The exception to this would be if you like to use liquid polymer clay as a “glaze” for the pieces that you make. In general, heat guns really aren’t used very often for polymer clay work. Final Thoughts about Heat Guns for Polymer Clay I still recommend using a k-type thermocouple probe with an infrared thermometer to test the output. People definitely successfully use regular craft store embossing heat guns for polymer clay projects – just check any polymer clay forum to read posts about it! If you decide to try out a model that only lets you set the temperature to low/high, then make sure you are carefully watching your piece for smoke so you can move the nozzle further away. Do you have to have a variable temperature heat gun? You will need an infrared thermometer with a k-type thermocouple probe to test how hot your heat gun is getting. Additionally, if you test the air stream you will know approximately how far you can hold the piece from the nozzle without burning it. Even though you’re selecting what seems like a very specific temperature, it’s always good to confirm whether or not it the tool is running hot or cool. Should you test the temperature output of a variable temp heat gun?Ībsolutely! Even if you have a digital screen like mine. I always put my polymer clay pieces into my craft oven once I’m finishing using the heat gun for a final cure just to make sure everything fully bakes through. Instead, I use it to partially cure the liquid clay so that it no longer runs all over the place. I don’t use my heat gun to fully cure polymer clay. Do you use a heat gun to completely cure the clay? If you’re planning on replacing your craft store version with one from the hardware store, then I highly recommend shopping around for a model that has a wide support base so it can be used hands-free. Instead, when I had one of those, I had to rotate my clay piece with one hand while holding the embossing heat gun in my other. I love this feature! It’s something that I definitely could not do with an embossing heat gun. The corded Milwaukee heat gun that I use has a stable base that I can set down on my table so that I can use both of my hands for something else. If you’re just working with a heat gun that has a high air flow, then you’ll have to be very conscientious about keeping your layers extra thin (and keeping the piece moving pretty quickly) so that you don’t blow the liquid clay all over the place before it has a chance to thicken. This makes it so that you can have a little bit of wiggle-room when it comes to liquid clay layer thicknesses.
Having Control Over Air Flow Prevents Sloppy Messesīeing able to choose a low air flow is extremely handy when you’re using a heat gun with liquid polymer clay. This is desirable when you want to quickly gel liquid polymer clay so it doesn’t run all over the place on a 3D form.
Although it goes all the way up to a approximately 1,000℉, which would never be useful for polymer clay, it also holds a very steady temperature between 250℉-300℉. With my variable temperature heat gun, I’m able to start the temperature as low as 120℉ if I wanted to. Something that I’ve found with heat guns like this is either they don’t get hot enough to actually be useful on the low setting, or they so incredibly hot that it’s really hard to avoid burning the clay on the hot setting. There are a lot of heat guns out there (embossing guns for crafts included) that only allow you to turn them on and off and select high or low for the temperature. Holding Steady Low Temperatures is Really Useful Final Thoughts about Heat Guns for Polymer Clay.Do you have to have a variable temperature heat gun?.Should you test the temperature output of a variable temp heat gun?.Do you use a heat gun to completely cure the clay?.Having Control Over Air Flow Prevents Sloppy Messes.Holding Steady Low Temperatures is Really Useful.
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