How to Bake Sculpey, Premo and Fimo Polymer Clay in a Toaster Oven
The only time to use a full size kitchen oven for baking polymer clay, would be if you make enormous dinosaur beads :-)
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There are so many reasons why a toaster oven is the preferred polymer clay tool for baking Sculpey, Fimo and Premo beads over your regular size, home baking oven. These are the main ones:
- Small – less cost to operate than a large oven.
- Less power consumption is better for the environment.
- Cheap – I got mine free from a friend who was throwing it out. But you can also buy them second hand and even new at clearance places for next to nothing.
- Portable – Can bring it to your craft room or studio.
- Separate from cooking oven – Some people are concerned that the fumes from baking polymer clay could contaminate food.
- Quick to heat up and cool down.
But there are also a few problems you should be aware of when using a toaster oven to bake Sculpey and the other polymer clay brands (Premo, Fimo, etc.):
- Because the oven is small, it tends to cool off quickly and therefore has to reheat to get back up to temperature. This can cause ‘spikes’ in temperatures where the oven gets hotter than it should for short periods of time, causing scorching. To avoid this it is important to tent your beads to protect them from the heat hitting them directly.
- When tenting your beads with folded parchment or office paper, it is important to check and make sure the paper does not touch the element. Although the baking temperature is very low and the paper will not burn if tented properly, it still can catch fire if you let it touch the element. Be sensible! Be careful!
- The polymers in the clay need to be baked at their given temperatures for 30 minutes per 1/4 inch of thickness in order to fuse together and cure. Because of that, the fluctuating temperature can be a problem. To compensate, you will need to bake your beads for a longer period of time to ensure proper curing. I am also finding this to be true for the bigger ovens, so this isn’t really a downside for using a toaster oven. The ovens that hold their temperature most consistently are the convection ovens. But they are expensive and many polymer clay artists can’t justify the added cost.
- Partly because the oven dials are so small and that they are never that accurate, the temperature you think you are setting your oven at may not be the actual temp. inside. As with any oven it is important to use an oven thermometer to make sure you are getting the temperature just right. Always check the baking instructions on the polymer clay packaging. Sculpey III, Premo and Fimo all bake at different degrees. Sometimes even different colors within the same brand can even bake differently, so make sure to read the package instructions.
- There can be ‘hot spots’ in the oven. Test your oven to see if there are any spots that are hotter than others by moving your thermometer around and checking the readings.
- Work in a room that is well ventilated. Just because a toaster oven is small, and you can put it anywhere, don’t set it directly in front of you while you are baking beads. Although the clay is non-toxic to work with, the fumes from burnt clay can be harmful, so you won’t want to be breathing them in.
- The cheaper, the better. The expensive toaster ovens with all the bells and whistles aren’t worth the added cost. In fact many have self-cleaning features that tend to ‘spike’ the temperature even more than the cheaper models.
So when you are learning how to bake Sculpey polymer clay in your toaster oven (click the link for even more bead baking tips), make sure to work in a well-ventilated room, watch the oven temperature carefully using an oven thermometer, and carefully tent the beads to protect them from scorching. Your beads will turn out beautiful and strong every time.
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Hi Cindy/ Doug! I just have a small question on baking polymer clay sculpts in a toaster oven. The brand I use is Sculpey Original, and it says for every 1/4 inch in thickness, bake for 15 minutes. What does it mean by thickness? How far it is from center to edge, or how thick it is length/ width wise?
Oh Frederick, I just found this question and see it is several weeks old. I sorry about that… just can’t get to everything anymore. I don’t work with Sculpey original very often. I find it too soft, not strong enough when baked and it discolors badly when baked long enough to make it reasonably strong. When they are talking about thickness they mean diameter basically. So if you have made a sculpt with a big round solid body, it thickness would be the distance across the thickest part if you were to cut it width wise. With baking what they are worried about is whether the heat can penetrate deep enough into the clay to cure it. Thicker pieces may need to be baked for more than an hour to be properly cured.
