Sealing Polymer Clay: Glaze, Varnish and UV Resin
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- Опубликовано: 13 апр 2025
- This video will explain a range of different sealers (including varnishes, glazes and UV resin) that you can use with polymer clay. We will show you how to apply each of them, and also show you example pieces and side by side comparisons. The sealants we will go through are:
Sculpey Glaze (Glossy and Satin)
Cernit Varnish (Gloss and Matte)
Pearl Ex Varnish
Just Resin UV Resin
In this video we will also go through safety gear you should use when using UV resin and give you some tips on effectively applying and curing UV resin.
The UV lamp we use in our video is a Blueque V1 168W Nail lamp (42 LED).
You can find all of the glazes, varnishes and UV resin products on our website www.myclayco.com.au.
If you have any questions about our video, or the making process, we'd love to help - just comment below :)
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Thanks for watching and happy making!
The MyClayCo Team x
Thank you so much for this video. I am just starting out using polymer clay as a new hobby and I think that you girls are so helpful and generous with your time. Thank you again.
Aww thank you! 🥰 It is our pleasure, we love polymer clay and love teaching 😊
I use resin for most 2D things and I use water based polyurethane for 3D pieces. Thanks for all the details though! Very informative! Especially the outlining with resin first. My resin always pulls to the middle so that’s an amazing tip!
Thank you! I need to do some polyurethane testing - I am always worried it will do something weird on me and I wimp out and don’t use it! Definitely going to have to give some a go!
Thank you for this video, I have picked up a lot of tips and look forward to trying some of the techniques 😊
My pleasure! Glad you found it helpful! ☺️
Thank you for this great video. I wish I’d seen it before I suffered w a pretty severe allergic reaction to resin. For me, I think I’ll stick with a glaze! Your videos are always so informative.
Oh no! Yes, I will admit I was a little lax until I had a couple of friends have reactions and wowee it scared me and I have taken resin safety very seriously ever since! I totally get the decision to stick to glazes!
Thank you so much for watching our videos! ❤️❤️❤️
SAME!!! im planning to start with polymer making and searching on alternative to varnish, glad i found this video :)
Just sealed my first set of earrings made with my new stuff. I was amazed how far Sculpey glaze goes! (We have our xmas early so I'm already making with my order lol) Love the bookshelf pack, everything was perfect! Everyone loves them 😀
So glad you are enjoying it, and yes that glaze goes a long way! We have done a lot of bookshelf making over the last month and it is so fun. So glad you’re enjoying it too ❤️ Merry Christmas! 🎄
I use resin on some things and on others a water based polyurethane. Never been a fan of the Sculpey glazes for some reason. 😊 I’m going to keep an eye out for that PearlEx glaze though. That’s interesting!
Which water based sealant do you use?
Yes, the Pearl Ex one is great! Which polyurethane do you use, if you don’t mind me asking? I’m always interested to know what works for others!
Yes, I have heard others say they’re not a fan of the Sculpey one but I’ve never had an issue and it’s easy to use to it ticks my boxes. Sometimes I wonder if it’s climate or something that affects peoples experiences 🤔
@@deboday5490 Varathane is the brand. Just make sure it’s water based.
@@myclayco Varathane is the brand. However I’m in America. Not sure how available that is where you are.
Do mind sharing your experience with the sculpty glaze? I'm trying to identify the pros and cons of each option. Thx!
Great tutorial and great information, thank you ❤😊
My pleasure! 🥰
I think it is a good idea to use a sealant as I often find that somehow make up transfers onto my polymer clay jewellery and occasionally stains them.
Yes, I find the same thing! Particularly helpful with white earrings!
Do you have a clean up video? I feel i need to put every thing pens, lighter, mat, tools under the UV light so it's cured before I put them away. It is very time consuming. Does rubbing alcohol help with cleaning un cured resin? I am a bit confused on a fast way to clean up. I know when I am doing clean up that no one probably cleans like I do cause it's so not efficient. I also throw my gloves in a bag and tie it up.
