To protect plastic products from the external environment or to give them a glossy sheen, it is desirable to varnish them. In addition, varnished works have additional color depth.

Unfortunately, not every varnish can be used for coating, some simply do not dry on plastic, others, although they dry, begin to stick after a while.

What varnishes should not be used?

Conventional nail polishes have a very different formula and can become sticky after a while.
Hair sprays - they are not waterproof, in addition, dust likes to settle on them.
Universal acrylic varnishes, which are sold in stationery - they often do not dry on plastic.

What varnishes are guaranteed to be suitable for polymer plastic?

1. Specialized, from polymer plastics manufacturers.
Examples:

2. Acrylic water-based wood flooring. Often they also write "polyurethane-acrylic" on the banks.

Examples:
varnish Varathane Crystal Clear Waterbone- water-based floor treatment, transparent, no yellowing, stable, high strength, non-toxic. It happens - glossy / matte / semi-gloss.

And Future Floor Finish. These two products have been tested by a whole generation of polymer workers.

If you cannot buy Varathane or Future Floor Finish, you can look at the hardware store for any other similar wood floor finish. The main thing - pay attention that the composition of the varnish does not contain latex - it is not friendly with plastic. You can see a detailed discussion of different types of varnish on the Osinka website forum.

What to do if you still bought the "wrong" varnish and it started to stick?

You can try to bake the product in the oven at a temperature of 110-130 degrees for 10-15 minutes if the varnish was water-based. If this does not help and the product is still sticky, then you need to wipe off the layer of sticky varnish with acetone, rinse with soap and water, dry and apply a new layer of the "correct" varnish.

Some subtleties

You can often hear that even good varnishes begin to stick, peel off with a film or chip off. What could be the reason?

The product was not baked for enough time, the plastic did not completely polymerize and the plasticizer reacted with the varnish. To eliminate this reason, you need to bake the product, you can even without removing the layer of varnish.

There was too much plasticizer in the plastic and a thin oily film formed on the surface of the product after baking, which interferes with the firm contact of the plastic surface with the varnish. St. Petersburg plastic art possesses this property to the highest degree. What to do? - wipe the surface of the product with alcohol before applying varnish and / or wash with dish detergent. By the way, a fatty film can also appear from frequent contact of the baked product with your hands, especially if you have worked with raw plastic before.

The first coat of varnish was not dry enough before applying the next one. Some polishes feel dry within 10-15 minutes of application, in fact, many polishes take several hours to fully dry.

If you apply varnish immediately after sanding, without removing the remaining dust, then the varnish will not lie on the surface of the plastic, but on the "pillows" of dust. Over time, during the operation of the product, this can cause chipping of pieces of varnish in these places. Therefore, after grinding, if polishing is not expected, it is advisable to wipe the plastic surface with a damp cloth and dry it before applying varnish.

As a rule, at least two coats should be applied, in special cases up to five. Believe me, the difference is very big, the more layers, the deeper the color and the more spectacular the look, especially for products made of metallized plastic and translucent.

The varnish is considered to be completely dry after a week, but this does not mean that the product cannot be worn - it simply does not need to be wetted. By the way, this applies not only to acrylic varnish, but also to acrylic paints. If not allowed to dry between recoats, or wet ahead of time, the varnish may peel or blister.

There are two ways to varnish beads: apply varnish with a brush and dip in varnish. Let's explain the second way. The product on a stick is completely dipped into a container with varnish, then the excess varnish is allowed to drain, twisting around the axis for some time so that the varnish is evenly distributed and put to dry, sticking it into a piece of hard foam or foam. Usually, after a couple of minutes, a small droplet forms in the lower part - it is removed with a soft brush while it is still liquid. After the initial drying of the varnish, you can scroll the toothpick in the bead to make it easier to pull it out later. After the final drying, the beads are removed from the toothpicks with a twisting motion so as not to break it off and it does not remain in the bead.

One of the most difficult processes in working with polymer clay is varnishing products. Either the varnish does not dry and sticks to everything in a row, then it peels off, then it fades, then it does not shine as you want. And usually the selection of a suitable varnish becomes a rather difficult task. That's why I want to give you a very detailed and extensive overview of the different types of varnish.

