A week ago, when I was in Budapest, taking pictures of the panorama from the top of Gellért Hill, I stopped in a tiny shop I'd been in for at least 5-6 years. The idea came from seeing a friend's Facebook post about the wonders she has been making with polymer clay - for 40 years.
She also buys the polymer clay there, which is 100% Hungarian and as such the first of its kind in the world. Its inventor is a woman, now 87 years old, and everyone calls her Mamo. She is very nice, youthful and still very active.
A week ago she did a podcast with her daughter, who now runs the shop. She told us about her adventurous discovery of clay back in the late 50s. She worked in a lab and her job was to experiment with new materials. Once, she made a mixture of clay and made a caricature of her boss, and her colleagues burst out laughing. Meanwhile, the boss arrived, and the girl, still in her twenties, frightened, threw the head into a pot of boiling water.
The next day the piece was perfectly hard!
This is how the invention got started! Since she was the only one who knew about the secret ingredients, decided to file it with the Invention Office as a patent. In 1961 she was granted it. Many years later, she participated in a fashion jewellery exhibition. Faber-Castell representatives were immediately struck by the fact that she was using the same material as they were marketing. She then showed the patent she had been granted years before Faber-Castell for Fimo Clay.
They also tried to blackmail her, saying that she could ask for any amount of money she wanted, just to stop producing clay. She smiled and said NO! She wanted a Hungarian product for Hungarian people.
The clay has been produced in a small manufacture for 50 years. She hasn't got rich from it, but she's happy because she keeps doing what she's always loved.
The polymer clay itself softens and sticks very quickly due to the warmth of the hand. In fact, this is why many people prefer the harder but much more expensive Fimo clay.
But that's why it gives you much more opportunity for experimentation. You can mix different substances (organic and mineral) into it, which change its properties. It's not so sticky, but still sculptable and can be used to create a fine pattern. In addition, burnt-out pieces can be well painted with acrylic paint. Personally, I prefer subdued, natural colors as a base and a stone-like texture. But I have also tried metallic paints on the surface, after burn.
In the beginning I played with the sticky material, creating textures with some simple tools like a rubber brush and a dotting kit.
It is also made with a rubber brush and a dotting set.
Then I also made spiral beads and included black walnut slices with the clay. I have already added rice flour, which was ground in a coffee grinder. Unfortunately, the rice flour was not fine enough.
I used the spherical end of the dotting stick to deepen the material, and then added more small balls of clay. This way I got an organic texture.
To start, I burned only 3 small pieces to make sure I had the right mix ratio. Worked, it won't fall apart!I immediately started decorating them with metallic acrylic paint.
These are the final results. I think they look nice!
I will definitely continue experimenting with clay powder, fine sand. If there are any new results, I will report back! You can also buy it here:
https://www.meska.hu/p3802166-sutheto-gyurma-plastkitt-nagy-csomag
(Source: Google Maps)