Help with modeling clay project!

[jujubnme]

My 9yo ds just made a sculpture of a feather out of modeling clay for a unit project that is due later this week. I thought what I bought was like Sculpey, which you can bake to harden. I just read the label, and this clay cannot be baked. Is there another way we can get it to harden, like using shellac or something? Anyone have any experience???

[mommylobster]

I don't have any experience but would it work to put a clear plastic jar overtop of it so that it stays in place?

[StumblinMama]

Can you post the name of the product you bought?

[Starfox]

If it's the kind of clay that doesn't dry out, I don't think you can put anything on it to make it harden. If you put shellac on it, it would still be wet underneath and probably crack the shellac or make it cloudy (and still not dry)

Hmm..:think Yes, what is the brand?

[jujubnme]

Can you post the name of the product you bought?

Van Aken Modeling Clay. From the back label: "Van Aken Modeling Clay is a pigmented oil base modeling compound renowned for its smooth consistency and brilliant color range. It is self adhering, non-toxic, never hardens, permanently pliable. Compatible with silicon mold compounds. Contains no sulfur. Melting point 150f. PLEASE NOTE: Will not harden in oven. Do not bake. Modeling clays contain pigments that may stain cloth and some surfaces."

[Starfox]

If it's oil based it will never dry, and if you put something over it it will crack the something. It's like painting acrylic over oil paint. It just doesn't work. Stinko! Can he remake it with sculpty or that crayola stuff?

[klpmommy]

Can she put it on a hard surface, like maybe a piece of balsa wood? It won't dry out, but it could be transported that way.

[jujubnme]

Drat! :think He made it on parchment paper so we could just stick it in the oven without having to handle it before it dried. :doh Maybe if I just turn it upside down on another piece of parchment paper we can transfer it without distorting it too much. (It's fairly thin.) If not, it only took him about an hour to make, so I guess we could start over with a different clay. Thanks for your insight. I really haven't done much with clay before and didn't read the label before buying this.

[Starfox]

That's good! If he does it again it will give him experience with working with different materials! :yes (former geeky art teacher here! :rockon)

I like the crayola stuff because it's so lightweight, but the sculpty is really nice and has such vivid colors.

[jujubnme]

I've used both Sculpey and Crayola before (very limited---like only a couple times each). I kind of liked the Sculpey, because it doesn't dry out so quickly and you can mess with it until it bakes... and then with a little varnish it looks so finished, ya know? Oh, well, maybe for a feather the unhardened clay will be more realistic... Off to figure out what we can use as a base now.