Our texture plates create raised up patterns on the surface of polymer clay! This guide is a how to that includes tips and tricks for working with our texture plates.
When you first get your texture plate, use it once on scrap clay! This will help remove any debris from engraving or any bits of protective mask that might be on the acrylic surface.
1. Roll out CONDITIONED clay to a consistent thickness.
This can be done using a pasta machine, depth guides, or a combination of both! You'll want to ensure you don't have any air bubbles. I like to roll my clay out to 3mm thickness using my depth guides. If you just finished conditioning your clay/rolling out the slab and the clay is still warm/sticky, wait a few minutes before you use the texture plate! Warm clay can stick to the plate.
2. Lay your texture plate down on a clean surface and PLACE YOUR CLAY SLAB ON TOP!
This is the main difference between our texture plates + other soft texture plates. If you do this step the opposite way, the plate suctions down to the clay, making it difficult to peel up without damaging your pattern!
3. Lightly roll the clay to get your texture to transfer.
Depth guides can be used during this step - I like to use our 4.5mm depth guides! If you don't have depth guides, you can use popsicle sticks/something similar to roll evenly or just apply even pressure when rolling.
4. Gently peel your clay off your texture plate and make something beautiful :)
Once you peel your clay off your plate, place it on your tile/work surface and use cutters to cut out your piece!
FAQS
My texture isn't appearing even, what should I do?
This is likely due to uneven pressure when rolling! Depth guides will help (or you can use stacked up popsicles sticks/something similar).
I have clay stuck in my texture plate, how should I get this out?
Put a few drops of Goo Gone on your plate and brush with a soft toothbrush. Let it sit for about 5 minutes and then brush again until clean. Any additional stuck clay can be removed with a toothpick. Before using on clay again, wash with dish soap and water.
Bubbles are appearing after I roll, what should I do?
This means the clay likely wasn't conditioned enough! When the clay is rolled on the texture plate, it is thinning slightly, so if there are any bubbles inside the slab, they can pop up!
Do you make custom texture plates?
We currently do not offer custom texture plates, but might in the future!
We also have a reel on our instagram that shows our texture plates in action :) If you have any other questions about texture plates, feel free to shoot me an email at squigglecutters@gmail.com!