Lacquering of plastic products. Variety of varnishes. varnishing methods. And other useful little things.

Introduction. Lacquering of plastic products is a rather extensive and controversial topic. Well, firstly, you can not varnish your jewelry at all, with sufficiently high-quality grinding and polishing. Secondly, some products, due to their aesthetic appeal, do not need to be varnished. But at the same time, keep in mind that white and light products that are not varnished will be very dirty when worn.
And yet, most masters prefer varnishing. This protects jewelry from abrasion, small scratches, protects from environmental influences, gives additional strength and durability, and also improves the appearance of the product - it gives shine or dullness, depending on the choice of varnish.

"Varnish is a liquid capable of producing a transparent, shiny film after drying in a thin layer.

Varnishes are solutions of solids in liquids that can either evaporate or dry out; solid substances are personal resins, and ethyl (wine) and methyl (wood) alcohols, essential and vegetable drying oils serve as solvent liquids. The resin solution applied to the surface to be varnished dries, leaving a thin, transparent and shiny film (in practice called varnishing), the properties and qualities of which determine the merits of the varnish taken.

In foreign languages, the words fr. lake, German lask means paint obtained by precipitation of organic colorful pigments with metal salts. Such paints in Russian are called bakans, and the Russian word "lacquer", as a designation for a liquid with the above properties, is translated in Western Europe by the words English. varnish, Firniss, fr. vernis."()

Mineral-based varnishes do not adhere well to a wet surface, most of them have a strong pungent odor, often take a long time to dry, but at the same time create a stronger coating than water-based varnishes.

Water-based varnishes are almost odorless, dry faster (most often), but do not fit well on a greasy surface, it happens that they swell in a humid environment, and the coating turns out to be elastic, as if rubber, and with a slight damage to the layer, it can be removed like a film from the entire surface. Here is an example of such a situation. However, if you put a very thin layer of varnish - you most likely will not notice any problems with it. You also need to remember to thoroughly dry the beads coated with water-based varnish. During the day, and preferably two - do not touch and do not allow water to enter.

A water-based varnish has the advantage that if it thickens, it is easily diluted with water to the desired consistency. Here, for example, there is a post on how to dilute Sculpey Glaze Gloss. If the "mineral" varnish thickens, then it is necessary to dilute it with solvents with great care, because. some of them react with plastic. For example, I diluted the "mineral" Fimo varnish with medical alcohol. Be sure to read the instructions for the varnish - how it is diluted, and then try applying a small amount to an unnecessary piece of plastic, and observe for a while so that there is no reaction.
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Note: There is another option for varnishing plastic products - this is epoxy. But this is rather a topic for a new article, because there is a lot of information on epoxy. Here I will only say that finding the right epoxy is perhaps even more difficult than finding the right varnish. But the surface coated with epoxy is ideally "glassy" and very durable. Here's a little about epoxy for you to familiarize yourself with, the author
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Methods for varnishing plastic products.

Note: Do not forget to degrease your plastic product before varnishing, especially if you are going to use a water-based varnish. For degreasing, you can wash the beads in warm water with soap, or wipe the surface with a cotton swab with alcohol.

1. Dipping varnishing.
To do this, put a bead on a toothpick or needle (knitting needle), dip it in varnish. You take it out, and for some time rotate the toothpick with the bead around its axis, thereby letting excess varnish drain and distributing the varnish evenly over the surface. Stick a toothpick into a foam sponge for washing dishes or a bunch of crumpled foil. After a few minutes, a drop of run-down varnish forms on the bead, it must be removed with a soft brush.
But I myself don’t like this method and don’t use it, because. it is very difficult for me to catch the right moment to remove the drop - if you remove it too early, a drop (or influx) will still form; if you are late, then the place where you removed the drop may not be leveled, because. the varnish has already thickened.
It is much easier for me to varnish products in the second way:

2. Varnishing with a brush. Everything is simple here. Take a brush, and evenly "paint over" the bead with varnish. Then also stick a toothpick with a bead into a sponge or foil to dry.
But an important role is played by the choice of brush. To ensure that no grooves (paths) of varnish remain on the surface of the product, you need to choose a soft brush. Which one? Often masters are advised to use a soft synthetic brush or "squirrel", "columns". Alternatively, you can use a soft nail polish brush.
Note: if your brush is fluffy, then there is a lot of air inside the pile, and because of this, bubbles may occur on the varnished surface. In order to “expel” the air from the bristle of the brush, it is advised to take a little varnish on the brush, and with your fingers (do not forget to wear gloves) wring out the brush for a while. Also, so that a lot of air does not accumulate inside the pile, it is advised to purchase brushes that are flat, not round.