Hours and hours of work… 10 canes… and the most unique designed necklace…looked gorgeous.. ready to bake and then assemble… The clay got crumbly in baking and the piece fell apart…. What did I do wrong?
I am so sorry to hear that happened to you Linda! It sounds like your pieces are under cured or you are using a brand of clay that just isn’t strong. Use a strong brand like Premo, Kato, Pardo or Fimo. Bake at the proper temp (Use an oven thermometer). And bake your pieces for 60 mins (Premo, or Fimo) or 45 mins with Kato. There is tons more baking info if you use the search box at the top of the page. Good luck!
Welcome Shannon… Cute Avatar BTW! Fimo Soft is fine to use, though my favorite is Premo which Michaels also sells, so try some of that the next time it goes on sale and see what you think.
Since you are a Newbie, my recommendation is for you to buy the Beginners Course… it will save you a lot of grief (and money) in the long run by not having to make so many mistakes that all new people make. Also this blog has tons of free answers to your questions, by just typing your keywords into the search box at the top of the page. So make sure to spend some time swimming through the archives… there is so much to learn there.
Not to be a pain but the quick answers to your questions are:
a) yes & yes and b) yes & yes.
(There are many options for findings and paints which the search box and the course will help you to answer. There really are too many to list here.)
Good luck! Thank you for your comment!
Hi Cindy,
Newbe here. I have watched quite a few of your videos but I still have a few questions before I start. I hope that you can either answer them for me or at least let me know which videos I should watch. The clay that I bought is Fimo soft, I assume that the types that Michael’s sells are all comparable. I hope anyway since I bought so many of the Fimo. LOL Anyway my two main questions (so far) are a) can I bake the pendant with the findings already in the piece instead of adding it after it is done. and b) if I want to add colour do I paint (and glaze) it first or after it is baked? thanks so much for your help and fantastic videos.
HUGS! Man, that must have been really bad. So glad you can regroup for a deadline, but, I feel your pain.
Lost a whole bunch of natasha beads and mirror images here. So want to try and save some, so going back to my old shell crafting days and hauling out some muric acid to try to see if some will bleach up more.
Wish me luck, lol….
I do wish you luck. I am off to buy a new thermometer for the oven as I am certain it is no longer working properly. Which would explain my fatal attempts in the last few weeks. I thought it was the oven.
Hope all goes well with attempts with revival. I am now a tosser. If I don’t
like it out it goes..
You are so right about the bad day… yesterday was another one of those. I worked for a week straight on a project Finally got it all just right, colors mixed perfectly, all the different elements ready to be put together in a final bake, changed what I knew I should do and tried to leave it in place so I would not damage the perfection of all the parts together. Some elements on their third round of baking.. Decided to leave it in place , popped it in the oven with it’s little tent, Oh that looks a little high in the oven…. oh it will be okay (it is now 2:45 in the morning) I will just make sure to stay up for the hour bake and babysit my gorgeous creation. I have now peeked several times to “make sure”. All is well. My confidence is up and I begin a new project. What is that smell???? Oh my goodness Poly clay does not smell good when it is burning.
The tent is smoking and my lovely piece has turned bubbly and black. Bad day and Night. So today I will begin again as I am on a deadline for this one.The only good thing now Is I still have the canes , the flowers are easy ones, and I know exactly how to put it together no more changes necessary. I know what it will be when it is done.
Oh my! I send an urgent message to Cindy thinking that I would wait for a reply.Came here and this is the first thing I see. Amazing. My questions have been answered here.
But thought I would share something that works for me. I use a convection oven. Love it. But I have been using alot more transluscent clay and goodness! have been burning the flowers like crazy. Growling the whole while that I WOULD find out who dared to touch the controls on my oven. Thank goodness no one heard my rantings and ravings. Come to find out no one had touched anything. I just needed to change my approach.
1. I switched from cornstarch to baking soda. For some reason it works better and is easier to rinse off the cracks and crevices in the flowers.
