Dear Readers,

Welcome to Just Ask. I am here to answer your questions…if I don’t know the answer, I will research it with our team of experts and give you THEIR answers. Email me at: Deb@pcPolyzine.com.

Dear Deb,

I have been "playing with clay" for almost a year and have become quite addicted.  I have some ideas for decorating the OUTSIDE of glasses and bowls, the handles of salad servers, etc. with polymer clay and liquid Sculpey.  Are you aware of any safety issues in this?  Is the clay dishwasher safe-meaning will it hold up over time?  I have run a prototype in my dishwasher, but became concerned about safety since I know that pc should not be used for eating containers.

Thanks, Happy Spillar

Happy—What a great name!

The answer to your question is an easy one…outside, yes- inside, no.

Clayers have tested items in the dishwasher, with mostly positive results.  Your mileage may vary, of course.

Finally, as you probably suspected, the main safety rule is that food shouldn’t touch the clay. If you decorate the outsides of glasses and containers, you should be just fine!  (And well-decorated, too!)

Deb

Hi Deb,

I am new to pcPolyzine and it’s so informative!  I recently read about a reader's problems with the Atlas Pasta Machine and remembered seeing an ad in the Jo-Ann Stores circular (June 8-10,2005) for a "Craft Clay Pasta Machine".  Is there any way you can find out if this machine will have the same problem with oil that most of the "food use" machines seem to have?  Or will all machines have this problem because of the way they are made?

It makes one wonder why they listed it as a Craft Clay pasta machine.

Thanks for any help you can give, Joanne

Welcome to pcPolyzine!  Joanne, unfortunately, there are mixed reviews regarding the Amaco “pasta” machine. Some folks have found that they work great, and others find them lacking. Personally I have seen no oil residue on clay I run through them. Actually, it’s the kids in my classes who use them, and I mean they USE them! I would keep an alcohol swab or baby wipe handy, and wipe off both the roller and the clay. I even run the wipes through the machine. It sure seems to make a difference to me.  As with any new product, if you buy one, and it has such problems that you cannot use it for its intended purpose, get your money back from the store and be sure to notify the manufacturer.

Hopefully Helpful,

Deb

Sometimes I will peel them off the stem and they are rubbery, which is good.  Then some crumble off like chalk.  I use the same baking temperature; have checked the temperature, tried thicker and thinner, etc.  However, I still have the problem.  Any suggestions?

Dee  

Dee, it sounds like you have checked and double-checked all the variables.  I wonder, though, about your conditioning.  If one batch were better conditioned than the other, the results could vary.  If, for instance, you had one color that was very soft, you might be tempted to use it without conditioning.  That would be a mistake.  All clay needs to be conditioned in order to spread the plasticizers throughout the clay.  The crumbling you mentioned - did it come from a color that was softer than the others, right out of the package? 

That would be the first thing I would check.  If you find that solves your problem, Great!  If not, please let us know and I will put the question to our more experienced clayers.

Thanks for the question.

Deb