http://www.worldofgnomesnow.com/garden-gnomes-hall-of-fame/whats-the-best-hardening-clay-for-garden-gnomes A source of information on designs of Gnomes from around the world Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:03:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.worldofgnomesnow.com/garden-gnomes-hall-of-fame/whats-the-best-hardening-clay-for-garden-gnomes/comment-page-1#comment-802 whoo Wed, 07 Oct 2009 11:23:59 +0000 http://www.worldofgnomesnow.com/garden-gnomes/whats-the-best-hardening-clay-for-garden-gnomes#comment-802 Sculpt the gnome out of clay, then use that clay to make a plaster mold (not hard to do, look at the library for a book, or google it) Then use that plaster mold to fill with concrete. That way it will be weather proof! You can reuse the clay to make more gnomes, and sometimes you can reuse the plaster mold, depending on the shape and if it can be removed whole.<br><b>References : </b><br> Sculpt the gnome out of clay, then use that clay to make a plaster mold (not hard to do, look at the library for a book, or google it) Then use that plaster mold to fill with concrete. That way it will be weather proof! You can reuse the clay to make more gnomes, and sometimes you can reuse the plaster mold, depending on the shape and if it can be removed whole.
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]]> http://www.worldofgnomesnow.com/garden-gnomes-hall-of-fame/whats-the-best-hardening-clay-for-garden-gnomes/comment-page-1#comment-800 Sculptor Girl Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:57:59 +0000 http://www.worldofgnomesnow.com/garden-gnomes/whats-the-best-hardening-clay-for-garden-gnomes#comment-800 Try Aves Apoxie Clay. It dries very hard with no shrinkage, its also waterproof and freeze-thaw stable. (Its an air dry clay so you don't need an oven or kiln) http://www.avesstudio.com/Products/Apoxie_Clay/apoxie_clay.html Another clay you might enjoy trying is polymer clay (this is what I use the most) Its an oil based clay that you cure in your home oven. Its not not the type of clay that you would use for an outdoor piece though.<br><b>References : </b><br> Try Aves Apoxie Clay. It dries very hard with no shrinkage, its also waterproof and freeze-thaw stable. (Its an air dry clay so you don’t need an oven or kiln) http://www.avesstudio.com/Products/Apoxie_Clay/apoxie_clay.html
Another clay you might enjoy trying is polymer clay (this is what I use the most) Its an oil based clay that you cure in your home oven. Its not not the type of clay that you would use for an outdoor piece though.
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]]> http://www.worldofgnomesnow.com/garden-gnomes-hall-of-fame/whats-the-best-hardening-clay-for-garden-gnomes/comment-page-1#comment-797 tigris Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:28:59 +0000 http://www.worldofgnomesnow.com/garden-gnomes/whats-the-best-hardening-clay-for-garden-gnomes#comment-797 I don't think there is a clay which doesn't require a kiln which will withstand the temperature and humidity changes outside. Even if you use natural clay, you would need to research a clay body which can do that, usually contains a lot of grog (ground up fired clay). You could learn and practice mold making. Then you could still use your oil-based clay, make a mold, and pour e.g. concrete into it. Or you take a ceramics class which will give you access to a kiln.<br><b>References : </b><br> I don’t think there is a clay which doesn’t require a kiln which will withstand the temperature and humidity changes outside. Even if you use natural clay, you would need to research a clay body which can do that, usually contains a lot of grog (ground up fired clay).
You could learn and practice mold making. Then you could still use your oil-based clay, make a mold, and pour e.g. concrete into it. Or you take a ceramics class which will give you access to a kiln.
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