3. There is another option for varnishing beads - it applies to cases when you have varnish in an aerosol can. At first, this method of varnishing may seem inconvenient to you (as it was in my case), but after a little practice, you will understand that this method is sometimes literally indispensable, for example, when you need to varnish a complex surface, with many recesses and protrusions, or when you varnishing a painted or tinted surface, etc.
So, varnishing a product with varnish from an aerosol can is very simple: slowly rotate the bead put on the toothpick with one hand, hold the can in the other, and spray the varnish on the bead. If you have a flat product, for example, a pendant, then you can put it on a bag or paper, spray it with varnish, wait for it to dry, turn it over, and repeat the spraying procedure for the underside of the pendant.
The appearance of your coating will depend on the distance from the can to the bead and the intensity of the varnish jet: if you keep the aerosol away and spray the varnish quite a bit, the surface will turn out with a matte thin coating; if you hold the spray can closer and make the spray of varnish intense, you will get a smooth glossy surface. Just do not hold the aerosol close to the bead - then the pressure of the varnish jet is very strong, and foam with air bubbles may form on the surface. What kind of distance you need - determine empirically, because. Aerosol varnishes are different, respectively, and the effects are different. What I said is based on the practice of using MOTIP automotive varnish.
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After your product has dried completely, you need to remove it from the toothpick. We remove it with a twisting movement, carefully, otherwise the varnish layer around the toothpick, or the toothpick itself, may be damaged. Remove it with a twisting movement, carefully, otherwise the varnish layer around the toothpick may be damaged, or the toothpick itself may break and remain inside the bead.

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Now let's talk

Shop Kalinkapolinka

I am often asked questions by beginners, so I decided to write a separate post on the most basic questions (in some places the word polymer clay will be replaced by pg):

What polymer clay to use?

For starters, you can try the Tsvetik plastic, it is sold in packs of 6-12 colors and is cheaper than its foreign counterparts PREMO, SCULPEY, KATO, PARDO, FIMO (the most common foreign type of pg in Russia). There is also Polish plastic, it is quite inexpensive, strong, it can be boiled rather than baked, it is suitable for modeling flowers and other sculptural modeling, but, unfortunately, it is not very good in sausages. What is the difference between Tsvetik and more expensive materials? Firstly, this type of plastic has a very small range of colors, it looks like ordinary children's plasticine, and there are no colors with effects at all (mother-of-pearl, metal-like, etc.) Secondly, after baking, this plastic is more fragile (those who sculpts from Russian materials may question my words, but now I'm talking about my personal experience). Slightly better than "Tsvetik" "Sonnet", but still, after baking, it breaks easily. I often use these clays for the insides of round beads.

What is the difference between other clays?

FIMO is the most common in Russia, there are two types of Classic and Soft. Soft is softer. Has a large palette of colors, suitable for all techniques, practically does not change color after baking (only translucent shades become brighter, translucent white in a thick layer with a gray tint is obtained)

Premo is one of my favorite types of plastic, it has a pleasant texture for modeling, it is very good for sausages.

Studio is another scalpi plastic that is no longer produced, but is still sold in stores. Pleasant to the touch, velvety after baking, the color scheme is very beautiful, there are very rich colors and restrained, noble.

Cernit is a fairly dense clay that requires long kneading before sculpting, similar to wax. During baking, the color changes significantly, transparency appears. Suitable for sculpting puppet faces (because of its porcelain), stone imitation (there is even a whole series for imitation of marble and other natural textures). And transparent it is one of the most transparent.

KATO-pg, baked at a higher temperature than all the others, has a very hard texture, kneaded with a hammer.

There are many more different clays, I mainly use these (I just don’t use KATO, I once bought all the colors for testing, something is difficult for me with it).

