Plastic wraps and bags used for food storage can also be used with polymer clay.
Before you use a particular brand or type of plastic with lots of clay, it's wise to test the plastic with a scrap of clay. If there are no visible problems after a day, the plastic should be fine for use with clay.
Below are some common uses of plastic wrap and bags:
- Clay storage- Whether you're storing whole blocks of raw clay, canes, or sheets of uncured clay, covering them in plastic wrap is one alternative. Plastic sandwich bags (or quart- or gallon-size bags, if you buy clay by the pound) work well for keeping blocks of different colors of clay separate. The ones with zippers or Ziploc are particularly handy for preventing cross-contamination.
- Clay protection- Because polymer clay doesn't dry out, it can be left out for days or weeks with no adverse effects-almost. Unfortunately, polymer clay seems to attract dust, lint, and pet hair, which can lead to quite a mess. So when you're finished claying for the day, take just a moment to lay a sheet of plastic wrap over your clay. This will greatly reduce contamination.
- Work surface- Use plastic wrap as a work surface in a pinch. Even if you have a ceramic tile or other work surface, plastic wrap comes in handy when you're doing something messy-such as projects that involve paint. Because the wrap is disposable, you don't have to worry about wiping up every drop of paint, ink, etc. that misses its mark.
- Beveled edges- When using a shape-cutting tool (like a cookie cutter), you can use a piece of plastic wrap to get a beveled edge. Simply lay the plastic wrap over the sheet of clay, then press the cutter down on top of the wrap.