Studio by Sculpey Glaze – a Beautiful Finish for Polymer Clay Beads
It Appears To Soak Right In, Rather Than Just Form a Coating:
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Included with my recent shipment of Studio Sculpey Clay, was a bottle of their Glossy Glaze product, as well as some of the Studio by Sculpey Satin Glaze too.
I’ve been dying to compare these finishes to the Future Floor Polish, which I normally recommend.
I must say, I really like them a lot! Both the Satin and the Gloss are thin and smooth and remind me very much of the expensive varnish I use on the Acrylic canvas paintings I do when I’m not working with polymer clay.
One neat thing about these glaze finishes is that you can apply them to both the baked clay, and raw. However, if you sand your pieces, it’s best to wait until after.
These Studio by Sculpey glazes are easy to apply with a brush or a Q-Tip. And once the glaze has dried for a half hour or so, you can pop your beads back into the oven to further harden.
This extra baking step creates an extra smooth finish. The glazes appear to soak right into the surface of the bead, unlike other cheap shellacs which just form a coating.
Both the Studio Gloss and Satin products go on milky and then become crystal clear when cured.
As with any glaze or varnish type product, it is important to stir them before use. But don’t shake the bottle. Shaking will trap bubbles that may end up showing on your finished beads. Brushes clean easily with water.
Although these Studio glazes are not nearly as economical to use as Future Floor Finish, they do go a long way. A 2oz bottle (.59ml) is priced at around four dollars.
Overall, these Studio by Sculpey glazes get a thumbs up from me. Anyone else tried them? What do you think?
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Hello Cindy!! First thank you for such an AMAZING blog with such helpful tutorials! You have achieved rock star status!
About me – Beginner (although have been playing with it for 7 years now)…I don’t do bead work or canes I am just not good at those techniques…I prefer to do little whimsical things like pumpkins, gnomes and bunnies.
Quick question: If I mix very fine irredescent glitter with Sculpy Gloss Glaze will it adhere to the clay…..say like if I wanted to give a fairy a special little accent on the edges of her wings?
Many thanks!!!
Heather
Maryland, USA
Hi Heather, yes that idea should work just fine. You could also press glitter into the raw clay or mix it with some liquid translucent clay. There are lots of ways to go about it. Experiment on a scrap piece and see if you can get the look you want, before adding it to your sculpted piece. Thank you for your kind comment. I am glad you are enjoying what you’re learning here!
OK i have been working in clay less than a year and am still trying to find what i like working will. i have a large project i need to get glazed and I’m not sure what to use. it its a wooden box that i have covered the top only in PC dragon scales and then painted with acrylic paint. the sides of the box were stained with a standard wood stain, what i was wondering is what would be my best option to glaze the whole thing? i have read that can clear coat sprays can soften PC over time. i have both Scupley glass glaze ( in the glass bottle) and triple thick. i don’t want to use the triple thick if i can help it. it has an amazing finish, but it likes to pool really bad and i don’t want to loose the texture of the scales. can the Scupley glass glaze be used on wood as well?
I would use Varathane Polyurathane Rita. It is meant for wood and works beautifully on Polymer Clay. There is more info in this post: Polymer Clay Finishes
I’m trying to brush some flat pieces that I’ve sanded, but I keep getting either streaks from my brush or air bubbles. The air bubbles drive me CRAZY. Any suggestions?
Hi Leslie, yeah I know what you mean about how frustrating it can be to get air bubbles in your finishes. A couple things you can do to prevent or get rid of them are:
– use a very fine, good quality flat art brush. Some brushes are made specifically for varnishes.
– stir bottle to mix, don’t shake.
– set the bottle on something that vibrates (a massager, an electric razor, etc.) that will help the bubbles rise to the surface.
– blow on the bubbles with a straw to pop them.
Hope that helps!
Hello, please help me, I’m completely panicked!
It appears Studio by Scupley gloss glaze has been replaced with a regular looking Sculpey gloss glaze in a little glass jar, there are no bake instructions on it, like the Studio by Sculpey. Has anyone tried the replacement product yet? How is it holding up. I am scared to use it after such a great experience with the Studio by Scupley.
