How to make money on products made of polymer clay. Making money on polymer clay products Business ideas for using colored clay

Products from polymer clay became simply the most popular among the so-called "home businessmen", i.e. people whose work does not take place in stuffy and cramped office space or even worse, but in a quiet and cozy homely atmosphere.

Your business, in fact, will consist in creating various fakes from a lump of a dirty and useless mixture, which are bought with a bang all over the world, including in Russia.

It is worth noting that polymer clay business idea in last years is gaining momentum and if you are a creative person, then it is quite possible that sculpting products from polymer clay is just your strong point.

Business on the creation of products from polymer clay

And so, before we start, let's understand what kind of miracle this very polymer clay is.

As the great and mighty Internet polymer clay tells us, it is a mixture whose base consists of PVC, and some types of liquid plasticizers are used as additives.

In other words, the above thing at a temperature of 100-120 C turns into a liquid and can take any form that the worker asks her.

Another not unimportant plus of polymer clay is, first of all, that when it cools at a certain temperature threshold, it becomes like plasticine and it is quite possible to make any fake out of it. Here, as you like.

Own business in the manufacture of products from polymer clay

After spending some time on Internet sites, where ideas comparable to ours were vigorously discussed, people often asked a simple and understandable question, “But how to start with these same polymers? ...” or “What should push people to buy my figures?”.

Oddly enough, the answer to these questions was very short and ingenious. The only thing that in any way can affect your polymer clay business is you yourself, or rather your accuracy and painstaking work.

Getting Started in the Polymer Clay Business

I think I will not discover America if I say that for a successful start you need the clay kit itself.

My friends, to buy the first set, I ask you to weigh your options and understand for yourself what you are going to do.

To begin with, I advise you to arm yourself with the Internet and look for all possible offers for the sale of polymer clay.

Just in the first places that Google gave me, I found the most expensive offers for the sale of kits. Generally speaking, it will take you from 800-1500 rubles to buy 600 g of clay.

Everywhere prices vary and you can only talk about the price range, again it all depends on where to buy.

On account of the purchase, I can also say that not only colorless polymer clays are on sale, but also multi-colored ones, and recently even glowing in the dark ones have come on sale..

So there will be something for the imagination to roam about. Please pay attention to this as well. If all these remarks are observed by you and people like your creation, then I advise the person not to overestimate the price and make it 5-10% lower than that of competitors.

You still won’t collect all the money, and an extra client is not lying on the road. That's all with the purchase of kits. You have bought the most important thing, now you can start purchasing components for your business.

The shopping list may include various types of cutters and molds for the most artistic modeling. But here I can advise you not to be particularly zealous, because everything is learned in the process and it is also worth buying components in the process of work.

Moreover, no one knows, maybe in a week you will find Good work And you don't need polymer clay. In the general case, the purchase of tools can take from 1000-5000 rubles.

We create products from polymer clay

The first period of work will make you think about what actually to blind.

I ask you not to bother too much and turn your attention to holiday trinkets.

For example, Valentine's Day is coming soon. You can make a heart and write something extra pleasant on it that will make you buy the product.

In order for your products to sell faster, you need not only talent, but also uniqueness.

Try to play your imagination and create such trinkets that other people simply do not have. I'm sure customers will trample in droves, you'll see.

Another interesting and popular topic has always been and will be New Year. You can’t even imagine how much is spent on before the holiday.

Here your imagination can be limitless. You can also make decorations for the Christmas tree and souvenirs for your loved ones. All this will be very popular, the main thing is to present your brainchild with high quality.

And whether buyers will like it will be decided in the process. Again, be original and go your own way.

You must be original to the core and not repeat people. Wish you luck.

You can find other business ideas that become relevant from year to year on our website of business ideas:. And of course, add to our group so as not to miss new business ideas in the vastness of the Russian Federation,

Hand-made (hand-made) has always been appreciated. This is a way to get something unique, creative - something that no one else has. The most common material for creating products self made is polymer clay. We have already written how to make such material at home (see Polymer Clay Business).

