Shake the bottle before using. Because there are so many “ingredients” in the polyglaze, it will separate while sitting. A few shakes will reblend it and give you some air bubbles to deal with, but they are easy to get rid of. Don’t shake too vigorously to avoid overdoing the air bubble thing and producing a foam which will have to settle out before you can load your brush properly.
How much do I need?
A little polyglaze goes a long way. Use it straight from the bottle or pour about a half teaspoon into a small container.
Does it go on before or after baking the clay?
Apply to polymer clay after baking.
How do I use it?
Lay the piece to be glazed on a styrofoam plate or waxed paper because you want to paint sloppy, and the glaze will run over the edge of the piece.
Use a soft, wet brush to “smoosh” the paint over the surface of the clay, making sure to coax it into all the depressions and crevices in the piece. Break up any air bubbles with the tip of your brush or by lifting the piece about an inch off the surface and dropping it a couple of times. If you wish to smooth out or lighten the color, dip your brush in clear water and “smoosh” over the surface again.
How long does it take to dry?
Polyglaze air dries slowly to a beautiful matte finish. If it can be set outside in the sun, it will dry in less than a half hour, but indoors in humid environments, it can take several hours. Don’t use a hair dryer or heat gun to speed drying. The best and smoothest results come from letting the glaze settle as it dries on its own because the nature of a glaze is to suspend the color over the surface in a kind of film. A hair dryer or heat gun will move the pigment particles around resulting in uneven color.
The PolyGlaze is dry when there is no sheen left - even in the crevices. Polyglaze needs no overcoat or sealing, because it dries waterproof and permanent.
What If I Want It Shiny?
You can clear emboss over dried polyclay. You can also use an acrylic gloss varnish (not acrylic gloss medium because it will dry tacky over polymer clay). The varnish may also dry with a little tack which can be overcome with a final coat of Future Acrylic Floor Wax. You may use just Future for your gloss finish, but you will need several coats to build up an even gloss.
Is PolyGlaze toxic?
No, but don’t drink it or anything. There are no fumes and PolyGlaze is watersoluble and very easy to clean up.
What if I make a mistake?
PolyGlaze remains washable with plain water until it is dry. If you don’t like your results, rinse them off and start over.
I’ve been mixing colors and I’m sure not getting what I learned in kindergarten - what gives?
Part of the fun and magic of our PolyGlaze is that it mixes in very interesting ways (perhaps it is confused by all its ingredients?). For example, you can mix equal parts of Morning Mauve and Blue Corn Mist and get a lovely violet, which make sense, but when you mix that violet with Adobe Dust, you get a wonderful range of taupe and cream colors. Try everything and you will be fascinated by some of the very unusual colors that result.
Are you going to release any bright colors? These are all pretty muted.
Our PolyGlaze was intended to emulate porcelain - for sort of a cameo look. We’ve never seen a bright colored cameo and don’t know if we want to! But we have heard this question more than once, so we are thinking about it.
Some of the ingredients in the mix (like finely ground marble) preclude ever having a crystal clear base, so we can’t offer true brights. However, we are working on a set that would be less muted.
Can I mix this with anything besides water?
Meanwhile, you can tint your polyglaze as long as you stay within certain boundaries.The color must be absolutely transparent and water soluble - like watercolors and silk dyes, and you must add no more than one drop per half teaspoon or you will destroy the glaze’s ability to suspend the color.
DO NOT add alcohol-based dyes (Tria, dye reinkers or Pinata) or acrylics. Acrylics will change the whole look of the glaze in undesirable ways, and alcohol-based dyes will destroy its integrity, and turn it into what Cool Whip looks like if you let it melt. Trust me - you don’t want to go there.
Come on - where does this stuff really come from?
My kitchen blender - and I’m not kidding.
For some awesome projects using our High Desert PolyGlazes, see these articles in Now What?