Salt ceramic, also called Victorian salt clay is a traditional salt-based modeling medium.

Composition

It is an air-dry

modeling clay Modelling clay or modelling compound is any of a group of malleable substances used in building and sculpting. The material compositions and production processes vary considerably. Ceramic clay Ceramic clays are water-based substances made f ...

, which is commonly made in the kitchen by combining one part

corn starch Corn starch, maize starch, or cornflour (British English) is the starch derived from corn (maize) grain. The starch is obtained from the endosperm of the kernel. Corn starch is a common food ingredient, often used to thicken sauces or sou ...

with two parts

table salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...

and heated and stirred till it stiffens to a dough-like consistency. It is then placed on

wax paper Waxed paper (also wax paper, waxpaper, or paraffin paper) is paper that has been made moisture-proof and grease-proof through the application of wax. The practice of oiling parchment or paper in order to make it semi-translucent or moisture-pro ...

to cool before kneading.

Coloring

The clay is naturally white, but is often colored by mixing in food color or paint after kneading.

Techniques

Salt ceramic dries to a coarse stone-like texture, and so is often used in folk craft and children's art. Like other air-dried modeling compounds, it is not suitable for vessels that will contain liquids. Popular uses of salt ceramic include making jewelry and

Christmas ornaments Christmas ornaments, baubles, "Christmas bulbs" or "Christmas bubbles" are decoration items, usually to decorate Christmas trees. These decorations may be woven, blown ( glass or plastic), molded ( ceramic or metal), carved from wood or e ...

. In jewelry making, it can be rolled into balls and formed into beads, or pressed into various shapes. In making Christmas ornaments it is sometimes made into balls, similar to the bead-making process, or rolled out with a

rolling pin Rolling is a type of motion that combines rotation (commonly, of an axially symmetric object) and translation of that object with respect to a surface (either one or the other moves), such that, if ideal conditions exist, the two are in contact ...

and cut with

cookie cutters A cookie cutter in North American English, also known as a biscuit cutter outside North America, is a tool to cut out cookie/biscuit dough in a particular shape. They are often used for seasonal occasions when well-known decorative shapes are ...

and painted.

Finishing

It takes about two days for the objects to dry. It is known to take paint well, once hardened. It is often coated with acrylic, once hardened, to protect it from moisture.

Related modeling media

* Cold porcelain is used in a similar way, but is made with white glue in place of the salt and water. It is a popular medium for modeling lifelike flowers. *Mastic cold porcelain uses

bicarbonate of soda Sodium bicarbonate (IUPAC name: sodium hydrogencarbonate), commonly known as baking soda or bicarbonate of soda, is a chemical compound with the formula NaHCO3. It is a salt composed of a sodium cation ( Na+) and a bicarbonate anion ( HCO3−) ...

rather than salt. It is preferred by some people who do not like to work with salt. Also known as ''kitchen craft clay'', it has been around since at least the 1960s.

References