However, you can not only make polymer clay and sell it as a separate product, but also create various things from this material yourself. From it you can make decorative ornaments (jewelry), key chains, photo frames, Christmas decorations, dolls, figurines and in general any things that can be useful for creating home comfort.

Polymer clay (plastic) is a soft material based on polyvinyl chloride. It is initially plastic and soft, so it can be molded from it like from plasticine. When the product is given the desired shape, it is heated, due to which it freezes and becomes solid. Some types of material harden without heating, simply under the influence of air. When creating things, you can use colored clay right away or just paint them after they are made, when they harden. Any acrylic paint will easily fall on it. If crafts are not subjected to frequent blows and other damage, then they can retain their “presentation” for a very long time.

How to sculpt?

Art modeling is a creative process that requires certain talents. At a minimum, the arms should grow from the "correct" place. If you were praised kindergarten for the fact that you molded a plasticine man well, this does not mean that you will also succeed in sculpting from polymer clay.

If you are modeling purely for yourself, then you can do it however you like. But if you want to create your own business in the production and sale of plastic products, and make money on it, then your products must be at least competitive, and at the most, stand out sharply from the rest in better side. It takes practice to make significant progress. Therefore, if you feel that you are gaining skill by practicing, then continue in the same spirit. In the opposite case, it is better to think about another form of earnings.

modeling

Thoroughly knead in your hands the piece of polymer clay with which you are going to work further. So the plastic will become softer, and it will be much easier to give it the desired shape. Start training with the simplest elements, gradually moving on to more complex ones.

For example, the first thing you can try to make is a flower and a leaf. To make the leaf, use your fingers to shape a small piece of material into an oval, then lightly press it against your work surface to flatten it. On one side of the oval, make a sharper edge, on the other, leave it rounded. Using a toothpick, draw veins on the leaf with squeezing movements. You will end up with an element like this:

We move on to the next element of the flower - to the petals. Roll into five small balls, with your fingers, as it were, roll them out on the work surface. Try to keep the edges as round as possible. Now you need to form these petals into a flower. Since each petal is slightly stuck to the surface due to pressure, you can break its shape when you remove them. Therefore, it is better to do this not with your fingers, but with a blade or other flat object. Lay the petals in a circle one on top of the other, overlapping the edges. Then place the leaf under the finished petals.

Baking

Next, you need to subject the resulting object to heat so that it hardens. You can use a conventional oven for this. However, if you are using an oven in which, in addition to baking your work, you also cook food, then it is better to place the products in a container or food sleeve. When baked, plastic can give off vapors that will settle on the walls of the oven and adversely affect the quality of your food.

Although the desired temperature and baking time for specific type plastics are always indicated on the packaging, it is better to try first on a small trial piece. Try not to overexpose the product in the oven - otherwise it will burn (turn black) and emit a lot of smoke. In this case, it is urgent to ventilate the room.

Degreasing

You can remove excess fat from the gizmos with any detergent. Apply a small amount of product to cotton wool and wipe the product immediately after baking.

Grinding

Not every job will require such processing. This procedure must be performed if there are fingerprints, any bumps or lumps on the surface on the product. If you're just getting started with polymer clay, it's unlikely you'll be able to make things with a perfect surface right away. In addition, if you plan to cover the work with varnish or paint, then polishing is indispensable - the varnish will lie much better on a perfectly flat surface. Therefore, the ability to sand and polish will come in handy.

You will need sandpaper and a small piece of cloth. Denim is best suited (necessarily an old fabric, as a new one can leave traces of paint on a little thing), velveteen or suede. Fill a bowl with water at room temperature, mix a little detergent with it. Next, you need to dip the product into the water, wet the sandpaper a little. Start sanding from the edges and the back (that is, not the front) with coarser sandpaper. Rinse off dust and small pieces with water. then change the water and start grinding with sandpaper already with fine crumbs. Grind the front side as carefully as possible so as not to spoil the presentation of the thing.

