question about baking

EvilNinjaChris · 05-08-2006, 09:31 PM

...

Tommy Allison · 05-08-2006, 09:44 PM

I like to bake cookies for 8 to 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Depending on whether they are Toll House, or the regular kind.

Now when it comes to let's say a Beef Roast, I like to let that thing go for at least 3 hours, longer if there's carrots and or potatoes.

Super Sculpey, is the same way. The thicker the piece, the longer you go. I typically bake mine at 275 for about half an hour. Even at its thickest, it should bake all the way through without cracking. Now, when cooling your piece, it's best to shut off the heat, and prop open the oven door about an inch. Let the heat dissapate, and cool down to room temperature.

But seriously, when it comes to baking bread, 350 degrees for about 35 minutes for two loaves of home made bread. Awesome....

EvilNinjaChris · 05-08-2006, 09:50 PM

...

Tommy Allison · 05-09-2006, 03:39 AM

I made a batch of pesto the other day. It was awesome on the fresh bread the wife made.

sculptguy · 05-09-2006, 04:18 AM

Here's Hoping Sculpey Developes A " Clay Thermometer" Much Like The Butterball Turkey Thermometer That Pops When It's Fully Baked

William Paquet · 05-09-2006, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EvilNinjaChris

how do you know when the sculpey is totally completely baked? with different thicknesses in certain parts, the time must vary right? I usually bake my sculpts at 170f or lower and keep it in until it doesn't feel kind of "rubbery?" at all. but, I never know that it is totally fully baked. also, I am aware that you can singe the sculpey at higher temps, but can you over bake it if the temp is that low? I'm just curious...I haven't had any problems so far, but I like to have the piece of mind knowing its the right time to take it out of the oven. thanks in advance

I always bake the finished work for several hours. If the sculpt has some very thick areas that haven't been beefed up with foil or previously baked blocks of clay even longer.

This works for me-

225 degrees for three hours, turn the oven down to the minimum- 170 degrees on most ovens, bake for another three hours, shut the oven off and leave the sculpt to cool overnight.

You want a higher temp for initial baking to properly cure the clay, and you want the reduced temp over an extended period to allow the core of the mass to gradually cool which reduces the chance of cracking.

A poorly baked sculpt will be weak and prone to breaking and chipping. Sometimes when I bake in stages areas of the sculpt will get very dark. The darker the clay, the harder it is.

Here's a sample-

Notice the head color. It may not look like it if you've never baked a long time, but that's the same sculpey as the rest of the figure. When it get's to that color the material is very strong and will take quite a bit of abuse before damage can occur.

Also, the clay when hot or warm is always "rubbery". In fact heat is a great asset when cutting a sculpt into separate components. When I need to remove arms, like on this piece, I use a heat gun to warm the areas. The sculpey softens, and I use an exacto to make the cuts. If you've assembled a vinyl garage kit, the technique is similar to heating vinyl before cutting the parts.

EvilNinjaChris · 05-09-2006, 01:08 PM

...

William Paquet · 05-09-2006, 01:58 PM

As long as you keep the temp at the proper level, the sculpt should never burn.

There's an old addage that carpenter's go by- "measure twice, cut once". When baking your sculpture, and it's time to turn the oven off, turn it off, then check the setting again. Many years ago I had a finished sculpt in the oven...I baked it, and turned off the oven...or so I thought. I had actually turned the oven to "broil".

An hour or so later I smelled the smell that will make a grown man cry(no dirty jokes please), the odor of burining sculpey is unmistakeable. Anyway, the work was ruined. It was supposed to be a figure of Superman, but it looked like like the elephant man.

Turn the oven off, check to make sure you did it right, and you can save yourself some heartbreak.

EvilNinjaChris · 05-09-2006, 02:17 PM

...

William Paquet · 05-09-2006, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EvilNinjaChris

.so is that how people series bake things as well? I have heard that you only partially bake then use vaseline and add more then bake again. can you fully bake a sculpt and add more and bake again?

There is no real limit as to how many times you can re-bake a sculpture. I have projects that went through dozens of rounds in the oven before all was said and done. Eventually the sculpt will turn almost black if baked enough, but the integrity of the material and the scultpure itself will survive.

Yes, Vaseline on baked sculpey makes soft sculpey stick.