There’s nothing worse than spending hours on perfecting your clay creation, only to find it failing at the final set.
Here’s our top tips for stopping the catastrophe of the crack and our top tacts for damage control.
Why Is My Air Dry Clay Cracking?
Cracks form as a result of the normal drying process for Air Dry Clay. As the clay dries, moisture and water is lost, causing it to shrink which can sometimes introduce micro-cracks in your finished piece. Often this happens if the clay dries too quickly or is drying unevenly.
How to Fix a Crack(ed) Pot
When a crack forms, it’s not the end of the world. Some things just can’t be helped. Stay calm, keep claying (literally). As it dries you can smooth over any light cracks using slip (a clay and water mixture). Simply use a small amount of clay and mix with water in a 50/50 ratio. Using your fingers smooth the slip over any fine cracks - you can sand this down later on if there are any irregularities.
For any large cracks, you need to wait until your clay is dry before packing the crack with more air dry clay and leaving it to dry again.
There’s nothing worse than spending hours on perfecting your clay creation, only to find it failing at the final set.
Here’s our top tips for stopping the catastrophe of the crack and our top tacts for damage control.
Why Is My Air Dry Clay Cracking?
Cracks form as a result of the normal drying process for Air Dry Clay. As the clay dries, moisture and water is lost, causing it to shrink which can sometimes introduce micro-cracks in your finished piece. Often this happens if the clay dries too quickly or is drying unevenly.
How to Fix a Crack(ed) Pot
When a crack forms, it’s not the end of the world. Some things just can’t be helped. Stay calm, keep claying (literally). As it dries you can smooth over any light cracks using slip (a clay and water mixture). Simply use a small amount of clay and mix with water in a 50/50 ratio. Using your fingers smooth the slip over any fine cracks - you can sand this down later on if there are any irregularities.
For any large cracks, you need to wait until your clay is dry before packing the crack with more air dry clay and leaving it to dry again.