Prang DAS Air-Hardening Modeling Clay

Reported by Tami Bayer

Prang DAS Air Hardening Modeling Clay is available in 1.1 pound and 2.2 pound packages in either white or terra cotta. It takes approximately 24 hours for projects to dry depending on thickness and is certified non-toxic.

Ok, let's get down to the nitty gritty. This is a fun product to play with. I think it helps that I took ceramics in high school, so the tactile part of it takes me back. It doesn't have the same qualities of firing clay, but the beauty is that you don't need a kiln or even a toaster oven. Just play, create, and set aside until the next day. I think the setting aside part is a real exercise in patience. I don't have a small child here to test the product, but instead a reluctant teen who helped me with my product testing.

Here is what we discovered when working with this product. It dries out quickly if you handle it a lot, so keep the clay you aren't using in a ziplock bag. It doesn't work well to attach pieces together. Try to make your creation from one piece of clay. It rolls out beautifully to cut out shapes. This is what we focused our efforts on, rather than molding pieces with our hands. We rolled out the clay with a small wooden dowel on a sheet of thick plastic. A piercing tool and plastic knife worked well to help us cut out and make holes in things. It takes well to molding with various products such as cookie cutters, cookie molds, plastic molds, and even a metal charm. It stamps like a dream with a rubber stamp. I put Stazon ink on the stamp first and then stamped it. The ink didn't transfer much, but the image is beautiful. Here is a peek of our trials and what we used to make them.

I noticed when working with this clay that it has qualities to it similar to paper. When I didn't cut it cleanly if left little pieces similar to what happens when you tear paper. I believe there might be paper pulp in this product, but I can't find a list of ingredients anywhere. It is lightweight after drying. It takes a very fine sanding from an emery board well. As far as painting your final project, just about any paint works well, including inks. The only thing I would avoid is anything that uses a lot of water, as you don't want to get the clay too wet. I would seal the final product if it will be handled much. I wish we'd had this product back when we were making salt dough ornaments. This would have been so much smoother to work with for handmade ornaments. I plan to use this to make some more stamped embellishments. I just love the way it took to the rubber stamp.

Pros:

  • Don't need to heat up the house, this air dries
  • Non-toxic
  • Takes on texture and shape beautifully

Cons:

  • Patience is needed to wait 24 hours for drying time
  • Difficult to attach pieces of clay together
  • Dries out if you don't keep it in ziplock bag

I would rate this Prang clay product as an 8 out of 10. I'd love to know if you've tried it and if you have any other tips for us.

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