What tools and materials are needed for sculpting?

You need a knife, very sharp. A special one is best, but a clerical one will do. Do not use a kitchen knife, and in general the utensils from which you will later eat. This is dangerous to health.

In second place is a rock. Another indispensable pasta machine or in Russian noodle cutter. But at first, a rolling pin can replace it. The rolling pin should not be plastic (not all types of plastic can tolerate contact with pg, often pg dissolves them). Special acrylic roller, can be replaced with a metal tube, a glass object (narrow bottle, smooth glass, etc.)

Toothpicks come in handy, they can be used to roll sausage slices like miniature stacks, make holes in the beads (although I recommend drilling holes after baking with a 1-2 mm drill, but in some cases you can also use a toothpick), you can dry varnished beads on them and bake in the oven raw, in general, come in handy.

Then you will probably want to buy metal cut-out molds (similar to those used to make cookies) and texture sheets made of rubber or silicone, well, in general, there is still a mountain of everything that you can buy later. In the meantime, you can look in the bins for beautiful buttons, metal pendants (with which you can squeeze out drawings), and instead of molds, you can use a lid or glass with sharp edges, or make a tin mold of your own design from a metal can or plastic bottle.

In addition to tools, everything that needlewomen have in their stocks can come in handy: glitters, sprinkles, sparkles, shadows, pastels, skeletonized leaves, beautiful glass, beads, decorative elements, acrylic paints, in general, everything that you can decorate your work with.

If you want to make jewelry, then you will need accessories for jewelry: bases for earrings, pins, bases for rings, clasps, chains, cords, etc. I will write a separate article about this a little later.

How to achieve when sculpting that white is white?

During modeling, keep cleanliness, it is better to wear gloves on your hands, sculpt on a white piece of paper, clean glass. If you sculpt from white, then wear light-colored clothes so that there are no lint around you. Keep wet wipes handy to wipe your hands and tools. In addition, wet wipes can smooth out bumps.

How to make plastic softer or harder?

To soften the plastic, they come up with many folk methods with cream, petroleum jelly, heating, etc. I use the simplest one: Moldmaker. This is a plasticizer for making molds, peas are enough for a pack of polymer clay. Or mix with softer plastic. And, conversely, if the plastic "flows in your hands", then you need to mix it with a drier one, or put it on a sheet of white paper for a couple of hours until it becomes greasy, excess plasticizer will come out of the polymer clay.

How to bake polymer clay and at what temperature?

Baking is an important moment for creating a quality product. The temperature is indicated on the clay packaging. You can bake on a regular baking sheet covered with accordion-folded paper, you can put beads on a toothpick and stick them in foil, flat beads are best baked on glass or ceramic tiles. When baking, there should be no smell, the product should not blacken and char. If this happens, then rather ventilate the room. After baking, clean the stove if you plan to cook food in it later. If you are very worried about the issue of toxicity, then you can put the glass in a baking sleeve, and then open it on the street.

The first baking, do not put all the cobbled together beauty in the oven at once, practice on a sampler. After baking, the clay should be dense, thin flat parts should bend a little, and not break at the slightest pressure, the chips when drilling should be long, and not crumble with sand.

What varnish to coat polymer clay?

Do not use ordinary nail polish or acrylic varnish for creativity, some varnishes are able to dissolve plastic, even if it seems that it is dry at first, then over time it can begin to stick and collect all the dust, it cannot be removed from the product, which will be irretrievably damaged . There are special branded varnishes, in extreme cases, you can use not special, but experience-tested varnishes for construction work: Tikkurila parquet-yassia varnish (in a green jar, dries for a couple of hours, shines well, water-based, with a slight odor, the brush is easy to clean with water ), tikkurila unika-super (this is a yacht varnish, the coating is simply eternal, there are a couple of minuses - light products turn yellow, dries for a long time and has a strong smell), synteco pro 90 (pro 90 glossy, pro-45 semi-gloss, pro-20 semi-matte, the properties are as clear, but more stable, gives a more durable coating).

Glue for polymer clay, which one to use?

For gluing details on the bases (for example, for a ring), I use Contact-Gel glue. If you want to glue the pin, then drill a little hole with a margin so that there is room for the glue and it can fasten the pin to the base.