2. Tried tenting the flowers, nope still scorched them . So now I have two glass dishes one to hold the soda and place the flowers in and the other to invert over the top. Could not use a tile cause the flowers sit above the rim of the dish… nothing like squished and flattened flowers to make you hunt for another solution. Now my flowers have protection and room to pop their heads up and they stay the color they went in as. So I will be going to a few thrift shops to see if I can find some baking dishes that are larger around, maybe deep dish pie plates. need two.
Thanks Cindy and Doug. I guess if I took the time to hunt through here you would get fewer messages from me. End result is the big oven will work for my next project Just need to get some of the large square tiles from Habitat and then figure out a cover procedure for the parts to prevent burning . I’m thinking tiles on top supported by thicker tiles for the sides. I will never bake again using paper tents or uncovered.
Exactly the way I feel, Karonkay. All it took was one bad day with the toaster oven, lol.
Baking soda is amazing, you can bake for hours if you need too, provided your work is buried in it at least an inch deep. Folks always said time in oven darkened translucents, not just heat, but placing them deep in soda provides amazing results.
Much of my earlier work is being rebaked as we speak, I just keep running it through when I can set fans and do not need air conditioning. Kept a few aside so I can compare.
The one difference I see is that the harder the clay, the better the buff job on the surface. To enhance that I always try to add at least one quarter translucent to the color mix.
Hello! Sorry for always nagging you with questions.
Can I bake the clay twice? Because I’m planning to make a little fairy from The Legend of Zelda (Navi). It’s just a blue ball with 4 thin wings. I don’t know how to attach the wings on the blue ball without letting the wings sag and fall.
Can I bake first the wings, then I stick it in the ball then bake it again?
Thank you very much in advance!!!!
Hi Lim, Yes you can bake your pieces as many times as you like. Just make sure they have been baked for at least 1 hour at the correct temp for your brand of clay. Just type ‘baking’ into the search box at the top of the page and several articles and tutorials will be listed for you.
Thank you for this big help!!!
Sorry if I’m not on topic.
I have a question. Sorry for my ignorance, but, after you bake polymer clay with the cornstarch, will it remain shiny? Will the cornstarch stick on the clay??
Also, how do you shine it?
Thank you!!!
You’re not ignorant at all Lim. The cornstarch can give the clay a frosted look if rubbed into the surface, but it usually doesn’t change it much just by sitting in it to bake. After baking you just wash it off. For giving the clay a a nice finish, there are several things you can do. Just type ‘finishing’ into the search box at the top of the page and several articles and tutorials will be listed for you. Hope that helps!
Cindy, could you answer a quick question for me? When you bake flat (disc-shaped) beads, should they have any flex at all when they are done? I am using Primo.
Yes Melanie, you will find that thin flat pieces made with Premo polymer clay will still have some flexibility to them, even after baking. Kato Polyclay if firmer if you need that, but I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Thicker pieces have less flex to them, so just make your Premo pieces thicker or use Kato if it is important that your pieces not flex.
Hi Cindy!
I have been following your messages for a couple years and look forward to learning more and more!
I have a question about curing polymer clay. I’ve read and listened to what you have said about the length to cure it. Most packages do say to bake at 275 for 15 minutes/quarter inch thickness. I made a box for my daughter-in-law using Kato clay, baking each sheet for the sides for 1/2 hour as you suggested. Several of the sides broke! That was a first. I usually bake the thin items for 15 minutes.
Anyway, how do you tell when they are cured?
Thank you!
ive figured out how long to bake most of my items but when i am unsure, i usually gently poke my fingernail into whatever i am baking(but not in an obvious visible spot incase of leaving a mark). If your nail is able to dig into the clay and leave a nail mark, its not done, but when the clay “bounces back” and the nail mark disappears after a moment is a good way to know it is done. when i first started with polymer clay i just kept baking and baking bc i would touch it and it still felt slightly soft, then cracked due to baking for to long because i didnt know that the clay actually wont fully harden until it is taken out of the oven and cooled off.
Hi Annie, your method of testing to see if the clay is baked properly, by pushing your fingernail into the clay is interesting, but I am concerned that it only shows whether the outer layer is cured or not. Deep down inside the piece, may still have uncured clay that can cause the piece to become brittle over time.
Baking too long does not cause the cracking. Other issues cause cracking, like air bubbles, moisture in the clay, improper conditioning, low quality brands of polymer, etc.
I really appreciate your comment. It is great to see that you have continued working with polymer clay, even when you have run into challenges. You are very right about the clay seeming too soft when it is warm but then hardening considerably once cooled down.
Happy claying!
Hi Jill, I wrote a comment for you the other day but I see it is not here. We have been having a few issues with commenting lately, so maybe that is what happened.
Kato Polyclay needs to be baked at 300F not 275F like Premo clay, and is most likely the reason for the breakage. As well, I usually suggest baking for 1 hour with Premo and not 1/2 hour.
I just did a free video on baking for 10 minutes vs 60 minutes that would be very helpful for you to watch.
Hope that helps!
Is a glass pan ok to use in the toaster oven? I bought one and it said not for use in a toaster oven. I thought it was safe to use glass in a toaster oven since it is safe to use it in a kitchen oven. If I cannot use a glass pan, then what is safe to use in the toaster oven?
Thanks!
Jennifer
i found a baking rack for baking my beads, its AMAZING and works great because your beads are on needles and they bake evenly and dont get flat spots on them from sitting on a tray. i was so excited when i found it in my hobby lobby and it was only 20 bucks! it comes with needles for baking your beads on!
dickblick.com/products/amaco-professional-bead-baking-rack/
but if you don’t want to spend the money on that then just use a metal tray. glass is fine for baking in the oven, but i would assume the reason it says not to use in a toaster oven is because most glass pans are rather thick, therefore it may not bake properly.
Annie,
Thank you for the response! I forgot to mention that currently I make charms and there is only a hole on one end. I thought I read that a metal pan is not good to bake with because it can get too hot and scorch the clay creations?
Hi Jennifer and Annie, I have a couple of little hints for baking surfaces to pass on to you both.
First of all, Annie is right, the bead baking rack is awesome! I use it all the time and there is actually a few posts here at the blog about it. If you type ‘bead rack’ into the search box at the top of the page, some links will pop up for you.
In regards to baking items that can’t be baked on a bead rack, I prefer to use a smooth ceramic tile to bake on, not metal. Metal can cause hot spots and lead to scorching, plus will leave a shiny spot where the metal touches the clay.
A ceramic tile also has the added benefit of stabilizing the heat in the oven, minimizing the cooling off and heating up temperature fluctuations that can happen, especially in a small oven such as a toaster oven. Of course an oven thermometer is also very important, to make sure that your oven is at the correct temp in the first place.
Make sure to read through all the information we have on this blog. There is tons and tons of articles that will help you guys with this info.
Love to see you asking questions and interacting! It is such a fun material to work with and there is so much that we can learn from each other. Glad to have you as part of our clay family!
Hi Cindy!
Thanks for the quick response!
If I used corn starch, say for example to bake a round piece that is not a bead, does it matter if I use a metal pan? Or should I use something else?
Jennifer
If you are baking your beads in cornstarch Jennifer, it won’t matter if the pan that holds the cornstarch is metal or not. The starch will act as an insulator from the metal, so there won’t be the same hot spot issues that can happen when you bake directly on a metal pan.
Is it really ok to tent your beads with paper? i have never tried this before. its been years since i have made any beads or jewelry but now that im working at an art gallery i have nothing to do while im there but wait for people to come in and browse so i have decided to start making beads and jewelery again while im working there. im glad to find out its ok to use a toaster oven because that will be perfect for me to use while working at hte art gallery. ive always used a regular kitchen oven in the past and baked my beads in there but never thought to use a toaster oven till now. does it matter what kind of paper i use to tent them or can it be any kind? and what will happen if i dont tent them in the toaster oven? will the beads get burned? ive never burnt any before but i have always used my kitchen oven in the past. im just kind of nervous about tenting them in the toaster oven and that i will burn the building down lol.
like i said before, its been a long time since i have made beads. i was probably still a teenager when i did it, so atleast 7-8 years ago. after i would bake my beads i would use clear nail polish to coat them and give them a glossy look, and im sure theres something else to use besides nail polish for that but im not sure what it would be, so any suggestions would be appreciated! thanks!! :-)
Hi Annie, Thank you for your comment! I am sorry that I didn’t get back to you sooner. As you may appreciate, it can get pretty busy around here behind the scenes. So I don’t get to answering questions as fast as I would like.
