FINISHING TECHNIQUES FOR POLYMER CLAY
Recently I was reading a posting on a polymer clay discussion group. The artist was grieving over the loss of her favorite finishing material. It was her method of getting rid of the dusty look on sanded polymer clay. For many years I used Carnuba wax to finish beads when I didn't want the high gloss finish achieved by buffing beads. A few years ago I discovered Renaissance micro crystalline wax polish. So I decided to partially wax a bead and photograph the result. The tiger striped bead was first sanded with 400, 800, then 1500 grit wet/dry sandpaper. I taped off one half then waxed the other half. Here is the result. The black/pink bead was sanded the same way then buffed. The wax gives a nice satin finish. It brought out the mica shift in the gold clay though not anywhere near as much as sanding/buffing the bead to a high shine. I also use it to finish unsanded beads. It doesn't provide as much shine as on a sanded bead. I use it just to protect the bead. I have never been fond of varnishing beads. I just can't get an even finish that way.
I purchased my Renaissance wax from: http://www.restorationproduct.com/
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