Can the "home made eyes" be baked again?

by Anka
(Poland)

Question:
Hello Amanda,
I've read your "eyes" tutorial but I am a bit confused. The eyes have been baked and painted but can they now be treated as the glass ones?

I saw your youtube tutorial (how to make a females head) on which you show how to insert and "blend" the glass eyes into doll's head, once finished you say that it is ready to be baked. I am wondering what is the procedure when you use "home made eyes" Wouldn't they melt if they are going to be stick to the oven again?

Answer:
Hello Anka,
Yes they can be baked again. In the Beginner Eye Tutorial I use polymer clay to make the eye.

Polymer clay can be baked many times without any real problems, especially Fimo and Cernit. Obviously some clays such as Prosculpt and Super Sculpey tend to darken with every bake, so be sure to take this into consideration (not as much of a problem if you are using solid colours instead of the flesh-tone clays).

You just need to be sure that you do not touch the eyes while they are still warm from a bake. The clay will be relatively soft while it's still warm; so touching it may cause damage.

Also, some glosses don't like being baked again so it's important to use something fairly strong, like a resin- rather than a varnish. I once tried it with Sculpey Gloss and it turned yellow and goopy after being baked.

So in answer to your question, yes they can be treated like glass eyes, just be sure to follow what I use in the tutorial.
I hope that helps!
Amanda