Hello dear friends! I don’t know about you, but I really like to look at products from polymer clay. These are figurines, and various jewelry, and magnets with a three-dimensional image of various attractions. Therefore, today we will talk about making money at home, which is based on the idea of using this material in needlework. If we turn to history, then polymer clay was invented about a hundred years ago. Then it was used only in the manufacture of heads for dolls. Since the start of polymer clay production industrial way, the range of its use has expanded significantly. Now it is easier to list what is not made of it.
What is polymer clay
What is polymer clay? It is a plastic mass similar to plasticine with a characteristic herbal smell. To give it plasticity, various plasticizers are used, which are absorbed into the material when heated to 100 - 130 ° C. After heating, the clay loses its plasticity and remains in a given shape. The hardened product is easily painted and glued to other materials.
Polymer clay is available both colorless and pre-colored. There are also clays with special effects: gloss, metallic, translucency, stone color and glow in the dark.
Liquid polymer clay is also produced, which has the form of a transparent gel that hardens when heated. It is used in place of glazing agent, glue, enamel and masking compound. With the help of liquid clay, drawings printed on paper are copied.
What can be done
I understand that you already have a question, what can be done from such an interesting material. That's just the point, that very, very much! First of all, these are a wide variety of souvenirs and decorations, various household items. And, of course, very beautiful and original flowers. True, the manufacture of flowers requires skill, diligence and inspiration. Simply put, this business needs to be learned and have certain abilities. I would like to say right away that major cities special training courses are organized. However, there are plenty of materials on the Internet, among which you can always find good master classes.
Working with polymer clay is quite painstaking and requires perseverance, so it is more suitable for women. Although some men do a good job with this type of needlework. In fact, there is nothing complicated in this matter. This or that product is molded and dried in the oven. If necessary, it is painted and varnished. The parts can be easily glued to each other and other materials.
Where to buy and how to sell
The material itself is relatively inexpensive and the business of polymer clay products is promising and does not require big investments. Much more expensive are various forms and accessories for working with it. It is most convenient to buy everything you need to engage in such a business via the Internet, it is also better to exhibit your products there. I will talk about ways to advertise your business online later.
The demand for hand-made is constantly growing and it is worth paying attention to this species earnings.
You can earn good money on clay crafts and over time this business will become the main source of your income.
For the manufacture of original figurines, you can mix different shades of colors. This is how new masterpieces are born. Polymer clay is easy to use, this material is soft and pliable, like regular plasticine.
When the finished product dries, it becomes quite durable. Strength is also achieved by heating the product in the oven at a temperature of 130 degrees, but no more.
Polymer clay to be heated is available in a wide variety of colors and shades. You can use glitter, clear, or glow in the dark clay. Clay that hardens after drying comes in three basic colors: grey, white and terracotta.
Also, clay from different manufacturers is not similar to each other. According to the degree of hardness of products, there are especially strong or soft. According to the drying effect, the product can be matte or smooth (glossy).
There are quite a few types of polymer clay, and besides, you can adapt to mix different versions of it and choose the one that suits you best. At first, it is better to use ordinary polymer clay from the manufacturer Fimo.
After the product is ready, it can be varnished, of any color and structure, or with acrylic paint. You can decorate the product with sparkles, in general, it all depends on the imagination of the author. Separate parts of the product are interconnected with glue.
If your own imagination is not enough, you can always turn to the Internet for help. On special sites, the authors share their ideas and give recommendations for creating original products of excellent quality.
Once you have a catalog of your creations, it's time to advertise your products. If you are limited in funds, then you can place free advertisements online, with photos of your products. You can create a portfolio of made figurines or clay jewelry and post it on social networks.
Then you can safely engage in the creative process, and your ads, in the meantime, will help you sell finished products. Try to introduce friends to your business and hire them to co-create.
Recommendations on how to use polymer clay products.
Do not expose a clay product to prolonged exposure to water.
Clean the product with a soft damp cloth.