At the end of grinding, rinse the thing again from the remnants of detergent and grains of sandpaper, and dry it. Next, polish it with a piece of cloth - just rub it on all sides with vigorous movements.

Varnishing

To cover the product, it is better to use special varnishes that are designed specifically for polymer clay. Some "masters" use acrylic-based nail polishes or decoupage, but this is not entirely correct. Such gizmos can only be made for themselves, but they are unlikely to be suitable for sale. Some works, after careful polishing with a cloth, no longer require varnishing.

In direct contact with the skin, the material may cause allergies or other adverse reactions. It doesn't happen often, but it's not worth the risk. Therefore, when performing your first work, it is better to use disposable medical gloves. It is also better not to use dishes that have direct contact with polymer clay when eating.

Tools

Each master has the following tools in his arsenal, which are very useful when working with polymer clay:

1. Modeling surfaces. These are flat surfaces made of glass or plastic, preferably large. It is not recommended to work on a stone or wood surface.
2. Blades, knives. They are needed different sizes and cutting thickness. All blades and knives should be as sharp as possible so that the product does not deform when cutting.
3. Sandpaper. It is used for grinding or, conversely, to give things an uneven shape (for example, imitation of an orange peel).
4. Fabric (denim, velvet, suede). Used for polishing and giving a radiant sheen to the surface.
5. Spokes and needles. Need different sizes and thicknesses. They make through holes (for example, in beads) or small dents.
6. Glue. It is necessary for gluing together individual elements.
7. extruder. This is a special tool - a kind of large syringe from which material is squeezed out. For extruders, there are various nozzles with which you can get an element of the future product of the shape you need.

What can be made from polymer clay?

Plastic molding masters offer a variety of products. In the range you can find:

• Earrings;
• Rings;
• Pendants, pendants;
• Beads;
• Bracelets;
• Hairpins and hair ornaments;
• Brooches;
• Keychains;
• Photo frame;
• Statuettes, figurines;
• Christmas decorations;
• Dolls;
• Paintings.

For work, you will need not only different polymer clay, but also additional elements. For example, chains for pendants, metal bases for rings, clasps for bracelets and earrings, hooks for Christmas toys, threads (for example, for doll hair), various sparkles, beads. All this can be purchased at any art store.

Who sells clay products?

A significant percentage of clients are young girls. Now very popular communities in in social networks, which are created by plastic sculptors. There they place catalogs of their products, and each member of the community can pick up something and place an order. The main difficulty in this type of product implementation is to attract and retain social network users in the community.

Another way to sell your product is to participate in fairs and exhibitions of hand-made products. Such events are now in demand, they are periodically organized in almost every major city. Find out where such exhibitions are held in your city, follow the dates of their organization. Offer organizers your products as a commodity. If your products are of high quality, then most likely you will not be refused.

Also, in every city you can find shops that sell various souvenirs, jewelry, home decor items. Try to negotiate with such stores on the sale of your goods on mutual terms. In this case, you will act as a supplier of goods.

The main advantage of hand-made products is its uniqueness, which must be used to your advantage. Offer clients unique goods to order. It is better to offer such a service when you gain experience. The client describes his wishes to you, perhaps, shows approximate sketches of the work, and you make the product especially for him. Such works usually cost a little more than those done in advance, however, there is a risk that the client will not like the little thing, and he will refuse to pay for it. The moment, of course, is unpleasant, but you can easily sell such a product through a general catalog.

Videos sculpting

There are many videos on the Internet that can be a good help in learning how to work with polymer clay. At first, you can’t do without such videos. We offer you several useful training videos in which the masters clearly explain each step. If you have the makings of creativity, then learning how to sculpt beautifully from such videos is easy!

To inspire you to be creative, we offer you amazing works made of polymer clay by real craftsmen!

How much can you earn?

It depends solely on you. A package of imported polymer clay (for example, from Premo, Sculpey, Kato, Pardo, Fimo) costs about $2 to $6, depending on the volume. materials Russian manufacturers(for example, "Tsvetik", "Sonnet") are even cheaper.

