I really need to come out of my hole more often. Did you know that PREMO! has went through a formula change? I tend to buy lots of clay at one time, so I have no idea when the change occurred. I just happened to read somewhere recently that it had changed. I’ve made three batches of geometric beads that didn’t turn out. Why three? Well, because I thought I was doing something wrong, using old clay, any number of reasons to explain why I was having problems. The problem I’m having is flaking. I sometimes will get little air bubbles when baking flat sheets, but usually nothing that can’t be sanded away. Not now, I’m getting big flaking areas.
I love PREMO! Or I used to. I love the colors, the feel of it, it’s strength. What is a girl to do now? I dug out the Kato and FIMO soft (never had the patience to condition FIMO classic) and have been experimenting. I started with Kato. The biggest downside for me is that it clogs up the sandpaper so quickly when sanding. Not good. I’m currently working with some FIMO soft, so we’ll see how that goes, even though I’m already not thrilled with the feel of it. I’m really hoping that PREMO! gets changed back to it’s previous state. I’ve never understood the need to mess with a product that’s great to begin with.
Well, I feel a little better for having gotten that off my chest. LOL!
Ugh, that stinks. I hate it when companies decide to fix something that’s not broken. You should definitely send them an email or a letter complaining about the switch. They need that kind of feedback!
I wonder if it has something to do with phthalates, which were the plasticizers used in polymer clay before they were found (like everything else) to cause cancer when consumed in impossibly large quantities. Sorry, I be a bit irritated!
Fimo classic (my clay of choice) and Fimo soft have been reformulated and I don’t like the new formulas AT ALL. I wouldn’t be surprised if Premo has followed suit.
It’s kind of like when they changed Coke and everyone liked the old Coke better. So then they we had Coke Classic.
I don’t know what the answer is…it may just be something I have to learn to live with or find a way to work around.
hey Chris, Kato has a new formula too, have yet to get any new, since I do all my ordering on line and in bulk, but you may want to hunt down some new Kato, it’s said to be softer and easier to condition, and still just as good as the ‘old stuff’…..
Sorry to hear that about Premo too, I like you liked to use it in with my Kato, to ‘soften it up!’ LOL!! I know now that I won’t want the new…. and if Kato is easier to condition, well, I won’t have to worry about it, again Chris, sorry about all that waisted work, they were looking pretty good!
hugs!
Thanks Tina! I had heard that the new Kato was easier to work with, just wondering how easy it is to sand.
It is frustrating to get used to having a product act one way and then to have it change and start acting another. I am happy they were able to remove the phthalates from the clay. (It looks like all the brands have done that.) The fewer cancer causing chemicals we get exposed to the better! But I too see there is going to be a whole new learning curve here.
With the new formulas, we are just going to have to find new ways to work with it. Ways to keep it from flaking, being too soft, trapping bubbles, etc. A challenge I think the polymer clay community is up to conquering!
Cindy,
I think you are correct in that the polymer community will rise to the challenge!
Change is difficult, especially when you’ve been working with a product for years and used to the way it responds. However, I agree about having to find new ways to work with it. For me, it may come down to using whichever brand of clay works best for the type of project I’m doing.