Do not glue the broken part of the product yourself with superglue, this will ruin the plastic of the product.
Do not heat the product
During use cosmetics, be careful, even a drop of perfume can spoil appearance your decoration.
Products made of polymer clay have become simply the most popular among the so-called "home businessmen", i.e. people whose work takes place not in stuffy and cramped office spaces or even worse, but in a quiet and cozy homely atmosphere.
Your business, in fact, will consist in creating various fakes from a lump of a dirty and useless mixture, which are bought with a bang all over the world, including in Russia.
It is worth noting that polymer clay business idea has been gaining momentum in recent years, and if you are a creative person, then it is quite possible that sculpting products from polymer clay is just your strong point.
Business on the creation of products from polymer clay
And so, before we start, let's understand what kind of miracle this very polymer clay is.
As the great and mighty Internet polymer clay tells us, it is a mixture whose base consists of PVC, and some types of liquid plasticizers are used as additives.
In other words, the above thing at a temperature of 100-120 C turns into a liquid and can take any form that the worker asks her.
Another not unimportant plus of polymer clay is, first of all, that when it cools at a certain temperature threshold, it becomes like plasticine and it is quite possible to make any fake out of it. Here, as you like.
Own business in the manufacture of products from polymer clay
After spending some time on Internet sites, where ideas comparable to ours were vigorously discussed, people often asked a simple and understandable question, “But how to start with these same polymers? ...” or “What should push people to buy my figures?”.
Oddly enough, the answer to these questions was very short and ingenious. The only thing that in any way can affect your polymer clay business is you yourself, or rather your accuracy and painstaking work.
Getting Started in the Polymer Clay Business
I think I will not discover America if I say that for successful start You need the clay kit itself.
My friends, to buy the first set, I ask you to weigh your options and understand for yourself what you are going to do.
To begin with, I advise you to arm yourself with the Internet and look for all possible offers for the sale of polymer clay.
Just in the first places that Google gave me, I found the most expensive offers for the sale of kits. Generally speaking, it will take you from 800-1500 rubles to buy 600 g of clay.
Everywhere prices vary and you can only talk about the price range, again it all depends on where to buy.
On account of the purchase, I can also say that not only colorless polymer clays are on sale, but also multi-colored, and in recent times even glow-in-the-dark ones are on sale.
So there will be something for the imagination to roam about. Please pay attention to this as well. If all these remarks are observed by you and people like your creation, then I advise the person not to overestimate the price and make it 5-10% lower than that of competitors.
You still won’t collect all the money, and an extra client is not lying on the road. That's all with the purchase of kits. You have bought the most important thing, now you can start purchasing components for your business.
The shopping list may include various types of cutters and molds for the most artistic modeling. But here I can advise you not to be particularly zealous, because everything is learned in the process and it is also worth buying components in the process of work.
Moreover, no one knows, maybe in a week you will find Good work And you don't need polymer clay. In the general case, the purchase of tools can take from 1000-5000 rubles.
We create products from polymer clay
The first period of work will make you think about what actually to blind.
I ask you not to bother too much and turn your attention to holiday trinkets.
For example, Valentine's Day is coming soon. You can make a heart and write something extra pleasant on it that will make you buy the product.
In order for your products to sell faster, you need not only talent, but also uniqueness.
Try to play your imagination and create such trinkets that other people simply do not have. I'm sure customers will trample in droves, you'll see.
Another interesting and popular topic has always been and will be New Year. You can’t even imagine how much is spent on before the holiday.
Here your imagination can be limitless. You can also make decorations for the Christmas tree and souvenirs for your loved ones. All this will be very popular, the main thing is to present your brainchild with high quality.
And whether buyers will like it will be decided in the process. Again, be original and go your own way.
You must be original to the core and not repeat people. Wish you luck.
You can find other business ideas that become relevant from year to year on our website of business ideas:. And of course, add to our group so as not to miss new business ideas in the vastness of the Russian Federation,
Surely, many of you could see a lot of products for sale. self made. The web is full of online stores that sell handmade products. This niche is very large, besides, the demand for such products is growing every year.
