Sealing Polymer Clay: Glaze, Varnish and UV Resin

This video will explain a range of different sealers (including varnishes, glazes and UV resin) that you can use with polymer clay. We will show you how to apply each of them, and also show you example pieces and side by side comparisons. The sealants we will go through are:
- Sculpey Glaze (Glossy and Satin)
- Cernit Varnish (Gloss and Matte)
- Pearl Ex Varnish
- Just Resin UV Resin
In this video we will also go through safety gear you should use when using UV resin and give you some tips on effectively applying and curing UV resin.
The UV lamp we use in our video is a Blueque V1 168W Nail lamp (42 LED).
You can find all of the glazes, varnishes and UV resin products on our website www.myclayco.com.au.
If you have any questions about our video, or the making process, we'd love to help - just comment below :)
We’d love for you to like, share and subscribe for more fun and instructional videos!
You can also find us on …
Instagram: myclayco
Facebook: / myclayco.com.au
TikTok: TikTok.com/@myclayco
Pinterest: www.pinterest....
If you have any tutorial or create with me suggestions we’d love to hear from you! Contact us via our socials or email us at [e-mail]
You can also subscribe to our newsletter via our website www.myclayco.com.au to get exclusive discounts, maker news, and product updates.
Thanks for watching and happy making!
The MyClayCo Team x

[@dorothyslater7904]

Thank you so much for this video. I am just starting out using polymer clay as a new hobby and I think that you girls are so helpful and generous with your time. Thank you again.

[@myclayco]

Aww thank you! 🥰 It is our pleasure, we love polymer clay and love teaching 😊

[@emschrader418]

I use resin on some things and on others a water based polyurethane. Never been a fan of the Sculpey glazes for some reason. 😊 I’m going to keep an eye out for that PearlEx glaze though. That’s interesting!

[@deboday5490]

Which water based sealant do you use?

[@myclayco]

Yes, the Pearl Ex one is great! Which polyurethane do you use, if you don’t mind me asking? I’m always interested to know what works for others! Yes, I have heard others say they’re not a fan of the Sculpey one but I’ve never had an issue and it’s easy to use to it ticks my boxes. Sometimes I wonder if it’s climate or something that affects peoples experiences 🤔

[@emschrader418]

@@deboday5490 Varathane is the brand. Just make sure it’s water based.

[@emschrader418]

@@myclayco Varathane is the brand. However I’m in America. Not sure how available that is where you are.

[@hk4990]

Do mind sharing your experience with the sculpty glaze? I'm trying to identify the pros and cons of each option. Thx!

[@liverawwithLisa]

Thank you for this video. Great information. I’m just starting out and I like the Sculpey Glaze Glossy and the UV resin. I needed the trick on getting it to the edge properly & repeat it. I do have a question about firing my piece before I glaze them. If I’m baking them at 275 degrees for 40 minutes, will the pieces still have some flexibility to them. Or should I be baking them longer? 🙏🏻💖

[@myclayco]

Glad you found it helpful! If the thickness of what you’re making is only a few mm then that baking time should be perfect. Polymer clay should be a little flexible if cured correctly, so if yours has come out a little flexible then well done, you’ve nailed the curing! 👏

[@liverawwithLisa]

@@myclayco thank you! 😊

[@narcissamiller7676]

Earlier on, I was a polymer clay jewelry enthusiast. I love gloss for finishing some pieces. Gloss not only adds a protective layer, but also just seems more 'finished' with it. So, I tried the Sculpey gloss. In time, I found that it chips up and it doesn't look as good. Frustrated with the price and the amount you get, I went with Varathane...not much better. Then went onto the 2-part resin. No patience for it and my ratios never seemed right because the pieces never cured...ugh...at this point things seemed hopeless. Then the UV resin seemed like the answer. Not much better luck... I'm ready to cry tbh. I'm not sure if it's the wattage of the lamp, the viscosity with the resin, but the pieces still have tackiness to it...sigh

[@myclayco]

Hmmm it definitely could be the wattage of your lamp, or even the resin you’re using. Do you know how many watts your lamp is? What brand is it?

[@Monojelli]

Hi, when using a varnish or anything that isnt resin, is a mask still required?(if its brush on and not a spray)

[@myclayco]

We don’t use it for ones like Sculpey or Cernit, but it would depend on the glaze or varnish you’re using. You should be able to check their safety data sheet, or contact the company for safety instructions if you’re unsure 😊

[@AngelaJames-jy5vi]

Thank you for this video, I have picked up a lot of tips and look forward to trying some of the techniques 😊

[@myclayco]

My pleasure! Glad you found it helpful! ☺️

[@dianadevlin3717]

Is it possible to overcure uv resin?

