Have you ever tried keeping polymer clay dust free? The light colors of polymer clay, especially white, are notoriously difficult to keep dust free. If you find it nearly impossible, don’t be too hard on yourself. It happens to everyone! Here’s how I deal with it.
First of all, keep your workplace clean. I wipe with baby wipes the rolling surface and all the tools after every sculpting session and before the start of the next one. This way, I eliminate any sticky residue that polymer clay might leave behind and then make sure there are no dust specs before I start sculpting next time. If baby wipes leave wet residue behind, just wait a little bit for it to dry. Do not dry with towel or tissue, as it will introduce more dust. Micro-fiber and lint free cloth might work, but I usually just wait.
Another way I’m keeping white polymer clay dust free is clean hands! Once I wash my hands before the sculpting session, I don’t use a towel to dry them! I simply wait a minute or two until my hands dry on air. This way, I’m not collecting and dust from the towel. Keep in mind, waving your hands around will catch some of the dust from the air. So just keep them still until dry. Micro-fiber cloth might work here too, but I haven’t tried it, and simply use the time to meditate a bit.
Lastly, I sometimes use a 50:50 ratio of pure white and pearl white polymer clay. It dilutes the whiteness of clay and changes the texture a little bit, but also makes it harder to see the tiniest of specs. This is my last resort usually, as it takes a while to mix the clay to a single consistency and on occasion I introduce even more dust into it.
There you have it – keep your surface and hands clean or add a tad of pearl white clay!
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