We don’t have a clean up video, but that is a good suggestion! I actually do similar to you most of the time, I find it’s just easier to cure it and pop it off, particularly because most of our tools are silicone. If it’s a paintbrush or something then I put it in isopropyl alcohol straight after (uncured) and that cleans it off 😊
@myclayco do you call waste management to get rid of the gloves and paper towels with alcohol on them? I might need to according to chat gpt
Thank you for this video. Great information. I’m just starting out and I like the Sculpey Glaze Glossy and the UV resin. I needed the trick on getting it to the edge properly & repeat it.
I do have a question about firing my piece before I glaze them. If I’m baking them at 275 degrees for 40 minutes, will the pieces still have some flexibility to them. Or should I be baking them longer? 🙏🏻💖
Glad you found it helpful!
If the thickness of what you’re making is only a few mm then that baking time should be perfect. Polymer clay should be a little flexible if cured correctly, so if yours has come out a little flexible then well done, you’ve nailed the curing! 👏
@@myclayco thank you! 😊
Great video and tips!! Can you spray on the sealer with an airbrush? Or, could you use a satin or gloss air brush top coat to seal them?
I have not tried one but that would be worth an experiment! It would be great if it worked to avoid brush strokes!
Amazing video! Thank you so much. I learned so much and was so fun and easy to understand ❤
My pleasure! So glad you found it helpful! ❤️
I've tried the glazes you've shown, and apart from UV resin, I'm struggling with brush marks. Do you have any tips on how to avoid brush marks?
Yes, I feel you, this can be a challenge! And that is one of the reasons why I do love resin. The best solution I’ve found is to do a couple of coats. If anyone is reading this and has more tips, we’d love to hear them!
Thank you so much for the tips!
You're so welcome! 😊
Great tutorial, many thanks ❤x
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it 🥰x
*IMPORTANT* I'm trying to put sealant or a protective layer on my brass jewelry so will these methods work the same and also how long does of the layers lasts??
I am not sure sorry, we mostly use stainless steel findings so don’t have much experience with brass. I do know that some people to put a sealant on brass to prevent oxidisation but I have no experience with it myself. I believe there are specific sealants for this that are meant for metal, so I’m not sure how the ones meant for polymer clay would go 🤔
What is the benefit of using air-dry glaze vs. resin, other than speed of curing and safety measures? Is one more durable, more/less shiney, etc than the other? Thanks!
Resin has a domed glossy finish so the look is quite different to the flat gloss finish that you get with normal glazes. I can’t remember where in the vid it is, maybe in the resin or Sculpey glaze bit, but there’s a side by side comparison you can check out ☺️
Thank you for sharing!
Looking at your varnished and resined pieces, it seems that the varnished ones look less smooth under it.
I know, I did a terrible job of prepping my clay 🙈 that is a good observation though because the pieces were all from the same batch (all with a few air bubbles) and the resin did a very good job of hiding the flaws!
@@myclayco This is interesting, you can maybe completely skip the sanding process, when using resin.
Great advice, thanks 😊
My pleasure 😊
So appreciate your channel. Can you give me tips on how you clean your brushes after using the Sculpey glazes?
Thank you! 🥰 We try wash them straight away but sometimes (if we get too excited about what we’ve made and forget 😂) be pop them in a little isopropyl alcohol to clean them 😊
Hey there, thank you for the information.I have a question about working with polymer clay and air dry clay.If you dont sand your pieces , do you still wear a mask or stay in a ventilated room when working?
I read that all types of clay contain silica ,a type of fine dust and we are in danger of getting silicosis over time.I worked with air dry clay once(which I made by myself when watching a tutorial) but now I am afraid to continue doing it in my bedroom.
We do wear a mask when sanding because the dust particles are not good to breathe in. We don’t wear a mask when just working with polymer clay though. We do always wear a mask when working with resin.
