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How to soften hardened air-dry clay

October 11, 2016

Yep. We have all been there.. bought Air-Dry Clay in bulk.. used some.. but over time it has become quite hard and stiff! This is particularly a problem when using air drying clay with kids! Their fingers are not strong enough to knead it back into softness and they will have problems connecting pieces, so that their creations do not later fall apart. It is actually incredibly EASY to soften hardened air-dry clay – as we will show you here! I think this is the easiest way to revive dry clay.

Our favourite Air Dry clay projects have been our Nature Art Projects, and our Monster Pinch Pots. Simple and fun. But there are MANY uses for air drying clay and we look forward to sharing more ideas with you over time.

How to soften harden air dry clay EASILY. Have some air drying clay that is hard and can't work with it? This is the easiest method to soften it back down, ready for a great air drying clay project!

Do watch this short video (which is part of our handy “Crafts Basics” series on YouTube – let us know what else you would like to see in this series.. we have everything from basic sewing stitches, to removing labels from jars here!).

So.. how do you soften air drying clay??

  1. Basically…. you get your clay. You get a couple of plastic bags (with no holes in them) and a cup of water.
  2. Place the clay in the bag. Poke a few times with a knife to make some holes.
  3. Add the water.
  4. Seal the bag and leave for a day.
  5. You will now have very soft clay indeed.

NOTE: It is best that you get your clay out and ready to be used maybe a good half an hour before use. As you WILL want it to harden a little bit again. Depending on whether you are doing this in Winter or summer.. you may want to leave it out resting under a damp art rag. But it WILL be a little too wet for use immediately!

 

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Filed Under: Craft Hacks 19 Comments

Comments

  1. Katie Osborne says

    October 4, 2017 at 12:36 am

    Will this work for oven baked clay

    Reply
    • Red Ted Art says

      October 4, 2017 at 7:24 am

      Oh that is a good question. I don’t know. I would suggest experimenting?

      Reply
  2. Mason says

    October 21, 2017 at 9:40 am

    I used too much water and now my air dry clay is like chocolate mousse…ive left it to dry, I’ve tried kneading it, I’ve hung it up in an old pillow case but nothing is working..have I ruined my clay?

    Reply
    • Red Ted Art says

      October 21, 2017 at 6:35 pm

      No, it should still dry out.. it may just take a while? How long have you left it? (I know people who “make” clay from mud in river beds.. so you can definitely salvage it)

      Reply
  3. Hannah says

    February 13, 2018 at 3:52 pm

    Hello what happens if you forget and it goes hard again

    Reply
    • Red Ted Art says

      February 13, 2018 at 3:56 pm

      You can soak it in water again!

      Reply
  4. ELLENA says

    March 2, 2018 at 2:04 am

    Um my clay was model magic clay, will it still work?

    Reply
    • Red Ted Art says

      March 2, 2018 at 12:41 pm

      No, I don’t think so..

      Reply
      • ELLENA says

        March 3, 2018 at 5:09 pm

        Ok thank you for telling me?

        Reply
  5. Emma says

    July 4, 2018 at 2:59 pm

    Should we put water with the holes, won’t it leak?

    Reply
    • Red Ted Art says

      July 4, 2018 at 3:52 pm

      I keep it all in a big plastic bag and it helps soften the centre.. once you start working with it, you need to drain any excess water anyway

      Reply
      • Anonymous says

        December 14, 2018 at 1:19 am

        Hi

        Reply
  6. Anonymous says

    August 13, 2018 at 2:57 pm

    I Don’t get it
    Why do I have to get a bag with no holes then poke holes in it

    Reply
    • Red Ted Art says

      August 29, 2018 at 9:56 am

      You don’t poke holes in the bag, but the clay!

      Reply
      • Anonymous says

        September 13, 2018 at 1:25 pm

        Thank you!!!!

        Reply
  7. Anonymous says

    November 29, 2018 at 4:47 pm

    Can I use Clay from the grown

    Reply
    • Red Ted Art says

      November 30, 2018 at 10:30 am

      Yes, but it needs to be cleaned first

      Reply
  8. Avril17 says

    December 17, 2018 at 6:02 am

    Can you drill a hole in a project made from air-dry clay after it has dried? Will the project crack?

    Reply
    • Red Ted Art says

      December 17, 2018 at 9:32 am

      Ooh that is a good question!!! I think if done carefully it should work. However, I would probably NOT try it. So risky!

      Reply

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