Things You'll Need
Polymer clay
Oven
Gloves
Sandpaper
Buffing wheel
Polymer clay can be used to make jewelry, improve your household decor and mold many art projects. The synthetic clay can be baked, sanded and buffed into a glossy shine, yielding many glass-like characteristics. You need to select the right type of polymer clay and employ the proper techniques to get a glass-like shine. The glassy sheen of many polymer clay pieces will make them stand out.
Step 1
Select the right kind of polymer clay to get that glass-like finish. Premo Sculpey, Fimo Soft, Fimo Classic and Sculpey III are four of the primary types of polymer clay. Premo Sculpey is probably the best for developing a glass-like finish, according to BeadsandBeading.com. It has the highest shine of any of the polymers and is also the strongest.
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Step 2
Avoid putting fingerprints on your clay. No matter what kind of clay you use, your final product will disappoint if there is a noticeable fingerprint on the item. To avoid this, work with firm clay in cool temperatures. Wear gloves and use a light touch when molding the clay with your fingers. Avoid putting a heavy grip on your beads.
Step 3
Bake your polymer clay to maximum hardness. This may involve baking your product for 60 minutes instead of 30 minutes. The harder your product is, the more it will respond to sanding and buffing. Always bake polymer clay at no higher than 300 degrees.
Step 4
Sand and buff your polymer clay product to get a high-gloss finish. Many artists skip the sanding step, but it is one of the most important when putting a high sheen on your product. After sanding, shine the product with a buffing wheel. The buffing wheel can spin as fast as 5,000 revolutions per minute, and this will make your polymer clay shiny and glass-like.
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