If you need to fasten polymer clay parts to each other or a piece of unbaked plastic to a baked one, then use a special baked gel, liquid plastic, for example, FIMO liquid. It definitely needs to be baked.

How to store uncut polymer clay sausages and started packs?

It is necessary to wrap them in a film or lay them in a zip bag. By themselves, in air, they, of course, do not dry out, but over time they can lose their plasticity and become brittle due to the evaporation of the plasticizer. Do not wrap sausages in paper!

How to grind polymer clay beads?

Grinding is done after baking, before varnishing. The sandpaper is waterproof, I buy it in automotive stores: the largest number is 400, then 600, then 800, 1000-1200 is polishing.

Grinding or not is your decision. If you feel the beads after grinding, they are completely different to the touch, the varnish does not hide the defects, but only emphasizes them even more.

Is polymer clay toxic?

In a sense, yes. This, after all, is not a completely natural product, which is not recommended for use by children under 8 years old, bake under the supervision of parents. If the plastic is burnt, ventilate the room. Bake with an extract, after baking, wash the oven or use a separate one for clay. Do not use dishes, noodle cutters, knives, plates that have been in contact with clay in the future for food! After baking, it is considered non-toxic. Not suitable for slingobus, children can bite off a piece of the bead, because they are softer in composition than plastic.

That's all I remember so far. I plan to add to this list.

baked varnish for PG cernit - reviews
I was unable to get information or any feedback on Cernit baked varnishes with simple and familiar queries from search engines, therefore, to replenish the worldwide information base of polymer makers, here is my post-review of Cernit polymer clay baked varnish from Darwi /
lacquer for polymer clay Cernit, reviews of lacquer Cernit,

I'll start with the clothes on which they meet. The jar and label are very convenient and well thought out. A jar of varnish is not made of glass, but of thick plastic - you won’t have to be afraid of a stupid loss of varnish due to the fact that the jar fell and broke. Instructions for using the varnish are here, hidden in a multilayer label that sticks and peels off perfectly. The instruction in Russian is incredibly pleasing - no need to interpret the supplier's explanations on a non-native sticker or wonder if the seller gave the correct instructions for use.

Lacquer consistency.
My experience with lacquers is Fimo lacquer, Sculpey lacquer, Vartan lacquer, Kiva Tikkurila lacquer, Yacht alkyd-urethane tikkurilla lacquer.
I really liked the consistency of Cernit lacquer - it is not as liquid as water-based lacquers, not as thick and viscous as parquet and yacht lacquers, it has the right consistency so that it is comfortable to pick it up on a brush without extra, flowing drops of lacquer, while it self leveling well. In order to imagine this consistency, imagine a jar of liquid honey on a hot day - it will be very similar.

Application rules.
The manufacturer gives instructions to cover the desired product with matte or glossy varnish in 1 - 3 layers with intermediate drying between layers for 1 hour in air. For quick drying, including, but, most importantly, to fix the varnish on the PG, the product varnished with the required number of layers must be baked in an oven preheated to 110 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes. At the same time, polymer clay Cernit Cernit is baked at 130 degrees.
My experience - I baked several samples according to the instructions, baked several together with Cernit products at 130 degrees for 40 minutes - the increase in baking time and temperature did not affect the external properties of the varnish.
Coating durability.
After drying in the oven, the surface to the touch is the same as covered with building varnishes for wood or yachts - smooth, when you run your finger with pressure, you feel the resistance to slip. When pressed with force with the nail of the thumb, a dent appears. which is restored before our eyes without a trace. An attempt to scratch the varnish with moderate force with recently manicured nails did not give anything - the varnish did not tear with a film, there was not even a burr on the coating. Out of sheer pampering, I threw a workpiece covered with glossy cernit varnish overnight into a glass of tap water, in the morning, after 7 hours, I took out the workpiece. After being in the water, the varnish became slightly whitish only in one place, where the varnish was thicker, when trying to pry and tear off the varnish there, nothing happened, it was not possible to scrape off or scratch the varnish on the workpiece with nails after such a bath. After 5 hours in the air, the workpiece dried out, the whitishness disappeared, the varnish did not lose any properties.
One thin workpiece varnished for experimental purposes was bent-twisted in all planes alternately - the varnish did not crack, obviously stretched along with the workpiece. One whitish spot appeared on the varnish only in the place where the corner of the workpiece was pressed to its main part by 120-130 degrees.

