AMACOStonex™ Self-Hardening Clay, 5 lbs.

I had not used this type of air dry clay before, and at first found it hard and dry to work with. Stick with it. The clay formed easily and took imprinting easily with sharp clear images. The dried weight was substantial yet still light. Very satisfied using it as the main structure medium.

Just arrived, looks great and in perfect condition. I was worried because of some other reviews but no mold or cracks here.

I used this as ballast for the bottom of two lamps, one a table reading lamp, and a floor lamp. The inner base plaster on both had cracked and crumbled apart. Even expensive lamps these days have plaster instead of the heavy iron insert they used to have. With age, or if you knock them over, the plaster falls apart like sand and you have a lamp that cannot stand. Not wanting to throw away very nice lamps, I tried this clay. A YouTube video suggested using quikcrete cement, but then you have to pour it over the lamp cord. This clay is moldable so you can keep a channel for the cord. I smoothed it flat with a metal ruler, which was easy to clean while the clay was wet. This clay does shrink some from the lamp base sides (the box warns you that it will do that), but fortunately stuck to the top of both lamp bases. I filled in the edge cracks where it had shrunk with a glue gun and used that glue to re-attach the paper-and-felt bottom as well. