SoS! Please help, Im struggling with my cold porcelain.. :(

[Natalia Kravchenko]

sos! my last three batches of cold porcelain came out awful - the paste looks and feels wonderful, soft, homogenic and not sticky but it is TOO SOFT! The things i make from it don't hold shape and anything leaves marks on it (like if i work on the palm of my hand i can trace all my fingerprints and life lines on the ready items :( Please, can anybody tell me what im doind wrong?

[Natalia Kravchenko]

THank you so much for all your suggestions! After my third batch of the paste going floppy I already felt like giving up, now after reading your comments and advice I am running to dry/cook my paste and try again! I'll update you on my results (hopefully by posting pics of my new creations:)
THOUSANDS of THANKS!

[Bettina Thorp]

Hi Natalia,
it definitely sounds like you haven't cooked it long enough. Toward the end of cooking, you'll know when it's ready to take out and knead as the mass will come into a ball as you're stirring it. The reason it's cracking is simply because the mass is still retaining too much water. As Amira has already suggested, leaving it out for a while to let dry and then kneading it will help too. Let us know how you go with it. Cheers Bettina

[Amira El Kadri]

Natalia, try cooking it a bit longer. I do not know what brand of glue you are using. Some of them are more liquidy, If thsi is the case , let it cook a little longer. I tried adding extra corn starch to compensate the extra moist, but the result is not good. When the clay dries it does crack. Another advise that I got from other crafts, they say that is best to let the clay rest for 24 to 72 hours before start working it. Another thing that you can try, if your clay is to soft, spread the clay, let air dry for a few minutes, work it againg and spread again, let it dry , and see what happen. Just be carefull, do not let it get hard. I hope I was able to give you some help. Blessings Amira

[Diane Stafford]

Hi Natalia, I experienced the same things with my first couple of tries with cold porcelain. All I did was to seal it in an air tight container and use it the next day. It was more workable rather than soft and floppy :-) We'll have to call in the cold porcelain experts for an experienced suggestion though ;-)