It’s impossible to mistake the unique look of lava rock with its pitted surface. However, you don’t have to order actual lava rock to create jewelry and other projects.
Instead of investing in real lava rock, you can create fake lava rock using polymer clay. DIY polymer lava rock holds up well, can be any color you choose and remains a practical way to add more enjoyment to your claying!
Your DIY Fake Lava Rock Playbook
You can learn how to make fake lava rock out of your polymer clay today. All you need is some polymer clay and coarse chunks of sea salt.
Below is the quickest method we know to whip up a batch of homemade lava rocks:
- Condition your polymer clay as desired. Roll it, stretch it and soften it so it’s pliable.
- Form your polymer clay into a ball shape. Make the ball as large or small as you want.
- Add about an eighth of a cup of coarse sea salt to the bottom of a plastic bowl or plate. Carefully roll your polymer clay ball in the sea salt, pressing down to embed the salt pieces into the surface of the ball. Apply pressure gently but firmly. You want the salt crystals to attach.
- Remove your first salt-coated ball and continue with others.
- Bake your DIY lava rocks according to the polymer clay directions. No need to remove the salt — the oven heat won’t harm the salt crystals!
- After your polymer clay has hardened and cooled, grab a bowl of warm water. Add the baked polymer balls into the water. Swirl them around with a wooden or plastic spoon. The salt will begin to dissolve.
- When the salt has fully dissolved from your polymer clay balls, remove them from the water. Dry the balls on a paper towel.
At this point, you should have quite a few lava rocks or “mini meteors.” You can use your polymer lava rocks for any number of projects or purposes, such as putting them in a large “bead cage” jar to help diffuse drops of your favorite essential oils.
You can even experiment with different sizes and shapes of lava rocks. Remember that natural lava rocks all look unique. Embed faux lava rocks into innovative jewelry pieces to construct one-of-a-kind looks. You can encourage budding clayers to make polymer lava rocks at home to use as part of science-related displays or projects.
Clayers Love Making DIY Fake Lava Rocks
One of the most appealing aspects of becoming a clayer is finding new ways to use polymer clay. Though the salt technique listed above is a wonderful way to make a fake lava rock, you may think of others.
Some clayers use small, crushed gravel pieces to add “pits” to the surface of clay. Rather than baking the clay with the crushed gravel intact, you can use tools and brushes to remove the gravel before baking. The result is a meteoric surface with deeper, more uneven divots than you’ll get from using salt.
Ready for fun with clay? Order your favorite polymer clay from Sculpey® online now.