First, let's talk a little about polymer clay itself. It is also called plastic. This is such a plastic material that is made on the basis of polyvinyl chloride for modeling and modeling, which hardens in air or when heated (this depends on the type of polymer clay). If you do not go deep into chemistry, then in short we can say that this is a plastic mass that resembles plasticine. There are a sufficient number of polymer clay manufacturers, so it will not be difficult for you to find it on sale.
The plasticizer contained in polymer clay is removed in two ways: weathering in the air and baking in the oven.
The plasticizer contained in polymer clay is removed in two ways: weathering in the air and baking in the oven. The main difference from plasticine is that after the polymerization process, the product is durable and hard. And after that it can be processed with tools, and already finished products are easily painted with acrylic paints, glued together.
The range of colors in which baked polymer clay is produced is very wide - from ordinary and with the addition of sparkles to translucent and fluorescent. Self-hardening polymer clay is much poorer in terms of color.
You can purchase as polymer clay imported production, and domestic, and the latter is much cheaper. Clay is different from manufacturer to manufacturer. One may be more matte when cured, while the other may be glossy. One may be softer to work with, while the other is harder. And many more differences. For beginners, it is best to use German Fimo polymer clay.
As you already understood, buying polymer clay and starting to make your own products from it is elementary. In addition, on the Internet you can find a huge number of sites where people share their "recipes" for making various crafts. As a rule, such instructions are quite detailed and it is quite easy to understand them.
In the pictures you can see what the final products will look like:
Surely, many are interested in the financial question. How much can you earn on such handmade polymer clay products? And you can earn pretty good money, because, for example, an author's pendant, which will exist in a single copy, can be sold for $10-$15. For a month, you can make from 15 different pendants, chains, bracelets, earrings, etc. How much maximum you can do is up to you - how hard you will work. Even if you make only 15 items a month, you will earn more than $100 by spending about 2-3 hours every two days.
Needlework from a hobby is increasingly turning into a job that brings stable income. Along with the traditional types of creativity - knitting, sewing, woodcarving - other participants appear on the handmade products market. Polymer clay is a relatively new material in Russia, so not all niches for those who want to make money are occupied. Create handmade polymer clay products for business sales - unique opportunity receive both money and pleasure from creativity.
Polymer clay is a sculpting mass that resembles hard plasticine. After heat treatment or when exposed to air, it hardens and takes its final shape. Craftsmen create from this material exact copies of natural flowers, figurines of people and animals, and unique decorations. With the help of clay, you can imitate stone, bone, metal, fabric.
Like any kind of needlework, polymer clay modeling can be learned. On the Internet you can find great amount master classes for every taste, including in Russian. Experienced polymer workers (or rather, polymer workers - as in any needlework that requires developed fine motor skills, women predominate here) give lessons for everyone.
Benefits of Starting a Polymer Clay Making Business
- Minimum costs for the purchase of materials and equipment. You can start by buying several colors of clay, and then get additional tools.
- This is the perfect activity for a woman with young children to plan her time. Almost all entrepreneurs who have succeeded in this area are mothers who have started working in maternity leave, and then left the main job for a more profitable occupation.
- Modeling does not require a special equipped workplace - any table will do. Materials can be stored in any cabinet. Finished goods are also not very voluminous, so the warehouse finished products easy to arrange at home.
- All consumables can be purchased online, so you don't become a hostage to where you live.
- Business in the future can be expanded through trade consumables and conducting master classes.
Cons that no business can do without
- Don't expect immediate returns from your work. Much effort must be spent on proper organization advertising.
- Creative work means at least you need to be able to create: you will have to spend some time on training. Accelerate his sculptural skills and developed spatial imagination. On the other hand, already the first more or less decent products can be given to friends for advertising purposes.
