Modeling from salt dough is a fascinating activity that both adults and children are happy to master. Its advantage is accessibility, because it does not imply serious cash costs. There are no harmful impurities in the material, it turns out to be soft and plastic, which means that wonderful figures can be made from it. How to dry salted dough, and what is the recipe for its preparation to choose?
Features of working with salt dough
Modeling dough is an excellent basis for creating original crafts. Everyone can work with him. For its preparation, simple ingredients are used - water, flour and salt. Note that unlike gypsum, it is much more plastic. The main thing is to strictly observe the proportions and properly dry the salt dough.
How to make dough for crafts
Modeling dough can be prepared according to various recipes. For the base you will need flour, salt, water. In some cases, vegetable oil, dyes (gouache or natural juice), glycerin, glue are added to the mixture.
Recipe 1
For the test you will need:
- finely ground salt - 200 g;
- flour - 200 g;
- vegetable oil - 70 ml;
- water.
In a deep bowl, you need to mix the dry ingredients, and then add oil and water to the desired consistency.
Recipe 2
For the basics, it is necessary to prepare:
- flour - 300 g;
- salt - 200 g;
- water - 0.5 cups.
All components must be combined and kneading the dough. If the base is designed to create thin relief figures, it is necessary to add PVA glue (20 ml) or starch (20 g) to the mixture.
Recipe 3
This recipe involves the use of the following ingredients:
- wheat flour - 400 g;
- salt - 200 g;
- water - 0.5 tbsp .;
- hand cream - 20 ml.
All components must be mixed so that a homogeneous mixture is obtained. This can be done manually or using a blender. The dough will turn out soft and plastic.
Recipe 4
This recipe is suitable for sculpting three-dimensional figures. For the test you will need:
- flour and small salt - 200 g each;
- water - 0.5 cups;
Mix salt with flour, pour water into the dry mixture. The result should be a plastic homogeneous mass.
Recipe 5
For this recipe you will need:
- flour - 1.5 tbsp .;
- salt - 200 g;
- glycerin - 60 ml;
- wallpaper glue (40 ml) and water (125-150 ml).
Flour and water base suitable for making fragile figures. Knead the ingredients preferably with a mixer or blender.
What tools will be needed
To create a test and figures, you need to prepare the following tools:
- a small rolling pin;
- board for modeling;
- small knife;
- a brush;
- cookie cutters;
- a bowl of water
- decorative elements (beads, lace, buttons);
- ballpoint pen refill.
Drying methods
After the figure is molded, you need to make it harden. How to dry salt dough? This can be done in many ways:
- Drying in a hot oven. It is necessary to set the temperature to 50-80 ° C, let the oven heat up. Spread the figures on a baking sheet covered with parchment. The drying time of the figures from the test will be about an hour. The exact time depends on the size of the product. If you properly dry the products from salt dough, you can avoid the appearance of cracks and chips.
- Drying in vivo. Salt dough figures can be dried outdoors. This method requires more time than the first, but it is quite effective. The product must be placed on a surface made of wood or plastic. The whole process will take about 3-4 days. It is important that the figure is not exposed to the open rays of the sun and near the battery, otherwise the figure will begin to crumble or crack.
- Cold way (in the oven). The product must be placed in a cold oven, then turn it on and reheat to 150 ° C. As soon as the figures dry, the oven must be turned off, wait for it to cool completely, and only then get crafts.
How to make figures
It is important to know not only how to dry artisans from salt dough, but also how to properly arrange them. After the product dries, it can be painted with gouache, watercolors or acrylic paint.
Ways of staining:
- Stir watercolor with water and apply to the product.
- Connect gouache and PVA glue, cover the figure with an even layer.
- The figure can be given a beautiful color even before it is molded. To do this, roll the ball from the dough, make a recess in it, add a few drops of dye there and knead.
To decorate the figures, you can use beads, shells, beads, rhinestones, ribbons, lace.
Do I need to varnish the figures
We learned how to dry products from salt dough, now let's paint the finished craft with varnish to prevent burnout and extend the service life.
For varnishing, you can use different types of varnish:
- Liquid. It is applied to the figure in several layers.
- Thick. Protects the craft from moisture. Glossy varnish or a matte finish can be used.
- Nail polish. Protects the craft from cracking, gives the product brightness.
Modeling figures from the test: what problems you may encounter
So, at what temperature should salted dough be dried so that it does not crack? When designing the product or at the time of drying, a number of problems may arise. The main ones are:
- Cracks and blisters appear after drying. This may be due to the use of improperly selected flour or non-compliance with the drying rules. For curly products suitable low-grade inexpensive flour. Dry the craft in a preheated oven with an ajar door.
- Cracking after application of paint. If you paint a craft that has not completely dried out, cracks will appear. How to dry salted dough in this case? You need to let it dry in the fresh air, smooth out the defects with sandpaper and re-apply the coloring composition.
- The product cracked in the center. This may be due to the fact that the thickness is too large. In order for the bulk product to evenly dry in the oven, it should be turned over from time to time.
- The appearance of chips. For gluing, you need to use PVA glue. A defective area can be masked with decorative elements.
- The color of the craft became dull. The brightness of the color will return after applying the varnish.
Conclusion
Crafts from the dough are beautiful and original. If you follow all the intricacies of working with the basis for modeling and know how to dry the salt dough in the oven, the figures will not lose their original appearance for a long time.