Testing Dollar Tree air dry clay
Spoiler alert - it kinda sucks - but I already knew that based on reviews of it online.
The only thing is that I didn't know how much it would suck because some of the online negative reviews were questionable - for example, there were negative claims that the clay doesn't hold well against moisture and disintegrates in water (despite nearly all air-dry clay being like this) and negative claims saying the clay is oven-bake clay (despite the clay ingredients containing wheat and the packaging instructions warning not to put creations by an open-flame).
So, nothing much else to do except buy it and try it. Here's what I ended up creating.
Some of these results were decent, but some of them were just a bust.
The negative claims I've been able to duplicate are as follows:
The clay is not really good for more intricate work (i.e., doesn't work well with molds with intricate details)
Dry pieces will absolutely not pass a drop test.
There were some tests with silicone molds. I ended up "recycling" these into more slip.
There were a few negative claims that had some truth to them, but were missing context:
The clay is crumbly - Indeed it tends to be crumbly when working with it right out of the package, and in an ideal world, clay should not be crumbly right out of the package. However, I found that adding some water makes the clay more pliable.
The dry pieces are not strong - I tested a piece that was 3mils or 1/8in thick and was able to snap it in half with my hands, but it felt like it still required some force. I think as long as the piece is is a display piece and not undergoing aggressive use, the strength is okay for some handling (i.e. you don't really need to hold it gingerly if you want to move the creation from one spot to another).
The dry pieces are dusty - This obviously means the binding agent isn't great, but it's not like this isn't fixable with a varnish or sealant
Note: Regarding the poor binding - I did notice the clay had a weird smell upon opening the package (yet another confirmed negative), so if I had to take a guess, I think this might be a mineral-based air dry clay that uses wheat paste to bind things together. I'm curious if adding cornstarch paste would give the clay better strength like you see with cold porcelain or baking soda clay. Probably an experiment for another time.
One negative I experience that didn't seemed to be mentioned by others was that the clay seems to have a short working time (unless you add water to it to make it pliable again). So I always had to have a bowl of water handy whenever I saw the cray cracked too easily when pressing into it.
Now with all the negatives out of the way, can Dollar Tree clay be used to make creations? Well, yes, but with some limitations:
It can be used for flat "cookie cutter" creations and stamps.
It's better for more simple creations with some thickness
As with most other air dry clay, pieces can be connected together via scoring and applying slip, and any tiny cracks that appear after drying can be fixed by adding in slip in those areas.
I ended up making a cartoony owl paperweight, a trinket dish with a ginko leaf impression, and a tiny banga [pot] with a handle. The tiny banga is my favorite. :3
So overall, I found the Dollar Tree clay somewhat sucks but it's not impossible to work with.
I'd say this clay is something not for beginners, as some crafting experience is needed to work around the difficulties. But if I want to make something that is for display that I'm not going to be too attached should it break, then $1.25(+tax) for crappy clay doesn't seem so bad.
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