- As a lone businessman, you will not only have to sculpt polymer clay products with your own hands, but also take pictures finished works, compose descriptions for them, write articles on blogs, communicate on handicraft forums, beautifully package goods, negotiate with customers, even act as an accountant. Although, maybe this is not a minus?
- Polymer clay is safe when used correctly, but should not be given to small children.
- Much in this business depends on the unpredictable work of the Russian post office - sending goods to customers, purchasing materials via the Internet. This is perhaps the main disadvantage, because nothing depends on you here.
Consumables for working with self-hardening clay
To create naturalistic flowers and decorations from them, self-hardening clay is suitable. Among the craftsmen, mainly varieties of Asian production are popular - Japanese decoclay clay, Thai modern clay and others. Usually they buy white clay and a small amount of primary color clay: shades are obtained by mixing them. It is also possible to use oil paint.
Clay is purchased both in Russia and abroad. A pack of white clay, which is enough to make 10-15 roses without leaves, costs 400-500 rubles.
At first, start with flowers that do not require the transfer of veins using special forms - molds, which are very expensive. They can be made independently from fresh flowers, but this process is quite laborious. Stamens, floral wire, teip tape - these accessories can be found in specialized stores or in flower shops.
When creating an imitation of a living flower, it is difficult to develop a special creative style, so it is especially important to work with the composition here, including when assembling jewelry. Flowers made of self-hardening plastic are usually used as brooches or hairpins. It must be remembered that these products are relatively fragile and are afraid of water.
Consumables for working with baked clay
Baked clay is ideal for creating unique jewelry. An exact copy of real flowers will not come out of it, but a huge scope for creative experiments opens up before the master. As the name implies, this plastic after molding requires heat treatment - from 110 to 130 degrees, depending on the brand. When overheated, toxic smoke is released: the room must be ventilated immediately.
You can bake in a conventional oven with a temperature sensor, after the procedure it must be thoroughly washed. Ideally, it is advisable to purchase a separate mini-stove only for clay (from 3,000 rubles). Some prefer to cook the blanks, but since the boiling point is lower than recommended, the products are more fragile and not suitable for sale.
Polymers choose both imported brands (Fimo, Premo, Pardo) and Russian ones - Sonnet, Yozki. A Fimo package costs about 100 rubles, enough for a bracelet or small beads. Russian clays are almost 2 times cheaper. They are more difficult to work with due to some brittleness prior to heat treatment, but many craftsmen have adapted.
Additional materials may require varnishes, shapes, textures, stamps, molds. All kinds of paints, inks, inks are purchased as needed.
Manufacturers of jewelry need to take care of high-quality fittings. It’s definitely not worth saving on this: baked clay products are durable, but poor fittings can fail.
Two not very cheap devices will come in handy when creating a unique polymer clay product with your own hands. An extruder (like a large syringe with different nozzles) can hardly be replaced by a garlic press, and it is also unlikely to roll out equally perfectly smooth layers of clay by hand, as a pasta machine does. The cost of these devices reaches 2000 rubles.
Sales of finished products
You can choose one or several methods at once.
- Beginners prefer to distribute their work among acquaintances.
- The next step is to hand it over to the store for sale. In this case, you are unlikely to be offered a good price.
- Trade at handmade fairs that take place regularly in all major cities. Profitability largely depends on the organizational qualities of the founders of these events.
- Use all these options, but focus your main activity on the Internet.
Networking
All your actions on the Internet should be aimed at advertising yourself as a master and presenting your products. This requires not so much financial as time costs.
- To get started, create a free blog, for example, on LiveJournal, join all the communities of polymer workers so that professionals notice you.
- Create DIY polymer clay products to participate in all kinds of online competitions.
- Open your own store on a promoted Internet resource (at the "Fair Masters", for example). It costs from 60 rubles per month.
- Finally, after achieving some fame, create your own website with an online store.
- Go out with sales to foreign sites.
- Give master classes in different cities.
With great effort, you can reach level 5-6 in 2-3 years from scratch.
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