Liquifying Makin's Clay®

To liquify Makin's Clay® – follow these instructions: 

1. Use plastic storage bag, zipper type.

2. Roll out 120g package of Makin's Clay® into a sheet on #1 or #2 setting of Makin’s Professional ® Ultimate Clay Machine ® , or roll out with a roller to approximately 6mm or 1/8” thickness. 

3. Place clay sheet in bag, flat.

4. Place a regular paper towel wet with bottled (yes, this is important - we have tested the technique with tap versus bottled water) water in bag on top of clay sheet.

5. Sprinkle small amount of additional bottled water into bag - approximately four to eight U.S. teaspoons or 20-40 milliliters.

6. On outside of bag, press paper towel to distribute water and push excess air out of bag. When paper towel is saturated, and excess air is out of bag, zip bag closed.

8. Lay bag with clay and paper towel flat on work surface for at least 30 minutes. (Clay begins liquification process as soon as 5 minutes or less, but practical application requires more time for best liquified consistency).  Note:  Sometimes this process can take an over an hour.  When preparing liquified clay for classes, I roll it and prepare it the night before, then the clay is sure to be the perfect consistency for the class the next day. 

9. After at least 30 minutes, and while keeping bag and clay flat on work surface, unzip bag and, using gloves if desired, check consistency of clay. Add more water if necessary, but only a small amount at a time. 

10. Clay will be partially liquified. Using hand with or without glove, rub lightly over surface of clay to more fully mix clay and water. (Very little mixing is necessary. Clay and water are mostly combined at this point).

11. When clay is fully liquified, it should feel buttery to the touch - very smooth and silky, or creamy like pudding.

12. Makin's Clay® in liquified form can be: 

• applied to texture sheets treated with release agent (because clay is in liquid form, use automotive protectant such as ArmorAll® or water base hand cream instead of water or cornstarch) by hand or with paintbrush. Clay can also be poured onto texture sheet. Clay thickness can be adjusted for individual project requirements (liquified Makin's Clay® tends to stay where placed if surface is flat. "Running" is minimal to none, because of clay quality and consistency). When clay is dry, peel from texture sheet and use wherever textured design is desired. Pieces can be stored for later use.

• used as “paint” on most surfaces and can be applied by hand or with paintbrush. 

• applied to art paper for enhanced stability (reduces or eliminates accidental tearing), or applied to fabric.

• poured into Makin's® push molds, or poured into Makin's® cutters that are placed on flat surface. When using cutters, a "dam" of clay can be formed around outside bottom of cutter to keep liquified clay from seeping. If clay used to create dam adheres to any clay that seeps out from under cutter, when dried it can be completely removed with regular scissors or craft knife or shaped with decorative scissors as a design element.

Sheets of clay without texture can be formed by applying Makin's Clay® in liquified form to ceramic tile or other flat work surface. Thickness is determined by project requirements. Clay can be applied to work surface with or without release agent. When dry, if clay adheres to work surface, it can be removed with minimal or no tearing by carefully sliding blade under edge of clay and working blade slowly until clay sheet is fully removed.

Additional Notes 

• Sheets of liquified Makin's Clay® applied to ceramic tile dry with matte finish on surface, and smooth shiny finish wherever clay is in contact with tile. A gloss finish is desirable for many applications and requires no additional sanding, finishing, or use of glaze or varnish. Either side or both sides of clay can be used depending on finish desired. One application results in two finishes.

• Custom colored liquified Makin's Clay® can be achieved by placing two or more sheets of Makin's Clay® into bag as in Step #1, or by adding acrylic paint to bag either before or after liquification. Some additional mixing by hand may be required after clay liquifies.

• Makin's Clay® in liquified form can be stored in plastic bag. 

• Makin's Clay® in liquified form should be safely, easily, and conveniently discarded in same plastic bag used for liquifying. Clay should not be poured or flushed down household drains.

During testing, acrylic paint added to Makin’s Clay® did not absorb paint and did not liquify as well as clay with no paint added. Acrylic paint added after clay liquified mixed well with clay

Finished “liquified clay” will have a texture similar to pudding.  You will also have thinner areas of water colored with the clay, so you can use it as watercolor paint, but also use the thicker clay to add dimension and depth to projects.  The finished result is much like encaustic wax.   

These canvases were created with liquified Makin's Clay® clay.