In general, I don’t know how else in the short term you can torment this varnish, but all the usual tests for normal loads on the PG and its varnish coating, in my opinion, the varnish passed by 5 plus.
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My reviews are:
- Cernit gloss varnish from Darwi is a treasure trove! When applied in 2 layers, it gives a good gloss, when applied in three layers, gloss and shine can only be compared with alkyd-urethane varnishes for parquet, but, unlike them, varnish for polymer clay Appreciates there is no huge minus in the form of yellowness. It dries quickly to the touch, but it is better to wait the hour recommended by the manufacturer between layers. The consistency is a miracle, the consumption is average. For self-levelling, so that there are no traces of the brush, you should not apply very thin layers.
- matte varnish is very good for matte. In fact, the surface covered in 1 layer with a matt varnish Appreciates the surface can be compared with the "natural" carefully sanded-polished surface of the PG. A coating of 2-3 layers gives an increase in color, a trained eye will immediately see varnishing, but even in bright light there are no glossy highlights, there is just a satin light sheen. In my opinion, they can cover almost everything where you do not want to see a bright gloss.
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Photos of test samples (test samples were made several years ago from the same pack of fimo blue metallic, mikashift technique. Where there are 3 samples in the photo - the lower one in the middle is not varnished at all):

Today our review is dedicated to comparing different varnishes. A large number of different types of varnishes are presented in hardware stores and specialized stores for needlework. What varnish is suitable for polymer clay? Which varnish for polymer clay does it give a good finish?

1. Special varnish for polymer clay.

Firms - manufacturers of polymer clay offer a variety of varnishes for coating polymer clay.

Lacquer for polymer clay There are two types of water-based paint: glossy and semi-gloss. Produced in bottles of 10 ml. and 35 ml. Doesn't stick. It is removed from the product with a solvent.

Lacquer for polymer clay "Sculpey" water-based is available in two types: glossy and matte. In bottles of 30 ml. This varnish can be used before or after baking.

Varnish for polymer clay Viva Decor (Pardo Clay Varnish) glossy is available in 50 ml bottles. Thicker than previous special varnishes. Ideal for Pardo polymer clay.

2. Nail polish. It would seem to have nothing to do with clay, but many beginners use nail polish as a polymer clay coating. I will disappoint you, but just like on nails, nail polish will peel off polymer clay too. Most often, it begins to stick to the product even before it peels off. It is better to purchase a varnish designed for polymer clay.

3. Varnishes for wood from various manufacturers. They are issued in large jars, so they are expensive. When choosing a varnish, you should pay attention to its composition - acrylic polyurethane without latex. Latex is not friendly with polymer clay.

Parquet lacquers from other companies (Dufa, Alpina, Dulux) also proved themselves on the good side. When choosing, always pay attention to the composition of the varnish.

Perhaps the most famous wood finish used by polymers is VARATHANE CRYSTAL CLEAR WATERBONE DIAMOND WOOD FINISH. Water-based polyurethane floor finish, transparent, quick-drying, non-yellowing over time. This is a varnish that has been tested by more than one generation of polymer clay masters.

4. Floor coverings.

Polishes and floor oils, as it turned out, can also be used when coating polymer clay. We look at the composition so that there is no latex and try.

Personally, I use wood oil bought from Ikea. The oil does not give a super-shine like varnish, it gives such a soft glow.

5. Wax for various purposes is not a varnish at all, but it is also used to coat polymer clay products.

Colorless Kiwi shoe wax and Renaissance metal preservation wax are used. Wax for metal, judging by the reviews and promises of the manufacturer, is an amazing thing, but its cost is not permissiblely high. So let's try shoe wax.

5. Lacquer for decoupage Maimeri Idea Decoupage.

According to polymer workers - suitable for polymer clay, creates a vitreous film. Looks especially impressive on translucent polymer clay.

That's probably all for today about varnishes. Try and find your polish. If you have any questions regarding the choice and use of varnish, as well as on other topics - ask questions here in the comments or in our group in contact