Popular Oven Baked Clay

There are a huge range of oven baked clay's available and it would be almost impossible to review everyone in this post. So here are details and ideal uses for are few of the more popular heat cured clay's, to start you off.

Fimo Professional; Effects Polymer Clay is stiffer than some of the other polymer clay's and remains flexible after is has been baked in the oven. It is great for more detailed work such as cane work, miniatures, flower sculptures and doll figurines. It is also perfect for making jewellery and because of the wide range of colours and effects available it can produce some very beautiful and realistic jewellery pieces.  

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Fimo Soft is one of the more easy to use oven cured clay's and can be worked straight out of the packet, requiring very little conditioning. It can be used for nearly all projects that the Fimo Professional and Fimo Effects can be used for and keeps it's shape during the curing process. It can also be mixed with other Fimo and Polymer clay's especially Fimo Effects which provides endless possibilities for colour and texture. Fimo Soft is suitable for adults, children or for those with dexterity problems. It is a great polymer clay to start off with for beginners and is available in 24 various colours. 


FIMOair microwave is a very light weight water-based clay that can be used straight from the packet. This clay can be cured in a 600w microwave oven for approximately 10 minutes but is also air drying. Unlike other polymer clay's it will dry out if exposed to air for long periods of time. It keeps it's shape and usually has a shrinkage rate of approximately 5%, which is less than many other air drying clay's. It comes in a white colour but can be painted with colourants, such as acrylic paints. It is a great clay to use with shape cutters for scrapbooking, general crafts and as a clay for kids.

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FIMO Professional Doll Art is specifically created for doll figurine sculptors and artists.  It is created to hold very fine detail such as facial features and miniature creations. It is a firm clay that is similar to porcelain and is available in six skin colours. It can also be mixed with other clay's and will also adhere to other polymer clay's once baked. 

Fimo Kids is extra soft and great clay for kids and people with problems in their hands that find it hard to manipulate other clay's. It also has a wide range of bright vibrant colours that can be blended together to make an even bigger colour palette. It will keep it's shape during baking although it is not suitable for the more finer detailed sculptures such as miniatures and doll sculptures.

Sculpey Premo is also a great clay to work with and has a large colour chart to choose from. Sculpey Premo is also often the favourite choice for professional sculptors and jewellery makers. Like Fimo, Premo clays remain flexible after it is baked, which helps to prevent finer detail from breaking. Premo also leaves a glossy effect after baking which means that you don't have to varnish it to give it that extra shine. It has a wide range of colours and effects including pearls, metallic, translucent , glitter and granite.

Sculpey Ultralight is very lightweight, soft and easy to condition but hardens well after baking. The clay is only available in white but can be painted with acrylic paints and glazed with varnish.

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Sculpey III is a very popular oven bake clay available in a wide range of colours. It is softer than Premo and once it is cured it has a matte finish unlike Premo, which is glossy. It is great to work with a clay gun as it is one of the easier ones to push through. It is also a great clay for kids to use, although it is a little more brittle than the other polymer clay's once it is baked. Great for general hobby and kids crafts but not as durable as some of the other clay's for jewellery making.

Original Sculpey is available in white and terracotta and is one of the first oven baked polymer clay's. It is soft and easy to work with, and after baking it can be carved, drilled sanded and painted with acrylic paints. Original Sculpey is soft and pliable, and it works and feels like ceramic clay but will not dry out when exposed to air. 

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Sculpey Living Doll is a clay that is ideal for 
sculpturing and has a ceramic feel about it but can be baked in the home oven. It is a soft pink creamy colour, ideal for modelling lifelike doll figurines and is ideal for baby sculpture enthusiasts. It is also used by animation sculptors and professionals due to its ability to retain the finest details. It does not require extensive kneading, is great for fine tool details and bakes to a ceramic hardness. Acrylic paints are the best type of paints to use with Sculpey or if you coat the creation with a water based glaze first then it can be painted with oil based paints. 

Super Sculpey is a ceramic like clay that is only available in beige but is often the choice for doll artists and animation sculptors. This clay should be conditioned well otherwise it causes problems, such as blotching and bubbles after baking. It will retain fine detail during the sculpting process and after baking. Once baked it has a ceramic like hardness that can be sanded to create a fine smooth surface. Length of baking time varies with each creation but approximately ½" thickness should be cured for approximately 30 minutes at 130*C.

