of oils and other stuff from new ovens can discolor the clay as well. It may be lint. Did you wear something blue when you made it, or have some blue textile in the room where you work? Or did you condition blue clay before you conditioned the clay?

I must admit that I never have gotten any blue spots on my clay, so I am not sure what causes this.
Try these steps to see if that helps:
Clean your pasta machine with a baby wipe and some tissue paper. Then run some light scrap clay through it before you condition the clay you want to use.
Wipe the surface of the beads with a baby wipe before you cure it. This will remover lint, discoloration of the surface from working with the clay and finger prints.
Then cover it with aluminum foil when you cure it.

If you still have blue spots, check if you can sand them off the piece. If you can it is only on the surface, and it is likely that it is some kind of pollution of the surface, perhaps due to the things I mentioned above.

I am sorry that I cannot be of more help to you about this problem. I hope you find a solution. Do not get discouraged, every problem has an answer, we just have to find it. I will keep my eyes and ears open to others having the same problem and hopefully someone has the answer.

Anne Cecilie
May 09, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar		 small blue spots on cured clay
by: jennie

Anne,

Thanks for the tips. It turns out my toaster oven was dying. That will teach me for not getting out my oven thermometer sooner to check the temperature. Now that I have that issue cleared up, the strength and flexibility of the cured clay has been good.

I am now getting very small blue marks on the clay when it comes out of the oven. It looks like little pieces of lint, but they are definitely blue. I know this is not on the clay before baking because I inspect the pieces carefully. I thought these might be burn spots, so today I tried tenting with aluminum foil and lowering the temperature slightly, but it did not prevent these spots from forming. Do you have any idea what's causing this?

Thanks once again.
-Jennie
May 06, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar		 Cernit that break when thin
by: Anne Cecilie

Hi again Jennie,
I am so glad that you got some good and soft Cernit this time. It really is a nice clay. The reason the clay breaks when thin can have it's cause in the baking temperature and the time the clay is cured. Cernit is supposed to be one of the strongest and most flexible clays when cured.

Try to cure the pieces for 30 minutes instead of 15. You can also try to raise the temperature slightly from 130 C to 140 C and leave it for 30 minutes. You can actually cure the clay for as long as you like, as long as it is cured for the time stated on the pack, meaning that you cannot shorten the baking, but you can prolong it. I would try to cure it longer prior to raising the temperature. Some stoves are not consistent in temperature, and you may end up burning it or yellowing it.
Cured clay may also be more bendable the first hours after curing. Leave it for 24 hrs and it may have set to be firmer. It will still be a bit flexible, but shouldn't break easily.

I often mix Cernit with Fimo soft, so that is of course another solution.

There is sadly no rule on how thin you can go when you deal with polymer clay, and that is a challenge. I have found that the thinnest I dare go is to where I can punch the clay with a paper puncher, but some pieces still break if put under stress. Thin pieces should therefor not be used with for instance jewelry that is frequently used. If you make mosaic tiles on the other hand, they are supported onto a surface, and you can go very thin. I hope you find the right solution for your projects. Keep on experimenting until you have found the limit of the clay for the purpose you want. I wish you good luck and all the best!

Anne Cecilie
May 05, 2011
Rating
starstarstarstarstar		 any tips for baking Cernit?
by: jennie

Anne, you were right! I just received another order of Cernit. It's much easier to condition, and a lot softer and nice to work with once conditioned. I am having trouble now with the strength of it. I baked some rather thin pieces, just to test it out, and they break very easily. I'm going to try various times and temps, but if you have any baking tips that would help minimize the trial and error, that would be great.
Thanks.

Jennie
May 01, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar		 Thank you
by: jennie

Anne, thank you so much! That is very encouraging. I love the end results I've been getting with Cernit so it's good to know the conditioning shouldn't always be so exhausting. My plan is to order from a site that specializes in clay supplies next time rather than a large arts and crafts supplier. It seems like there's a better chance they would have handled and stored it properly.

Thanks again! :)
-Jennie
May 01, 2011
Rating
starstarstarstarstar		 Crubmling Cernit
by: Anne Cecilie

Hi Jennie,
Yes, I believe that the clay you got must have been either stored wrong or has been exposed to heat during shipping. Polymer clay starts the curing process at very low temperatures and result in dry and crumbling clay. It is very frustrating when that happens, and it is very difficult to get it workable. Sometimes it is not possible to make it soft at all, and all you can do is to throw it away.

Sadly many suppliers of polymer clay are not aware of this, and store their clay at too high temperatures or exposed to sunlight. If possible you should contact your supplier and ask for a refund and make them aware of that they sell damaged clay. If they are not ok with this, find another supplier. If you order on internet, try to find a supplier that deals only with polymer clay products. The chances are that they know how to store and handle the clay better than a supplier with a broader specter of hobby products.

Cernit is very soft clay, which is easy to condition and should not crumble or be hard to work with, so it is very sad that you had this bad experience with it the first time. Don't be discouraged, the clay is good if you find a supplier that treats it right. I wish you good luck!

All the best!

Anne Cecilie

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