Review on DAS Hardening Modeling Pound 387500 by Angela Rodriguez

I bought the clay at Michael's craft store about a day ago (I received a 16 ounce packet). The first thing I noticed when I opened it was the smell. It's a very chemical smell and really irritated me at first. I have worked with several different clays and several different air dried clays and this clay has the strongest odor I have ever encountered. However, when it is completely dry, it disappears. To be able to use it, I had to tilt it several times and keep adding a few drops of water because it seemed to dry out pretty quickly (at least on the outside). I note that the color of the clay at the exit of the packaging is gray and not white. This is due to the moisture content of the clay. When it dries completely, it takes on a very nice white color. I am currently making an articulated mannequin (BJD) and as of yesterday have successfully modeled the lower torso and a hip joint. Although clay was difficult to work with when I first opened the packaging, constant use helped to solve the problem! Clay has a hard time sticking to itself if it's too dry or too wet. I've found that the best consistency for sticking it onto another piece of clay is when it starts to get sticky on your fingers. I would recommend slightly dampening the area you wish to stick to for even adhesion. Another tip for this is to press firmly on the very edge of the clay with your fingers to flatten it (paper thin) onto the other piece of clay. Metallic clay tools are also very useful for making clay. The texture of the clay is very fibrous, as noted by another reviewer. You can't add fine detail to your project when it comes to deeply cutting clay, as the fibers will cause the clay to be pulled down (think how thick grassy mud reacts to this - it's a similar effect). While this has its downsides, the clay's fibers ensure that if your project dries out and you need to add more clay, it's not a problem. In fact, I've found that it's MUCH easier to put wet clay on top of water-dampened dry clay than it is to model wet clay on top of wet clay. The DAS Paper Clay texture also ensures a very smooth surface. All you have to do is put some water on your fingertips to rub the clay until it's ceramic smooth. When drying, the clay becomes very cold. I'm sure there's some science behind it that I don't know, but once it's completely dry it no longer feels cold in the fridge. It's also a great way to find out if it really is completely dry. This will be room temperature, not cool. It's much easier to create fine detail when your designs are dry (or almost dry). You can use a precision knife to scrape off the dry pieces. They won't come off in pieces when your projects are dry. It's really like cutting paper-thin pieces out of dry clay. When you do this (which I recommend for this product), sand and smooth your designs with your fingertips. The dried product still reacts to water. I highly recommend sealing your project with a waterproof finish to increase durability and protect it from the elements. However, I still wouldn't recommend this clay for outdoor clay projects, even with a waterproof sealer. Because it is an air-dry clay, it is still more brittle than, say, baked polymer clay artwork. To dry this particular clay, I've learned (through online reading and experimentation) that you can speed up the drying time for larger projects by placing it in a 300F oven for 30 minutes at a time. That works great. The smooth texture of the clay after drying makes it very easy to paint on, so that's another plus. One last thing, this clay is VERY dry on my hands. Working with it for hours soaked up practically all the moisture in my hands and made it a bit uncomfortable at night. It also adheres very well to hands and skin and is difficult to wash off once completely dry. Use gloves if you can, otherwise have Aquaphor lotion handy. Ultimately I love this paper putty despite some flaws and once I figured out how to use it I would use it again (especially for the price! I've included some photos with and without the flash to show the difference in color wet and dry , as well as a smooth surface.