Clay Softener

There are two types of softeners manufactures especially for polymer clay-- diluent and Mix Quick.

There are two liquid diluents (or "clay softeners") on the market. One is manufactured by Polyform and is called "Sculpey Clay Softener". The other is manufactured by EberhardFaber and is called "Diluent F". 

As the name suggests, clay softener can be used to soften raw clay. As it ages, clay can harden or dry out. This is also an issue if too much plasticizer has been leached from clay. It becomes dry and crumbly. Adding diluent a drop at a time and working it in often rejuvenates previously unworkable clay. Go slowly, though, because adding too much softener can leave you with mushy clay. Use this knowledge to your advantage if you ever need "polymer clay grout" for mosaic work or backfilling carved clay. Simply keep adding diluent until the clay is the desired consistency. And if you ever do over-do it, you can always leach some of the stickiness out of the clay by pressing it between sheets of paper with a heavy book for a weight.

Diluent (pronounced "DILL-you-went") can also be used as glue for polymer clay or to thin liquid clay. Some people even use it to smooth raw clay during sculpting.

Be careful not to get diluent on stiff plastics, such as eyeglass lenses and frames. It can cause some types of plastic to melt.

Look for diluent in the polymer clay aisle of your local arts and crafts supply store or on-line.

This product from the makers of Fimo is a whitish-colored, somewhat translucent, solid bar of "clay". It is most commonly used to soften hard or crumbly clay. Mixing a little in with regular polymer clay can ease the conditioning process. It can also be used to extend deeply saturated colors. Mixing one part Mix Quick to five parts polymer clay should not change the colors. Some people report using an even higher proportion of Mix Quick, but the resulting mixture may be somewhat lighter than the original color. Mix Quick can also be useful when working with inclusions that might make regular clay too dry and crumbly.

Look for Mix Quick in arts and crafts supplies stores near the polymer clay. If you can't find it locally, it can be ordered on-line.

Liquid polymer clay can be used to soften solid clay.  Add a drop or two at a time until the clay is sufficiently softened.  Uncolored liquid clay is perhaps preferable, as it can be used with any solid clay without affecting its color, but tinted liquid clay can also be used.  Just be advised that it may slightly affect the color of your softened solid clay.  Often, such a small amount of liquid clay is required that it may not make a significant difference in coloration. 

Liquid clay is stocked alongside solid polymer clay in craft stores; it's also available online.  

Though not manufactured for the purpose, clear, odorless mineral oil can be mixed into dry polymer clay to return it to a softer state.  Like diluent, it is a liquid.  Use it in the same way as you would diluent, mixing in a drop or two at a time until the clay has softened. 

Some clayers express concern that using mineral oil might potentially lessen the durability of the clay when cured, but others have used mineral oil for years without trouble.  

Mineral oil is stocked in the pharmacy department of most stores.