Polymer clay baked on glass

[recreations4u]

Hi,
I am a new member to this forum and reading through the posts has been most informative.

I am presently working  with designs formed from Sculpy III
and am baking them onto glass pieces. I find that the clay is brittle after baking and tends to crack. Also I am just placing the clay onto the glass pieces without using anything to "glue" them to the glass. Will there be a good bond after baking or is it better to use a liquid clay to glue the pieces together  (clay to glass) before baking? In some of the posts I gather that using femo or premo will give me a more flexible finished product that will not be as brittle as sculpy III. Will this bond to glass with/without "gluing" before baking? Thanks to all who might have any thoughts on this.

[Luann Udell]

I'm not familiar with Sculpey III, but yes, the other Sculpey versions are extremely brittle.  I only use Fimo and Premo.

I'm not an expert about using polymer clay to cover glass objects, but I do know a little...

Polymer clay will not bond to glass.  You can use a mechanical bond by making the polymer wrap around the glass--for example, if you were covering a jar, you could fold the edges of the polymer sheet up and over the lip of the jar.

Or you can form it around the glass, remove it after baking and then glue it back on (I think Sobo brand is the one most recommended.)  If your object is shaped (like an urn with a shape that bulges out and then curves in, you want to make sure you can remove the polymer clay in one piece--or you'll have to cut it off!

You can reference informative sites like Glass Attic or Polymer Clay Central for more specific instructions on using polymer clay to cover glass objects.

Hope this helps you get started,
Luann

[Nicole]

I don't really have much to add to Luann's comments, except to say, make sure your clay is conditioned.  It can also get brittle and crack after baking if it has not been conditioned enough.

I have baked clay on glass using the "mechanical bond" method Luann describes with great results.

You may want to experiment with the other clay brands as well.

Best wishes!
Nicole

You can also try covering the glass object with a thin coat of Sobo, letting it dry and then covering with polymer.

Sculpey 3 is notoriously brittle.  It is good for some applications, but if you need strength or flexibility, Premo, Fimo or Kato clays are all better performers.

Judy
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