[@myclayco]

I haven’t overcured anything myself but I have heard that if you do cure too much it can start yellowing 😊

[@hk4990]

What is the benefit of using air-dry glaze vs. resin, other than speed of curing and safety measures? Is one more durable, more/less shiney, etc than the other? Thanks!

[@myclayco]

Resin has a domed glossy finish so the look is quite different to the flat gloss finish that you get with normal glazes. I can’t remember where in the vid it is, maybe in the resin or Sculpey glaze bit, but there’s a side by side comparison you can check out ☺️

[@RubyGeorge-k9z]

Great video. Thank you for the tips. Do you recommend to lightly sand before applying UV resin to prevent it from pulling from the edges?

[@myclayco]

Thank you! 🥰 No, we don’t sand our pieces before we resin them 😊

[@clay.culture24]

Hey I have a question How to manage the spreading of uv resin if you have an uneven surface. I feel like it doesn’t stay on the upper level and slide back in Center or lower level area. Thanks plus the video was great! One more question Does it gets sticky once it comes out of uv light?

[@myclayco]

I’d probably do uneven layers the same way we do models - apply thin a thin layer with a paint brush. You can do multiple layers (curing in between) if you want to 😊 The resin shouldn’t be sticky afterwards, if it is it’s likely that it hasn’t cured for long enough under a UV light 😊

[@lorrainetexeira4823]

Thank you so much. Have been waiting for sometime for a tutorial on this subject. Can I ask though, do you apply resin to both sides of the earrings and on the edges? Thank you once again.

[@myclayco]

My pleasure! We generally only apply it to the front face with the earrings we make, but there’s no reason why you can’t apply it to the the back and sides if your piece calls for it - we made a faux stone slab the other week and resined the whole thing to make it look like an actual stone 😊

[@mustlovepoodles]

So appreciate your channel. Can you give me tips on how you clean your brushes after using the Sculpey glazes?

[@myclayco]

Thank you! 🥰 We try wash them straight away but sometimes (if we get too excited about what we’ve made and forget 😂) be pop them in a little isopropyl alcohol to clean them 😊

[@ShilasSpellboundCreations]

I use resin for most 2D things and I use water based polyurethane for 3D pieces. Thanks for all the details though! Very informative! Especially the outlining with resin first. My resin always pulls to the middle so that’s an amazing tip!

[@myclayco]

Thank you! I need to do some polyurethane testing - I am always worried it will do something weird on me and I wimp out and don’t use it! Definitely going to have to give some a go!

[@lindalopresti389]

Thank you for this great video. I wish I’d seen it before I suffered w a pretty severe allergic reaction to resin. For me, I think I’ll stick with a glaze! Your videos are always so informative.

[@myclayco]

Oh no! Yes, I will admit I was a little lax until I had a couple of friends have reactions and wowee it scared me and I have taken resin safety very seriously ever since! I totally get the decision to stick to glazes! Thank you so much for watching our videos! ❤️❤️❤️

[@karentriggs7272]

I think it is a good idea to use a sealant as I often find that somehow make up transfers onto my polymer clay jewellery and occasionally stains them.

[@myclayco]

Yes, I find the same thing! Particularly helpful with white earrings!

[@marystribling3104]

Great tutorial and great information, thank you ❤😊

[@myclayco]

My pleasure! 🥰

[@deboday5490]

Can you mix mica powders in with the sculpey and cernit glosses like you did with the pearl ex varnish or are they too dissimilar products? Thank you for this video it was very informative and I love your accent!

[@myclayco]

Hehe that Aussie twang 😂 Thank you 🥰 I haven’t actually tried it with other varnishes but I would think it would work - now I want to go test it!

[@deboday5490]

Yay more experiments 😊

[@appleoneill5135]

Great tutorial, many thanks ❤x

[@myclayco]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it 🥰x

[@dianadevlin3717]

Great advice, thanks 😊

[@myclayco]

My pleasure 😊

[@tnichole013]

Thank you so much for the tips!

[@myclayco]

You're so welcome! 😊

[@annonescio202]

Thank you for sharing! Looking at your varnished and resined pieces, it seems that the varnished ones look less smooth under it.

[@myclayco]

I know, I did a terrible job of prepping my clay 🙈 that is a good observation though because the pieces were all from the same batch (all with a few air bubbles) and the resin did a very good job of hiding the flaws!

[@annonescio202]

@@myclayco This is interesting, you can maybe completely skip the sanding process, when using resin.

[@melstephen5191]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@myclayco]

🥰❤️