When browsing on Etsy, I always marveled at the different types of miniature items that were shown. The different food textures and amount of details were impressive. At first I wondered if these pictures were accurate portrayals of what I would receive if I decided to purchase them. How could such small items be created? I was delightfully amazed when I discovered that what I had seen was what I actually got.
I have viewed YouTube videos that
demonstrated how to make different items with polymer clay. These included miniature
candy, fast food, and drink items. It was surprising to learn that textures could
be created using simple tools such as a toothbrush.
I recently did some research on how polymer
clay works. I thought I would share what I learned here, as it is the basis of
many doll accessories.
Polymer clay is a
type of hardenable modeling clay. This is how it is created: a liquid, called a plasticizer, is added to dry particles called polyvinyl chloride resin
(you will likely be familiar with the term PVC) until it achieves gel-like
working properties.
Why do
plasticizers make polymer clay soft? It has to do with how plasticizer molecules
interact with PVC molecules. Think of the PVC molecules as a group of
friends going on a holiday cruise. In its rigid form, the attractive forces
between the molecules bring them closer to one another so they behave like a
clique. They want to stick with one another and do the same things all the
time. They are inflexible. Plasticizer behave like the activity directors on
the cruise. The plasticizer molecules fit in between the PVC molecules and
weaken the forces bonding them together. They encourage the PVC molecules to
try new things and be more flexible. It is in this flexible, adventurous form
that we can have fun with polymer clay. We can now play with this sociable
group of molecules and shape this substance to create doll accessories.
Once we have
finished forming the polymer clay into the miniature item we want it to be, we
heat it to make it a permanent item. When you heat polymer clay, the number of
plasticizer molecules is reduced so that the PVC molecules can once again move
closer to one another due to the forces of attraction between them. We can view
this as the end of the holiday cruise. The fun has ended and it is mostly the
original group of PVC molecules that leave with one another. However, their
experiences during their holiday has forever changed them and they are now in a
different form then before they started their holiday adventure.
I hope you have
enjoyed learning a bit about the science behind polymer clay. While we are
creating art, it seems that science is also at play.
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