Materials what I've learned so far about polymer clays

I've been trying out different polymer clays for comparison.

I've tried

super sculpey firm

Premo accents

Fimo

Kato poly

So far I like fimo the best

Super sculpey firm is pretty good and It keeps it's word to keep the fine details. It feels and sculpts like regular mud clay. I liked it but I still prefer fimo.

Kato poly I do not recommend. It will not hold fine lines and is very difficult to manage. It also smells like vinyl. You also bake it at a much higher temperature and it looses integrity when you remove it from the core. Aka looses shape.

Premo I didn't care for it, As it feels very spongy or at least the pack I bought did. It reminded me of wax. So if you like wax you may want to try permo accents.

and fimo I'm bias towards because I have the most experience with it. Different colors can have different softness's though which is annoying but doesn't stop me. Fimo classic is harder than what is prodominately sold in Micheals which is fimo soft.

Draw backs fimo cam be expensive. 2.79 per 2 oz.

The super sculpey firm was about 18 dollars for a pound.

I wasn't paying attention to what the premo was but It's marked reasonably.

Kato I had to order online and with shipping it was 8 dollars for 2 oz. I thought I'd give it a try.

I wish I had more but I'm tired and lack the ability to describe clay apparently. I hope this was helpful to some one.

 

Well that's a hard one.

I think it really depends on if you are a subtract er or an adder. I personally am an adder so I like fimo the best. But honestly I think super sculpey firm is more professional and better for some one who does more subtracting. But the best way to find out what works for you is to just try different clays to see what you like. No two artists are the same. Also I've discovered that you can mix clays with different name brands and then just cook them at a lower temp for longer to avoid burning them. I also recently discovered liquid clay which is both very important and useful. It's great for gluing pieces together or softening clay.

I hope that helps, and good luck.

 

the only thing I couldn't get locally was KATO. I didn't have any problems with customs but then I'm the one receiving not sending. Other wise you should be able to find everything at micheals or local art supply store.

 

I really couldn't tell you much about customs. I order most of my items from ebay amazon, and other sites that accept paypal. The cheaper the better. So far I've had no problems with customs. As for a broken doll I suppose that's always a risk but shouldn't happen in most cases. But then it may also depend on where you live. I live in USA and haven't had bad luck ordering things online yet. If your local bjd club has advice I would take it. After all they know what goes on in your area better than I do.