Joining raw clay to baked clay?

I use polymer clay too mostly super sculpey though. Seeing as how it is polymer clay is petroleum bassed i just put some vaseline on a brush and lightly bush it on the dry parts before applying my uncured clay. vaseline is also good for smoothing the clay so is turpenoid but vaseline isn't quite as toxic. Turpenoid is awesome for smoothing out uncured clay but i'm petrified of the stuff because of the toxic fumes in it.

 

I've never had to join unbaked to baked, but I've heard you can use liquid sculpey as a glue for fresh-to-baked items. It comes in a little bottle and you can find it in most stores that sell sculpey blocks.

I've never heard of the vaseline idea though! That's pretty good, and most likely a lot cheaper than liquid sculpey.

(I hope it's okay to post in threads this old. I couldn't find anything in the FAQ or Forum Rules about that... *newbie*)

 

Depending on how you're joining it and how smooth the baked part is, the polymer might not stick to each other. I use a little dot of super glue between smooth parts, especially for any pieces that's going to stick out(like ears).

You can also use 90% rubbing alcohol to smooth the surface of the uncured clay. it's a little less messy than the vaseline.

 

I work with polimer clays such as Fimo Soft and Fimo Puppen. I use to polish the baked piece with sand paper before adding uncured clay to it. It does the trick for me Sand paper better be relatively rough (80-120 grind) .
Because if the surface of the baked piece is too smooth the clay won't stick to it properly.

 

@ Blackberry sage, yeah i read about that in a book called pop sculpture. It worked out fine for me.

@SarahM, Havent heard of the rubbing alcohol tip i'll definitely have to try that sometime. I dont use a lot of vaseline so it really isn't messy when i use it. I just lightly use a brush to touch the vaseline then use that to shape and sculpt the part.

 

I also use Prosculpt clay. I use liquid Sculpey when adding fresh to raw which I do often as I series bake my sculpts. I use alcohol to clean the clay as it seems to everything in sight.

 

I find that as long as you make sure to press out any air trapped between the cured and the new clay it sticks fine. I work mostly in super sculpey though and since that is slightly translucent it is easy to see any air as light spots trough the new clay.

If you trap air, even very small amounts, not only will you risk the layers separating when baking as the air expands from the heat, but you also get a much weaker end result. It can cause cracking down the line around joints and other places like that, especially since those areas are under a lot of pressure and tend to get worked with a lot.
Polymer clays can be unforgiving like that.