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Super Sculpey Firm Grey is a very hard oven bake polymer clay which is recommended for carving and sculpting rather than modelling. It is great for holding very fine details due to it's firmness and it's ceramic like compound bakes to a shatter and chip resistant finish. It is not designed as a clay for conditioning but as a clay for "insitu sculpting". It  bakes to a ceramic-like hardness and can be sanded to a fine smoothness. It is often clay of choice for making prototypes from which moulds are made from the sculptures; then reproductions are made using the moulds. 

Granitex is a clay by Polyform that has a stone like effect and comes in 8 pastel colours resembling the colours of natural stones. It is a soft clay that is easy to manipulate and condition. Tiny fibres mixed into the clay create this stone-like effect. This unique clay combines the look of granite and the convenience of oven bake clay, making it ideal for jewellery, home décor and miniatures. Granitex can also be mixed with other polymer's such as Sculpey to create your own tint. It's curing process is to bake at 275 °F (130 °C) for 15 minutes per 1/4 in (6 mm) thickness. It cannot be microwaved and should not exceed the temperature or baking time. It is for suitable for decorative clay creations, and great for 'aspiring young artists'. Always bake a sample test piece before baking any detailed sculptures.

Laguna Ovencraft Clay is cured to a hard finish in a conventional kitchen oven for approximately 1 hour at 350*F. It is a unique clay that can be thrown on a potter's wheel or hand modelled like any high quality ceramic clay. After baking it's colour is a speckled, red-brown stoneware colour, which can be painted with acrylic, enamel, tempera or watercolours, and/or waterproofed with a commercial sealer. It should not be baked above the recommended temperature as it can produce excessive and undesirable smoke, or irritating gas may result.

Kato Polyclay an oven hardening clay that is claimed to be the strongest of polymer clay's when it is baked which, means that it is also one of the stiffest. This is why it is often the jewellery makers preference when it comes to polymer clay's as it is strong and resists wear and tear over time. This clay was created specifically for artists and is ideal for cane work, figurines, home décor, and model making as well as jewellery. This clay is available in 17 colours, including translucent and metallic. Unlike other brands that are generally baked at 275°F (135°C), Kato Polyclay can be cured up to 300°F (150°C) for 30 minutes per 1/4" (5 mm) of thickness, without the colour changing. However, recommended Kato Polyclay curing temperature is ranged from 275°F (135°C) to 325°F (165°C) for 10-30 minutes per 1/4" (5 mm) of thickness. This polymer clay is also known for its strength after curing.

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Cernit is available in more than 60 colours, including pearlescent, neon, and natural colours. It has a porcelain like finish and therefore is often a chosen clay for doll sculptors. It is easy to condition but if it is overworked and gets too warm then it can become to soft and squishy. It is also not ideal for smoothing and the colour can darken after baking but it is very strong. It is ideal for Jewellery, general crafts and advanced doll making.

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Pardo Jewellery Clay is phthalate-free and uses beeswax for plasticity, which means there is no chemical smell during the baking process. It is sold in the form of small balls of clay in packages. It is available in a range of colours which are created with jewellery making in mind including pigmented, translucent and some have mica or pigments added. This clay is soft and easily worked and Pardo states that this clay is workable right out of the package and does not require kneading. It also mixes very well with other clay's such as Sculpey, Sculpey Premo, Fimo and liquid clay's. It is good for caning and stamping and is also very flexible after baking so its ideal for intricate jewellery pieces. It is baked at 130*C or 266*F and it is always handy to bake some test clay's samples to check the finished colours and mixed blends before making specific pieces.


Salt Dough is a homemade clay dough that is great for kids crafts but is also becoming more popular with professional clay artists. There are a number of recipes for salt dough but a popular one is 1 cup of flour, 1/2 cup of salt and half cup of cold water. Simply Being Mum's Blog offers a detailed recipe and instruction for making salt dough as well as some inspirational ideas. The down side to salt dough is that it needs to be baked on the lowest oven setting for 3 - 4 hours so it's not the quickest oven baked clay. However, it is very tough and hard wearing once it is baked an can be coloured with most paints and pens. To preserve the colours it can be glaze with most everyday varnishes. Salt dough is great for making children's hand and footprint keepsakes as well as Christmas decorations and decorative dishes.

These are just a few examples of some of the oven baked clay's available both manufactured and homemade. It is always recommended that if you use a clay for the first time to create a sample test piece to be sure of the correct curing process and colouring. 

To see a huge range of handmade clay creations, gifts and keepsakes visit Maddison Gifts.