Since ancient times, people have decorated their homes with all kinds of figurines. At first, these were images of gods, later amulets, for example, Slavic dolls. It is impossible to imagine a single house without a beautiful figurine. This can be a carefully selected expensive element of decor, or an inexpensive trinket presented by a colleague. Today figurines and other decor of various kinds can be bought in almost any store. But it’s much more pleasant to admire, and give a souvenir that is made by yourself. If we talk about the plastic masses from which you can make a commemorative figure, then today there are a lot of them.
Types of mass for modeling
- Plasticine. Many different variants of this mass are sold in stores. There is a classic, oily, which is convenient to sculpt, but at the same time, even after standing for a long time in the air, it practically does not lose its properties. Of the advantages of this mass for sculpting is a small cost and reusable use. Of the minuses, it melts when the temperature rises, so it is better not to do such a figure for a gift. In addition to the classic plasticine, there is also modern plasticine. It is very soft, does not stick to your hands, it is comfortable to mold from it, and when it dries, depending on the brand, it either hardens or becomes like foam rubber.
- Clay. One of the oldest materials. Even in ancient times, people made from it not only kitchen utensils, but also images of gods and animals. Clay is an environmentally friendly material, very plastic when sculpted and quite tough after baking. Clay makes wonderful bells, vases, cups and figures. However, to fix it, it is necessary to burn it, and this is a rather complicated process, often the products break and crack during drying, so it is difficult to predict whether the product will turn out or whether time was wasted.
- Plastic. This is a modern plastic material, also called polymer clay. In its original form, it is a very tough and crumbly material that must be kneaded with effort so that it acquires plastic properties. It is very convenient to sculpt from it, it does not stick to your hands, when it dries in the air it becomes brittle and crumbles easily. Therefore, it is baked, however, unlike ordinary clay, for this you will need a second oven, since when heated, the plastic emits harmful gases that settle on the walls of the oven, and the smell does not disappear for a long time. But after baking, this material resembles matte plastic.
- Salty dough.
Salted Modeling Dough
This is the most budgetary mass for modeling, which can be done at any time from improvised ingredients. With the advent of modern materials, they began to forget about this type of plastic composition, arguing that it is difficult to sculpt from it, it is rather rough and inelastic. But this is not at all true. The consistency of the do-it-yourself salt dough for modeling depends on the composition, as well as on the way it was prepared.
Rules for making salt dough
The finer the salt will be used, the more uniform the mass for modeling will turn out.
It is better to take flour of the highest grade, as other varieties do not have such stickiness, in addition, there may be a somewhat grayish tint. It must be sieved to avoid lumps, and added to the liquid in parts. Depending on its quality, more or less flour may be needed for the same volume of water.
The colder the water, the more plastic the dough will be.
Salt and flour are materials that are different in density and weight, so in one glass of flour there will be less than salt. Therefore, when preparing salt dough, it is better to use scales.
Classic pastry
The composition of the salt dough for modeling includes only 3 ingredients:
All of these ingredients can be easily found in any kitchen. The dough starts in a proportion of 2/2/1. Ready dough is suitable for sculpting large enough figures, keeps its shape well. Small details, for example, a rose petal, will be difficult to make from it.
Plastic puff pastry
There are already 4 ingredients in this recipe:
With the classic proportion of the test 2/2/1 for 250 g of salt, you need 2 tbsp. l oils. It is added to the salt, mixed, then poured water and knead with flour. Thus, the oil is evenly distributed according to the test, and the mass itself becomes plastic. From such a salty dough for modeling it is already more convenient to sculpt small parts, however, thin leaves will not hold well in shape.
Salty dough for delicate details
To make such a mass, you will need:
- Salt.
- Flour.
- PVA glue.
- Water.
The glue is combined with cold water, then poured into a bowl of salt and mixed with flour. The salty modeling dough with PVA glue keeps the shape of even thin parts well, since the glue sets quickly enough, creating a skeleton film on the surface of the part. In addition, such a dough after drying completely is much stronger than other options for salt dough.
Soft dough for modeling
- Salt - 200 g.
- Flour - 200 g.
- Starch - 2 tbsp. l
- Hand cream or Vaseline - 2 tbsp. l
- Water - 125 ml.
This is the most tender and comfortable dough for both adults and children. The recipe for salt modeling dough has one secret.
The main disadvantage of salt dough has always been heterogeneity due to salt, but solving this problem is quite simple. Instead of salt and water, use a saturated saline solution. With the help of the following master class, it is not difficult to prepare a salty dough for modeling:
- Pour salt into a saucepan, add water and cook for 15 minutes over high heat. At high temperatures, it is easier to saturate the water with salt. If the salt is not completely dissolved, do not get upset, in the resulting solution it will be enough so that the dough does not deteriorate.