Any help would be so appreciated, I’m trying to finish up my christmas gifts using this stuff! :)
Thanks in advance!
Hi Heather, sorry to hear you are panicked.. not fun at this time of the year! Any way, Sculpey put the old Studio by Sculpey, Glossy Glaze into the glass bottle they used to have and renamed it Sculpey Glossy Glaze. As long as the liquid is that thinner milky stuff like the Studio was, and not the thick gloppy clear stuff, you will be fine.
It sure would be nice if companies wouldn’t change things so much… especially when it is a great product. It causes too much confusion and frustration. Hope that was helpful for you. Have a great Christmas!
Hi , The bottle of glossy glaze says to bake for 30 min. But it doesn’t tell you what temp to bake at??
Oops sorry Michelle, I missed your question when I popped in here yesterday. Sorry about that. You can bake the glaze at whatever temp that your clay cures at. In the case of Premo, bake at 265F-275F and everything will be just fine. Make sure to let the glaze air dry first for a few minutes before baking though, so that you don’t get any bubbles. Hope that helps. Merry Christmas!
Does anyone know anything about polyacrylic finishes?
Just wondering if you know about any yellowing properties of the diamond clear gloss Varathane? I was going to use this to replace my Studio by Sculpey Gloss Glaze that has started to yellow on my pieces. On my can of Varathane, it says not to use on white or light colored paint as it may discolor. Does this mean it yellows with time? It doesn’t say in the advertising or on the can that it is non-yellowing. However, it does say that their Varathane clear floor finish is non-yellowing and their outdoor, water-based gloss called Spar Urethane is non-yellowing. Has anyone tried any of these or do you know anything about these products. Thanks for any help you can give. I am ready to give up making my jewelry if I cannot find something that is a high gloss finish that doesn’t yellow over time.
My pieces are stored in a little plastic drawer in a closet. Some are attached to a card. Not exceptionally hot and they are not in direct sunlight. We live in San Diego, CA where the temperatures are pretty temperate.
I have to coat mine as I make my beads out of bread clay. Uncoated, they can rehydrate if they get wet. I sand them, but, because I stamp many pieces, I can’t sand in all the tiny crevices. My jewelry is just made of bread, Aleene’s tacky glue, and acrylic craft paint. Don’t think it could have anything to do with the ingredients because the drips on my white mat are turning and it is just the plain Studio by Sculpey.
I like the high gloss, smooth finish I get with dipping. I don’t get any globs, etc. Only the drip at the bottom which I constantly wipe away till it doesn’t drip any more. I am dipping pendants and earrings. If I stamp a design on the front, I used canned air to force the glaze out of the stamped places. That thins it out on the pendant, also.
Some of the pieces just have a warm glow. (Don’t know how much worse they can get yet.) If the glaze is a little thicker at the bottom edge, etc. the yellow is more noticeable in that spot. The drips on my mat range from light yellow to pretty dark. Of course you can mostly see it on the lighter colors or where there is no background color on the pendants. You can’t notice it on the pendants that have a painted black background. I have now purposely put a drop of Studio by Sculpey on my white mat next to a drip of Varathane and dated each one so I can see how long it takes the Studio by Sculpey to turn yellow and to double check on the Varathane. It says it doesn’t yellow, but I used another glaze one time that said the same thing and everything yellowed so I had to throw the pendants away.
Hope this information helps. If you could give me any further information on dipping with the Varathane, I would appreciate. Don’t want it to peel because the coats are too thick. As I said I tried to brush it and really didn’t like the look. I usually dip two or three times to get the gloss and protection I want.
Thanks
I am sorry Linda, I forgot you were working with bread dough, so of course my sanding and buffing advice would not work for you. (Getting a little overwhelmed with all the stuff flying in at me, I sometimes forget what I’ve read.)
Since I don’t really dip things myself, I can’t be of too much help for you there, but maybe someone else will pop in with some advice?
Thank you for commenting and sharing your information with us!