You have a lot of good questions. Some of the info you have though is actually incorrect (like using nail polish on clay, which is a big no-no). Things have changed quite a bit since you were last working with clay and I think what you would benefit most from is a good solid foundation in polymer clay fundamentals.
I have put together a comprehensive Beginner’s Course that covers all the important basics such as tenting, baking in a toaster oven, proper baking times, sanding and finishing, avoiding air bubbles, making beginner canes, etc., etc., etc.
If you have time, take a look at some of the course feedback comments posted at this link: What Others Are Saying…
My beginner course video series (39 lessons in all) will definitely help you to avoid the hassles of making too many mistakes as you get back into working with your clay.
Who knows, you may even be selling your own work in that gallery you are working in someday? I would love to see that happen!
Yeah i bought a glaze for my beads because i figured nail polish was not the right thing haha but i was so young when i first started working with polymer clay that i was only making the beads for myself and own pleasure. But yes, i actually am going to be selling them in my art gallery! The gallery is one part of my families business, the have an art gallery and also a leather store where my dad and i both handmake leather goods and i will be selling beads and finished jewelery at both places!. i have actually learned a lot in the past week that i didnt know before but i will definitly be checking out your courses because its been so long it feels like i am a beginner again! the only problem is that when i clicked on the link for the beginners course it said it didnt work! could you repost the link for me? thanks!
Hi Annie R – I went in to Cindy’s comment above and fixed the link to the Beginners Course Info Page. It’ll work for you now :-)
awesome, thank you!!
Hello Everyone,
I found a beautiful brass setting on Etsy that I want to encircle with polymer clay, in the shape of a snake. So my question is, can I bake them together in the oven? Or is this a bad idea.
@Reyna Castano: Anything that can go into the oven on it’s own without melting is OK to bake on. It is a very low temp we bake polymer at so there are even some plastics that can you can bake clay right onto. (Test first!) So your metal piece, will be perfectly fine to bake on as long as there are no other components on the metal piece that can’t handle the heat, like soft plastics or some glues. After baking your clay on the metal you will most likely need to glue the piece on, since the clay will not bond with the metal. Weldbond is a good glue to use for that.
I’m about to start creating polymer clay charms but the baking instructions are a little confusing. For example, Premo baking instructions are the following: 275 F, 30 min per 1/4 in (6mm).
So, does this mean that if my charm is 12mm, I need to bake it for an hour?
If it’s 3mm, for only 15 minutes? Also, for any size, does the temperature need
to be exactly 275 degrees?
Thanks!
@Reyna Castano: Wooohoo, Reyan, here we go, LOL!!
Cindy (check “baking” in the search, upper left corner here) suggests one hour of temps between the package stated minimum and the maximum of 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Once you get the 265 – 300 range down on your oven use tiles and tent the product then, pop those lil darlings in and set your time.
After that time, dumping those that contact frost, transparent or white beads into a bowl full of water and ice cubes to sit until cool. By doing so, you create even more translucency. Up to you whether you cold start the oven with your stuff already in, or wait til temp is right before adding your product.
Then I would sand using the micro-pad series and scrub them clean with toothbrushes and Dawn. Once drained and dried, decide on plain buffed, semi gloss and high gloss application processes and have a ball thrilling with your beautiful beads. Once your choice of surface treatement is dry, then up to you whether you wish the bead to be baked again (30-1 hr). Everytime you bake it strengthens the bead.