diy air dried porcelain.

As mentioned on my Friday post, I tried this air-dry porcelain recipe (also known as cold porcelain) over the weekend. Oh my goodness, could I have had any more fun? I made a few Christmas presents which I can't share but I also made these coasters (I realize this isn't the pinnacle of creativity, but you've got to start somewhere, right?). I imprinted the pattern using a vinyl doily that I bought from a cheap haberdashery store.

If you're keen to give it a try, here are some of my discoveries which you might find useful:

* The final finish has a slight satin sheen. It's closer to resin than a chalky porcelain but not quite has hard or dense as resin. It also seems to have a little bit of flex in it. I would have changed what I'd chosen to make had I known this from the start.

* I prepared my dough over the cooktop and found that it started burning at 7minutes (they recommend 15mins). I took it off the heat but it was still way too sticky. I threw it in the microwave for an extra 30seconds and that seemed to take it to the ricotta consistency they recommend.

1. At one minute;  2. At 7minutes;
3. My fingers were too sticky to get a pic but it should be a little lumpier than 2.
4. The dough!

* After micro-waving, it's still pretty sticky but don't freak out. If you persist with kneading, it eventually turns into workable dough. I was tempted to nuke it a bit longer and I'm glad I didn't.

* Once it's ready, the dough is surprisingly soft and easy to work with. It also doesn't dry as quickly as I was expecting so you can take your time shaping it. Just make sure you knead it well so you don't get gritty lumps or cracks. It's not like clay so you can't just wet it and smooth out kinks. You can knead it easily after the 24hour settling period.

* Avoid making anything too thin as it starts to get a bit transparent and plasticky.
* I dried mine on wire racks and it sadly it stained the bottom. I might paint the bottom or line it with felt.

* Mr Google suggests that it can be finished with acrylic paint.

Have a go because it's great fun!