Sculpey Premo™ Faux Raku Candlesticks

Do not use unbaked clay on unprotected furniture or finished surfaces. Start with clean hands and work surface area. Good work surfaces include wax paper, metal baking sheet, or disposable foil. Knead clay until soft and smooth. For best results, clean your hands in between colors. Shape clay, pressing pieces together firmly. Bake on oven-proof glass or metal surface at 275 °F (130 °C) for 30 minutes per 1/4” (6 mm) thickness. For best baking results, use an oven thermometer. DO NOT USE MICROWAVE OVEN. DO NOT EXCEED THE ABOVE TEMPERATURE OR RECOMMENDED BAKING TIME. Wash hands after use. Baking should be completed by an adult. Begin by preheating oven to 275 °F (130 °C). Test temperature with oven thermometer for perfectly cured clay. For best results, condition all clay by running it through the clay dedicated pasta machine several passes on the widest setting. Fold the clay in half after each pass and insert the fold side into the rollers first.

Using the Super Slicer, cut a slice off the block of Black clay and roll through the Clay Conditioning Machine on the #1 setting a couple of times. Set the Clay Conditioning Machine to #5 and roll the clay through again. NOTE: The clay doesn’t have to have smooth edges, in fact, for this technique rough edges are better.

Apply the Pearl Ex or mica powder using your finger tip to touch to the surface of the clay. Start with Green, then Blue, Red Russet and finish with Copper. When you start with the first color, make sure to leave space for the other colors on the Black clay.

Tear off small pieces of the covered sheet of clay and press them into place on the candlestick, overlapping the pieces so that no glass shows through. Wrap the clay around the top and bottom edges of the candlestick. Position the pieces for the most interesting torn edges and colors.

Once the entire outside surface of the glass is covered, use the small piece of rough sandpaper to lightly texture areas of the clay to resemble the natural bubbles and textures created in the ceramic raku process.

Bake your finished piece in a preheated oven according to the directions above. Allow the piece to cool completely in the oven before removing, as the glass remains quite hot for a long time!

If you wish to cover a larger vessel, your areas of individual color on the sheet of clay can be larger – sort of like finger painting! Then tear larger sheets of clay to press against the glass. You can even add a sprinkle of glitter to the clay before baking.