Lumina Air Dry Clay Review (Credit: KawaiiFrenzy)
Today I will be sharing my review for Lumina Clay. I have been wanting to try this clay out for a while and I am very excited to share my thoughts on it.
Lumina clay is an air dry polymer clay. On the package it says that it is waterproof, translucent, highly flexible, durable, acid free and non toxic. On average it cost about $10 to $12 dollars online for a 5.25 oz block of clay but if you use a coupon you can usually get it for half price. Lumina clay is made in japan but easily found online in American shops. I think its starting to become more popular now since it seems a couple of years ago it wasn't as readily available.
When I first got the package of Lumina in the mail I was a bit shocked at the amount. I guess since I was used to a lot of air dry clays that have a lot more volume since other brands are puffed up with air. Lumina clay is totally different than other air dry clays. Since this is an air dry polymer clay and not an air dry paper clay it really does feel different than other air dry products.
As you can see in the pic below it fits in the palm of my hand
Lumina clay is an air dry polymer clay. On the package it says that it is waterproof, translucent, highly flexible, durable, acid free and non toxic. On average it cost about $10 to $12 dollars online for a 5.25 oz block of clay but if you use a coupon you can usually get it for half price. Lumina clay is made in japan but easily found online in American shops. I think its starting to become more popular now since it seems a couple of years ago it wasn't as readily available.
When I first got the package of Lumina in the mail I was a bit shocked at the amount. I guess since I was used to a lot of air dry clays that have a lot more volume since other brands are puffed up with air. Lumina clay is totally different than other air dry clays. Since this is an air dry polymer clay and not an air dry paper clay it really does feel different than other air dry products.
As you can see in the pic below it fits in the palm of my hand
Here are 2 comparison shot next to a block of Sculpey III so you can get a feel for the size of the block of Lumina clay:
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Here is how it comes wrapped:
In Japan, polymer air dry clays are really popular and they are usually called resin clays. On the package of Lumina it doesn't say exactly what is in but I'm assuming that its like a lot of other Japanese clays. Those clays are usually a mix of polymers also called resins and starch which allow it to air dry. I also think that because on the package it says to keep away from heat and flame and the polymers they use are probably some sort of thermo plastic that would start to soften at higher temperatures.
Another crafter named Camille Young ” who by the way makes beautiful flowers with lumina clay” said HERE – In her lumina review that in high humidity her flowers soften and became a bit droopy but as soon as the air wasnt humid her flowers hardened and returned to their original state.
That makes me feel like they do contain some sort of thermo plastic. Camille also mentioned that the block of clay grew a bit of mold when let out. I assume that was due to the starch the clay may contain. Since she probably lives in a humid area the plastic wrap that the clay is in probably beaded up with bits of water. When the condensation appeared in the plastic wrap without drying out the starch must have absorbed it, broken down into a sugar which then feeds mold spores which grow into yucky furry patches. I dont think pieces that are drying out will grow mold. I think the block itself could grow mold if while wrapped condensation gets to it.
I think to avoid mold or the clay drying out and to keep it maybe for a couple of months you have to wrap it properly. You can keep it in an air tight container. If you do live in a humid area you may want to keep it in the fridge. Or just keep it wrapped in the plastic wrap just make sure it doesnt have condensation if in a humid area or unwrapped because if its not wrapped air tight it will dry out.
Here is a picture of the back of the clay package. Also notice the package has a stamp date on it mine says 9-12-09 so my batch is about a year old. I think this is important because it probably does have starch in it which can go bad after a while and they probably need to really know the shelf life on this type of clay.
Another crafter named Camille Young ” who by the way makes beautiful flowers with lumina clay” said HERE – In her lumina review that in high humidity her flowers soften and became a bit droopy but as soon as the air wasnt humid her flowers hardened and returned to their original state.
That makes me feel like they do contain some sort of thermo plastic. Camille also mentioned that the block of clay grew a bit of mold when let out. I assume that was due to the starch the clay may contain. Since she probably lives in a humid area the plastic wrap that the clay is in probably beaded up with bits of water. When the condensation appeared in the plastic wrap without drying out the starch must have absorbed it, broken down into a sugar which then feeds mold spores which grow into yucky furry patches. I dont think pieces that are drying out will grow mold. I think the block itself could grow mold if while wrapped condensation gets to it.
I think to avoid mold or the clay drying out and to keep it maybe for a couple of months you have to wrap it properly. You can keep it in an air tight container. If you do live in a humid area you may want to keep it in the fridge. Or just keep it wrapped in the plastic wrap just make sure it doesnt have condensation if in a humid area or unwrapped because if its not wrapped air tight it will dry out.
Here is a picture of the back of the clay package. Also notice the package has a stamp date on it mine says 9-12-09 so my batch is about a year old. I think this is important because it probably does have starch in it which can go bad after a while and they probably need to really know the shelf life on this type of clay.
Here are a couple of pictures of how Lumina clay looks when a chunk of it is pulled away. It looks a bit like laffy taffy and it feels actually a bit like really warm squishy translucent Sculpey. Lumina clay is not sticky and very easy to work with.
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Now the best part about Lumina clay is that its translucent. Now the key word is translucent not transparent, it just allows for light to shine through which makes it fantastic for making flowers.
In the picture below you can see how the light shines through very thin pieces. The clay must be rolled very thin for it to be translucent. In thicker pieces it wont be translucent at all. Since it is very flexible it won't crack when rolled paper thin.
In the picture below you can see how the light shines through very thin pieces. The clay must be rolled very thin for it to be translucent. In thicker pieces it wont be translucent at all. Since it is very flexible it won't crack when rolled paper thin.
I also think Lumina clay would be beautiful as miniature lamps for dollhouse since if you light them up the light would give a fantastic glow.
~written by Mixi @ KawaiiFrenzy.com, stored by Laura Haslam
~written by Mixi @ KawaiiFrenzy.com, stored by Laura Haslam
