Is Sculpey polymer clay safe?

[littletankbigworld]

Some people say it's safe if covered in varnish; other's say it's safe if not covered in varish. I agree with the second opinion. I think it would be okay to leave the baked clay without varnish or to cover it in aquarium silicon.
This person claims that it's fine in their pond, but I worry about the clay decomposing over time. Putting polymer clay scuba diver in the fish pond
I really need to make bases for these silk plants I'm making for my future bettas. Rocks wouldn't work, since I drilling holes all the time is too much of a hassle. I considered using plastic pop, milk, and water jug lids, but I don't think they would weigh enough to stay anchored under sand.

 

[littletankbigworld]

This says it's safe, too. News: Polymer Clay: More Answers, Tips, and Features

 

[beckyd]

I glued some rocks together with silicon and stuck the plant base in the middle. Works good.

Polymer clay. Interesting idea. I would say not to varnish it myself. That stuff isn't meant to be underwater. I have worked alot with polymer clay and never thought to try this. Its a great idea! You could make caves and all kinds of little hidey holes.

The more I think about this, the better I like it! Just make sure it is completely cured. Bake longer than you think you need. You really can't hurt the stuff. And once its cured, I can't think of anything in it that would be harmful to the fish. I think my turtle and his shrimp are about to get some new playground equipment! I have bricks propped up for the turtle to sleep on near the water. They are heavy and I always worry about bumping them over when I clean the tank. If I crack the bottom, it will make a really big mess. This would be so much lighter! And I could put all little places for the shrimp to hide and lay eggs. AND, I think I'll poke holes in it for plastic plants. A little dab of silicon and they're in there where destructo-turtle can't pull them out.

OK, I have convinced myself that you are brilliant for thinking of this.

So, are you going to leave a hole in the base and use a dab of glue to secure the plant? I think you could try baking some silk plants right into it so you don't need glue. Maybe at 235 instead of 250 and bake longer. I might try it to see what happens. If you do this, make sure to put a cheap disposable pan underneath. If you melt plastic in your stove without one, you'll be very sorry

Could you post pics of what you decide to try? If you've never worked with it before, it starts out really stiff, but some neutral colors would blend together nicely for a natural rock appearance. It gets softer as you mess with it. And don't do it on a painted surface, the solvents in uncured clay will eat your paint and make it dull. The solvents bake out.

Again, great idea!!

 

[ValRasbora]

hehe beckyd you seem very excited!

 

[littletankbigworld]

I didn't want to use rocks, since I am making rock houses for bettas out of silicone and rocks and I didn't want there to be an overload of rocks. I'm also having a thin layer of sand and I don't want the rocks to show up. (Covering rocks in silicon and then dunking them in sand sounds too messy.) The only thing that would worry me a bit is if it is carcinogenic and little pieces of plastic would disintegrate over time. But that shouldn't be a huge problem. I can't take all the credit. I read about people using Sculpey online, and I agree. It is so brilliant! So many things can be done with it. Did you know that Sculpey Ultralight floats in water?
Thanks for the advice. I made a "test base." I rolled out a tan ball and tapped it against the table so it had a flat side, and then I poked a hole in the top of the curved part. I don't want to melt any plants, so I'll just use silicone. Absolutely! I'll post a link to the post here, since it'll probably be in the DIY or the betta forum. I also suggest looking at tutorials online for polymer clay. I use polymer clay all the time, and tutorials (even if they are about making miniature clay food!) show you how to make different clay textures. Good luck! Hopefully after midterms I can post pictures! I adore DIY projects!

 

[littletankbigworld]

Plus, Sculpey is a lot nicer than a bunch of random, colorful milk, water, and soda lids! I'm glad you are excited! You should post a few pictures, too!

 

[littletankbigworld]

Beckyd, someone on another forum said to mix sand in with the clay for more realistic rocks. I'm going to experiment with that as soon as I get my bag of sand for substrate.

 

[AndiH]

I just read this (was on a computer-hitch sabbatical) and was wondering how this has worked out. If you still think it works fine, I think I'll try it.

 

[littletankbigworld]

Sculpey works fine. However, I find it takes a long time to get realistic textures for building ornaments, so I'd much rather buy rocks and build things with them. However, if you do ever need to make/repair an ornament, Sculpey is the way to go.