Poly clay problem

[pshib]

Looks like a good thing that my one sale fell through. The Dallas set I made ended up being not so sturdy. The clay and CA finish are both cracking and chipping at the ends. Not sure if I used too much pressure pressing them together, if I baked too long and the clay was too brittle, if the gatsby set doesn't leave enough material, or if it's a combination. I think it nay have been baked a little too long as I have. Another gatsby at home made out of clay that did not show any signs of cracks.

 

[lyonsacc]

I think Dallas might be part of your problem. They seem to have a tendency to fall apart right at the end of a game and season. . .

Could be a few things, but from the pick it looks like the end might not have been sanded/turned flush and square to the tube.

How long are you baking for, and what brand do you use? We use Kato (I think) and bake it for about 1/2 hour.

 

[lorbay]

Looks like it was too tight when pressing in the parts or you did not press them in square. Do you check the inside of the brass tube before pressing in the parts ? You should always file or ream the ends first.
Lin

 

[MrsPTownSubbie]

I have found that overbaking clay usually only darkens the color, not makes it more brittle, but if you used a Sculpey brand of clay, they are normally more brittle than other brands.

 

[pshib]

Actually I think it was scupley I used on these,the other set I made cracked on my and I had to take all the clay off because it did the same thing. They were squared up and I was careful to press them in evenly. Could be that the pressure caused the cracking. This is the only time it's happened. Could it be that the clay was porous enough to absorb the ca and that could have caused it to crack. Or perhaps a shorter cooking time. It's supposed to cook 20 minutes for 1/4 inch, way thicker than what's left on the blank after sanding.

 

[MrsPTownSubbie]

Haven't had any obvious problems using CA on clay that I can remember. Fred may have to correct me, but I can only think of one instance where the finish cracked. I didn't sell it, but that pen found a home since somebody still liked the design so much they ignore the crack...LOL. If you like the blank enough, you should be able to salvage it if you can get some glue in the clay cracks and redo the CA finish.

 

[pshib]

The pen is my personal pen now alone with the matching pencil with also cracked under pressure. It's no biggie, just something for me to keep in mind since I always seem to encounter any and all problems that can go wrong. Sand like I said this is the only time it's happened. I'll try sanding the tubes and pan parts a little more, maybe I'll take enough off to require epoxy to hold them together.

 

[pshib]

After checking all my other clay pens no problems expect a few light hairline cracks on one that may be from the fact my wife just tosses it in her purse. After looking at the cracked set it appears that the fit was just tight and just pressing them together. Also appears that it may just be the CA that has the cracks.

 

[creativewriting]

From the pictures it looks as if it is just the CA that has cracked. The clay should have some flex to it, and over baking usually doesn't lead to the finished product being more brittle. This happened to me a few time when the end weren't flush and I applied a little more pressure trying to close the gap in the hardware. The clay will flex a bit, but the CA doesn't. If you can disassemble the pen you should be able to sand off the old CA and save the blank and the pen hardware.

 

[pshib]

I might try to save it, depends on my mood. The only other one that has small cracks, which I've found others on here with the same problem, is my wife's. On hers it fits considering its a marbled clay and the small amount of cracking adds to the look.