Hook Slots In Sculpey Clay Masters

[mark poulson]

I recently made some sculpey clay masters for soft plastic silicone molds, and wanted hook slots in them

I put one of the clear plastic dividers from a plano box (we all have tons of them) into the clay where I wanted the hook slot.

I baked the clay masters belly up, and used a pair of tweezers to remove the plastic divider right after I removed the masters from the oven, while it was still soft from the heat.

It left a perfect hook slot.

[chachybaby]

mark, great idea! I've been thinking of ways to make a slot, tried carving etc, never came out right. Thanks for the post

[Patrick]

Nice Mark, I have tons of those things laying around!

For more of a "zoom fluke" fit I cut thin sheet metal pieces to fit my needs

I like the tighter hook slot it gives sometimes

[mark poulson]

It's kind of funny how I figured out how to make this work.

The first time I tried it, and saw that the plastic divider had melted, I had a panic attack, thinking my master was ruined.

I had let the master cool on top of my stove, trying to figure out my next move.

Then I thought, what the heck, I can't make it any worse, so I put it back in the oven to resoften the plastic, and it worked. The soft plastic came out in one spongy piece.

Now I remove the plastic right after I take the master out, while it's still soft.

I've found that, the way I bake the clay, it is a little soft when it first comes out of the oven, but hardens as it cools.

Maybe I'm baking it wrong.

But it works for me.