If this is something you are concerned about though you should do your own research to make sure you are comfortable 😊
Thank you so much!What about products that are listed as garnish or glaze on their website , do they require a mask while working with them?
I cant get any of the products you mentioned during the video in my country, but I saw another option with is called Ultimate glaze by Cadence or Waterbase acrylic varnish
Earlier on, I was a polymer clay jewelry enthusiast. I love gloss for finishing some pieces. Gloss not only adds a protective layer, but also just seems more 'finished' with it. So, I tried the Sculpey gloss. In time, I found that it chips up and it doesn't look as good. Frustrated with the price and the amount you get, I went with Varathane...not much better. Then went onto the 2-part resin. No patience for it and my ratios never seemed right because the pieces never cured...ugh...at this point things seemed hopeless. Then the UV resin seemed like the answer. Not much better luck... I'm ready to cry tbh. I'm not sure if it's the wattage of the lamp, the viscosity with the resin, but the pieces still have tackiness to it...sigh
Hmmm it definitely could be the wattage of your lamp, or even the resin you’re using. Do you know how many watts your lamp is? What brand is it?
Hi, when using a varnish or anything that isnt resin, is a mask still required?(if its brush on and not a spray)
We don’t use it for ones like Sculpey or Cernit, but it would depend on the glaze or varnish you’re using. You should be able to check their safety data sheet, or contact the company for safety instructions if you’re unsure 😊
Hey I have a question
How to manage the spreading of uv resin if you have an uneven surface.
I feel like it doesn’t stay on the upper level and slide back in Center or lower level area.
Thanks plus the video was great!
One more question
Does it gets sticky once it comes out of uv light?
I’d probably do uneven layers the same way we do models - apply thin a thin layer with a paint brush. You can do multiple layers (curing in between) if you want to 😊
The resin shouldn’t be sticky afterwards, if it is it’s likely that it hasn’t cured for long enough under a UV light 😊
do you need the lamp to dry out the resin?
Yes, you either need a UV lamp or the sun to cure UV resin ☺️
@@myclayco ok. I asked today in a store and they said I'd need the lamp. I wouldn't mind to wait longer with just the sun if that's possible. I have a small terrace facing the sun pretty much the whole day
Can you use mod podge on polymer clay?
I haven’t tried it myself but I’ve seen a few other people say it can go sticky after a while. Might be worth testing on a tester piece 😊
Great video. Thank you for the tips. Do you recommend to lightly sand before applying UV resin to prevent it from pulling from the edges?
Thank you! 🥰 No, we don’t sand our pieces before we resin them 😊
Can you mix mica powders in with the sculpey and cernit glosses like you did with the pearl ex varnish or are they too dissimilar products? Thank you for this video it was very informative and I love your accent!
Hehe that Aussie twang 😂 Thank you 🥰 I haven’t actually tried it with other varnishes but I would think it would work - now I want to go test it!
Yay more experiments 😊
Thank you so much. Have been waiting for sometime for a tutorial on this subject. Can I ask though, do you apply resin to both sides of the earrings and on the edges? Thank you once again.
My pleasure! We generally only apply it to the front face with the earrings we make, but there’s no reason why you can’t apply it to the the back and sides if your piece calls for it - we made a faux stone slab the other week and resined the whole thing to make it look like an actual stone 😊
thank you so much for making this video
I have never had any stickiness with any of these and I have pieces I’ve had for years! Interestingly I have heard others say that their Sculpey glaze can go sticky, I’m not sure if maybe it depends how thick the coat is 🤔 but we have not had any issues 😊
@@myclayco thank you so much for your reply! That really helps ❤️😊
Is it possible to overcure uv resin?
I haven’t overcured anything myself but I have heard that if you do cure too much it can start yellowing 😊
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The test that you did on polymer clay to leave it in the sun and the colors you use is an unfair test you should’ve used colors with no yellow or green in it
Yes, I think I mentioned that it’s not the best test, I just had some spare so thought I’d see how they went. Thanks for your input - we will have to do a proper resin test another time 😊