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I'm a complete newbie to this forum, and I've never worked with clay. I received a "DAS modelling material", white, air hardening. It barely has any info on the pack, not more than what I've just told you.
Can I use it to make a/a couple flower pots? Would it be resistant enough? It there a (bad) chance of it being toxic to plants? Do I have to bake it to have it harden faster and to make it more resistant?
Thank you for any advice you have for me!
Alexandra
I think what you have is what I used to use to sculpt with. It is produced in Europe and is much like paper mache' with kaolin clay mixed in. Because it is water based, it will shrink as it hardens and is not suitable to speed up the process in the oven. It will dry faster on the outside and therefore crack. For the same reason of shrinkage, one can not use a large mass armature. It will not be waterproof without using extensive sealers and would absorb moisture from the soil if used for planters. As far as I know, it is not toxic.
It does work wonderfully for making small ornaments and such and holds details well. It will dry fairly lightweight and be very durable. It takes paint well.
A more durable and water resistant clay would be sculpey which is baked in the oven and comes in several formulas including an inexpensive basic white and many colors. SOme of the formulas are flexable and some like pencil erasers. I use super sculpey and sculpey III for sculpting figurines like the one shown. I used to do the same thig with Das Plas, but it took a lot longer!
Jylgaskin,
Thanks for the suggestion. But I am absolutely clueless about any clay modeling, so it would be my greatest challenge of all times to make something as precious as your little fairy!
I thought about pots (modeled by hand) as they might not require too much skill. Being porous and letting it breathe would not be my major concern. What I am worried about is that some component in that clay being toxic to the roots, and the possibility of it "dissolving" in frequent contact with water and not being durable.
I also thought of making tiny (about 1/2in diameter) clay balls, to use them for orchid potting. This would really not require any skill, and for this purpose, I would really want them to be porous. But the orchid roots would be in closer contact to the clay balls, so the toxic thingy becomes a stronger issue.
Thanks again for taking your time to answer. Maybe sometime in the future I'll tackle the modeling as a hobby.
Hugs,
Alexandra
