Air drying Clay

Air Drying clay hardens and cures at normal room temperature.

Types of Clay:

Ceramic clay – These are clays that require a kiln to cure. These include earthenware, stoneware, ceramic, and porcelain.

Air dry clay – Most air dry clays are non-toxic and do not require any special tools or a kiln.

Epoxy clay – A type of air dry clay consisting of 2 separate parts that are mixed together. The resulting chemical reaction hardens the clay.

Properties :

Air dry clay does not need to be heated, unlike traditional clays that need to fired in a kiln at a high temperature, or polymer clays that need to be heated in an oven to cure.

It can take up to a week for air dry clay to dry completely. The exact time will depend on the thickness of the item and room temperature.

While ceramic clay is strong, it's also inflexible and has a tendency to shatter when dropped. Air dry clay dries to the consistency of a soft wood. It's more likely to dent or chip rather than break apart.

You can easily make air dry clay at home using ingredients such as PVA glue, corn starch and baking soda. Food colouring can be added to colour.

Applications:

Used for craft model making.

Air-dry clays must be sealed after drying or they won’t be waterproof. You can seal with acrylic gloss medium, Liquid epoxy resin or a mix of equal parts PVA glue and water

Shrink a little during the drying process. Air dry clay is not food safe unlike regular clay which can be made food safe with food safe glaze

Air dry clays are water-based. Unlike epoxy clay or cold porcelain, the surface is porous.

Use a primer like Gesso. This will stop the paint being soaked up and help you apply paint in a more uniform way. Can be painted with Acrylic paints.

Material Handling:

If sealing with epoxy resin work in a well ventilated area and use a respirator.

Protective Equipment:

respirator when using epoxy resin to seal.

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