The cost of additional materials will also be insignificant, especially since they are not required for everything (for example, for a simple figurine, nothing is needed except the material itself). But the price of finished products may be different. Exclusive gizmos that are made to order can cost up to $15 each. Various earrings, pendants, rings are sold for an average of 4-5 dollars. If you learn how to work quickly and create quality things, you can make good money in this business.

In stores or at holiday fairs, you can see a wide variety of copyright items: figurines, pendants, key chains, dolls and other beautiful little things. In online handmade stores you can find various handmade crafts and works - both completely amateur and professional. This niche is quite wide and fertile. The demand for such products is constantly growing.

Polymer clay- the basis of these wonderful accessories. It is also called plastic. It is, as the name implies, a plastic material. It is very similar to plasticine, but much more plastic and more suitable for work for sale.

Polymer clay happens different types, differs in texture and properties. For example, there are such species as flower, fimo, scalpy, kato, cernit and others. They acquired such names thanks to the firms that produce them.

Polymer clay makes excellent things that you can sell. Sale can take place in different ways: on the Internet (open your own website or offer your work on specialized sites), through acquaintances or open your own store. There are many options, the main thing is to choose the most suitable one. You can open your own website if you are a programmer, or you hire one.

Register on a dedicated website it will be much easier. Opening own store requires big investments and a lot of paperwork.

dream of opening own business seems unrealistic to most, because a person does not know where to start. We will offer you a slightly abstract opening plan "polymer" business:

1) Determine if the job is right for you. Fantasy, patience and the desire to create - these are the three pillars of future success. You should like this kind of work so that you do not get tired of it soon.

2) When you definitely decide to work, choose a site where you will exhibit your creations. You can do this on sites such as Ideas , , . Register there and start creating!

3) Buy a few different colors of polymer clay(5-9 pieces), among them must be white, and blanks for jewelry: for rings, earrings, key chains, chains, etc. You will also need a few tools for working with polymer clay: varnish, a rolling roller or a roller-skating pin, a set of blades, if you want, you can buy several texture stamps and bead molders, molds and a paste machine.

Of course, it is not necessary to buy everything at once, but your opportunities will immediately increase. By the way, do not forget to buy medical gloves - they will save your creations from fingerprints.

4) Review a few before you get started. master classes. They will not only show you how to work, but also teach you the basic rules. Master classes can be seen on different sites, both video and text with pictures, for this it is enough to "google" on the net.

Advice: If you want to make the surface porous, make many small shallow holes in it.

5) Decide what exactly you are going to do. Otherwise, you will wear out a decent amount of clay, and really do nothing. If you don't have enough shades, mix two colors: yellow + red = orange, blue + yellow = green, etc. And by mixing white with some other color, you get its pastel shade.

6) Prepare your workspace. Only the necessary items and clay should lie on a table covered with oilcloth. Of course, you should not be upset about anything, otherwise you will not get anything good. Put in front of you a picture (from a book, the internet, or your own drawing) of what you want to do and get started! After sculpting (or in some cases before) stick the sculpted part to the base (rings, earrings, key chain, etc.). Apply varnish to your product to give it shine.

7) Clay is different - self-hardening and baked. Baked clay is harder than self-hardening clay. If you chose the baked one, you need to "bake" it in the oven a little until it hardens, and just leave the self-hardening one for a while. Of course, it is better to choose in advance a more suitable option for you.

8) Finally, the product is ready! I want to show it to my friends and put it up for sale as soon as possible. But 50% of success lies in the correctly displayed product. A photograph of your creation is very important - after all, a potential buyer can evaluate your work only on it. And it is better to write a commentary on the work briefly and concisely.

So, when photographing a product, consider the rules:

There should be no extraneous things in the background

Light must fall on the product

Avoid glare and blur

The background must be solid

The photo should clearly show what you are selling.

9) Do not immediately set a high price for your product. On most sites, you will have to earn a ranking first. Look at the prices of other people's products.

10) When you earn more money, you can open your site. The main thing is that the work should not be a burden to you.

May fortune turn to face you. Good luck with your first endeavors!