Hi, again, I mentioned earlier that the Studio by Sculpey glaze had yellowed. I mentioned I saw some drips on my white pad that turned slightly yellow. I now find some drips that have really yellowed. Also, I see some yellowing on some of my pendants. It looks like it takes about a year. I have been experimenting with Varathane. Some sites say you should not dip with it, as it may peel. Other sites say that people do dip with it. I have been experimenting with it. I tried just brushing it on and don’t like the effect. Dipping gives me the effect I want. Am I going to have to be concerned that it is going to peel down the road somewhere? My granddaughter wants to sell some pieces for me and I don’t want to have problems down the road because of the finish. Does anyone have any experience with dipping and Varathane? Thanks a lot
That is weird about the yellowing. I haven’t seen that myself. Are your things stored in the sunshine? Is it hot there? I am wondering if it a UV thing or heat caused. Is it an unpleasant yellow or does it just give your pieces a warm glow. I haven’t been trolling the forums lately, so haven’t seen this talked about anywhere. Would love to hear a little bit more on it.
I don’t like dipping my pieces. I have found it pretty much impossible to avoid drips or globby looking pieces when I have tried dipping. The most professional finish in my opinion is a beautifully sanded and buffed piece. There are several tutorials on this topic if you do a search using the search box on the top of the page.
Hope that helps!
I glazed my polymer clay creations and set them to dry on the baking pan I used to bake them. The next day, when I removed them from their resting place they were stuck and I had to pull in order to remove them. Once I did this, I noticed that there are missing parts of glaze at the bottom and others look with too much glaze on one side of the piece, as if it concentrated on a specific area when I set them down. How can I avoid this? Because in order to cover the whole charm I had to do the bottom first and then set it down on the pan so I could coat the top without leaving smudges or fingerprints.
Hi Reyna, its not a good idea to put a wet bead/pendant down on a surface. Just do one side at a time, making sure the side you coated is dry before turning it over and glazing the other side.
Hello, again, it has been a while since I posted. I have loved Studio by Sculpey and they have discontinued it so I bought up all I could find. Recently, I noticed that the Studio by Sculpey does yellow. I use a white pad under my work that sometimes gets drips. They have turned slightly yellow. I first noticed it on a pendant I just made. It looked whiter than one I had made over a year ago. Then I noticed the drips. Now I am going to try the Varathane Diamond Gloss Finish. I had to order a quart online because all they had in the stores was the gallon size – way too big! Hope this works out well. I notice you have good reviews on it. I make my jewelry out of bread instead of clay, so hope there is no difference with the results.
Thanks!
@Reyna Castano: No problem, but try and use the search facility too, so much excellent information is offered on the historical blogs and comments.
A batch of mine last nite browned a little last nite, couldn’t wait for the heat wave to end so I could try something. Even though I wear two timers around my neck, I still get distracted, lol.
Think they should add a behavior category to the diagnosis of ADHD in adults….do you burn your clay?
@Reyna and Jocelyn: I have never had any problems with the finish browning on my beads, but I usually don’t put them in for that long. After baking my Premo beads for an hour at 265F – 275F (I use a thermometer to make sure it doesn’t spike), I either plunge into cold water (if translucent) or just let cool in the oven on their own. Than I sand and buff (if possible) and then coat with Sculpey Glossy Glaze if I want some extra shine. Then after drying for a half hour or so I bake them again for about 15 min. This seems to work pretty well for me.
Jocelyn is right, all this info can be found by doing a little reading here at the blog. Go through some of the older posts and you will find, many of your questions will be answered for you there.
Also I would encourage you to purchase the Beginner’s Course. There is no sense going through all the trial and error of learning alone, when you can learn quickly and easily by video. Click the link by my name, for more info on that.
those that are discolored or brown. Search on bleach in the upper left search box for more information on this technique.
A gloss finish can be achieved by sanding then buffing, or by sanding then the application of one or two coats of whichever gloss, semi gloss or wax finish you wish to apply.
I’d still throw them all through another one hour of 265-300 degrees farenheit, then buff again.