Making doll accessories with polymer clay

In previous posts, I have described my collection of miniature food, re-ments, and how these forms of miniatures differ from one another. I recently learned that re-ments were what spawned the art of making miniature food using polymer clay.  A variety of tools can be used to apply many types of texture to polymer clay to design amazing details. When baked, these creations become permanent.

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.