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Comments (10)

An interesting proposal, but this business idea requires not only good qualities organizer, but also creativity in business and the ability to navigate in a certain conjuncture of goods - not everyone is "too tough".

Polymer clay and knickknacks is an old idea, not a new one. Runes, beads, key rings - full of everything. Efforts and labor costs are a little much, but there is little sense. Paperclay and dolls are another matter. And more expensive and more skillful and necessary. All the same, I am in favor of artists and other people from the arts or simply talents doing all this.

The production of handmade polymer clay jewelry is a promising direction, which compares favorably with the absence of large amounts of initial capital. All that is needed is perseverance and imagination, as well as a sincere desire to find your target audience and competently offer them products.

Handmade jewelry is very relevant in recent times, so the business of manufacturing polymer clay jewelry is quite promising and profitable.

Polymer clay (plastic) is a material similar in its properties to plasticine, but when exposed to air or high temperatures, it hardens, becoming durable.

Several varieties of polymer clay are known, which are distinguished by plasticity and other effects. There is a wide color palette on the market.

Products can be further processed with other means and materials (lacquer, paints, and so on).

Despite the fact that working with this material requires perseverance and painstaking work, it does not force you to invest a lot of money at the very beginning, and the sales market is extremely large (offline and online options), so the polymer clay jewelry business can be called very promising.

Sales channels are as follows:

• Online shopping
• Markets
• Trade fairs
• Groups in social networks
• Implementation in offline stores

Most often, jewelry and small souvenirs are created from polymer clay.

The target audience are traditionally women. There are no age restrictions, since jewelry can be made using various techniques, therefore, representatives of different social groups and groups may be interested in the offer. age groups.

The manufacturing steps are simple: idea - realization of the idea - sale. The making of jewelry itself technological plan is not difficult, as it does not require any special conditions.

The manufacturing technology is quite simple:

1. Sculpting - shaping clay
2. Firing/drying
3. Assembly

Pricing can be determined by the following formula: the amount spent on materials multiplied by 2.

Necessary equipment and materials to start a business

Equipment

Name	Purpose	Price
Oven/Microwave	For final product processing	As a rule, no additional purchase is required, as it is available in every home
Additionally, you can purchase accessories for working with polymer clay. This expense item is optional, especially at the initial stage. This should include cutters, stacks, cars, knives, texture sheets, and so on.	These tools are relevant for processing products, for giving them textures and textures, interesting effects. The higher the professionalism of the master, the greater the range of tools he can use.	Some prices: Cutter set: average price 220 rubles / set A set of stacks (plastic): 120 rubles / set Knife for work (scalpel): 160 rubles Texture sheet: 150 rubles

materials

Name	Purpose	Price, in rubles
Polymer clay	The main material used for sculpting and modeling.	80 rubles / bar of one color.
Lacquer for polymer clay	It is used at the final stage of creating jewelry. Gives the product shine, makes it durable and resistant to environmental influences.	Average, 150/vial
Accessories for jewelry Basics for brooches Connecting rings Pins Cabochons Chains, cords Clasps eyelets limit switches Connectors and others.	These materials are necessary at the stage of assembling the decoration. There are many varieties of them, but the main advantage is low price for all kinds. You can buy sets of accessories for jewelry in the assortment wholesale!	The wholesale price of a set of accessories for jewelry in the range is about 1000 rubles / set.

As already noted, starting a business in the production of polymer clay jewelry does not require any special equipment, that is, capital investments at the initial stage are minimal.

This is an affordable material, widely available for sale. With a certain skill, imagination and ingenuity, you can create interesting jewelry, as a result, the prospect of selling at a cost that exceeds the purchase price by 10 times is quite real.

The average cost of a plastic bar of the same color weighing 30 grams is 80 rubles in the purchase. For example, even if you limit yourself to using only 3 colors, you spend about 240 rubles on a purchase. You can make enough elements for 5-6 decorations from them.

The sale of products at the minimum cost - 700 rubles - shows us a profit of 3260 rubles.