- Strain and cool the solution. Crush the crust formed on top, but do not remove. It mixes well with dough, without damaging its delicate structure, but at the same time retains the required amount of salt in the composition.
- Mix the cooled salt solution with starch, hand cream or petroleum jelly (oil in such cases is better not to take, since it is organic, and the amount of salt is less than in the classic recipe, and there is a chance that the dough can go bad).
- Add flour. First knead the dough in a bowl, then knead well on a table to obtain a uniform consistency. Add colorants if necessary. The test should rest before work so that the ingredients mix and the flour swells. The main thing is not to forget to wrap it with cellophane film so that it does not dry out ahead of time.
The correct salt modeling dough prepared according to this recipe is very tender, plastic, easily rolled out, and at the same time keeps its shape well enough. To create from it is a pleasure.
Color dough
You can add color to the dough both during cooking and after final drying.
Paint is added to the dough itself after the flour, but before it rests. This will make the color more uniform. You can add any paint to the dough - oil, acrylic or gouache. When drying, water-soluble paints lose their brightness, the products are matte, in pastel colors, and sparkle a little in the sun due to the content of microscopic salt crystals. Oil paints remain as bright, products will delight the eye with a rich color and glossy shine. However, this recipe for salt modeling dough for children is undesirable, especially if they are very small. The paint still has a chemical composition, in addition, for the manufacture of parts it will be necessary to take different colors, and it is unlikely that it will be possible to remake any section.
To paint finished products from salt dough for modeling is no less exciting than to make the figures themselves. The dough absorbs paint well, so the lines do not blur, and after drying the product does not have to be varnished. However, it is only necessary to color the well-dried figures, since otherwise they may become covered with small cracks.
Storage
Many were faced with the fact that the finished dough turned out to be more than necessary at the moment, so the question arises: where to store salt dough for modeling? Definitely in a tightly closed container or bag, but, as practice has shown, not in the refrigerator. With a decrease in temperature, condensation appears on the walls of the dishes and on the surface of the dough, which violates its consistency, it becomes sticky, poorly behind hands. It, of course, can be sprinkled with flour, but in this case the proportion of ingredients is violated. Therefore, it is better to store salt modeling dough in a dark place and at room temperature. The shelf life of the finished dough is no more than 5 days. Later it loses its properties, darkens, becomes heterogeneous and crumbly.
Salty Dough Drying
Preparation of a product from salt dough before further work with it - grinding, painting and drawing parts, must be well dried. This is the most crucial moment, because the final result depends entirely on it.
There are 3 methods for drying salted dough products:
- Heating method. The product is transferred to a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and placed in a cold oven. After that, it is heated to a temperature of 50-60 ° C, at this temperature the product should dry for about 40-50 minutes. After that, the oven switches off. The product from salt dough is removed only after the oven has completely cooled. This method is well suited for thick enough products, since during the heating of the oven, the temperature will rise evenly both on the outer layer and inside the craft.
- Cooling method. It is similar to the heating method, however, in this case, the product is placed in an already heated oven. This method is suitable for not very stable constructions that have the risk of losing shape. Initially, high temperature creates a crust on the outside of the product, which serves as a kind of frame. Maintain a high temperature in the oven for a little more than an hour.
- Natural drying. This is the simplest but longest method. The finished product is left on a flat surface until completely dry at room temperature. With such drying, you can avoid the common problem when working with salt dough: the formation of small and deep cracks. Also, this method is best suited for figures made of already painted dough, since under the influence of high temperature in the oven, the product acquires a yellowish tint, which can distort the original colors.
Crafts
You can make many different decorative crafts from salt dough:
- figures
- panel
- bouquets
- amulets
- Handout,
- beads
- Christmas decorations,
- casts and more.
Since it is very simple to make salt dough for sculpting figures, such products will be the most budgetary and at the same time expensive gift for another person. They can be funny, naturalistic, consist of one element or be a whole composition.
A panel of salt dough will decorate any room, attracting glances. They can be done in the style of a still life, landscape or portrait. It’s easy to care for such a decor, especially if you fix the paint on the product with varnish.
All kinds of flowers from salt dough look very beautiful . With a well-chosen composition of the dough and a certain skill of the master, such products can be difficult to distinguish even from porcelain.
Making crafts from salt dough for modeling is a fascinating process. It allows you to develop fine motor skills, spatial imagination, helps to escape from problems, and also has beneficial effects on the joints of the hands, therefore it is useful for people suffering from arthritis. In addition, crafts made from salt dough are the perfect gift for any occasion in life, made with the soul.