The initial cost of purchasing materials and tools has already paid off.

Starting a Business: Capital Investment

Thus, starting a business based on the production of polymer clay jewelry does not require large investments.

Favorable from the buyer's point of view, the supplier's website is an international store with free shipping worldwide - http://www.aliexpress.com.

Here is an approximate distribution of capital investments:

The main material is polymer clay. You can purchase a ready-made kit, which costs about $28 and includes a fairly wide range of polymer clay colors, plus a minimum of tools and accessories.

Auxiliary equipment

To auxiliary equipment include those tools and materials that were listed in the table. Recall that they are not mandatory, it is more profitable to buy them in sets, since the average price is still decreasing:

For example, a set of knives for working with polymer clay:

• Generally, additional materials, which we DO NOT include in the basis, the set:
• Work surface - it is also a substrate for work
• Rolling pin for rolling polymer clay:
• Pasta machine (rarely used)
• extruder
• Cutters of different shapes:
• Stacks for creating and decorating miniature parts
• Molds

Thus, the initial necessary costs amount to a maximum of about 2000 rubles!

With such starting capital It is already possible to start the production of polymer clay jewelry.

Earning prospects

prospects good earnings are great. If we take the finished product as the unit of account 1, and if we take a fairly serious workload, then the following graph may come out:

Daily volume of sales/production, pcs.	2 products
Number of shifts per month	We take it as a standard independent work at the initial stage, when the master himself works.
Monthly volume, pcs.	Average: 50-60 items
Price per unit of production, in rubles	300 rubles for a simple product
Revenue, in rubles	Cash proceeds from the sale of products from polymer clay: the average figure for stable sales is 15,000 - 18,000 (taking into account the cost of 1 product of 300 rubles)
Profitability, in rubles	Net profit to the total turnover is - about 16,000.
Payback, per month	The period for which the income from investments becomes equal to the value of the investments themselves is approximately 1-2 weeks with interest and full workload.

The optimal type of activity at the initial stage is when the master works for himself, this is what makes this type of business attractive.

The demand for hand-made is constantly growing and it is worth paying attention to this type of income.

You can earn good money on clay crafts and over time this business will become the main source of your income.

For the manufacture of original figurines, you can mix different shades of colors. This is how new masterpieces are born. Polymer clay is easy to use, this material is soft and pliable, like regular plasticine.

When the finished product dries, it becomes quite durable. Strength is also achieved by heating the product in the oven at a temperature of 130 degrees, but no more.

Polymer clay to be heated is available in a wide variety of colors and shades. You can use glitter, clear, or glow in the dark clay. Clay that hardens after drying comes in three basic colors: grey, white and terracotta.

Also, clay from different manufacturers is not similar to each other. According to the degree of hardness of products, there are especially strong or soft. According to the drying effect, the product can be matte or smooth (glossy).

There are quite a few types of polymer clay, and besides, you can adapt to mix different versions of it and choose the one that suits you best. At first, it is better to use ordinary polymer clay from the manufacturer Fimo.

After the product is ready, it can be varnished, of any color and structure, or with acrylic paint. You can decorate the product with sparkles, in general, it all depends on the imagination of the author. Separate parts of the product are interconnected with glue.

If your own imagination is not enough, you can always turn to the Internet for help. On special sites, the authors share their ideas and give recommendations for creating original products of excellent quality.

Once you have a catalog of your creations, it's time to advertise your products. If you are limited in funds, then you can place free ads on the network, with photos of your products. You can create a portfolio of made figurines or clay jewelry and post it on social networks.

Then you can safely engage in the creative process, while your ads, in the meantime, will help you sell finished goods. Try to introduce friends to your business and hire them to co-create.

Recommendations on how to use polymer clay products.
Do not expose a clay product to prolonged exposure to water.
Clean the product with a soft damp cloth.
Do not glue the broken part of the product yourself with superglue, this will ruin the plastic of the product.
Do not heat the product
When using cosmetics, be careful, even a drop of perfume can ruin appearance your decoration.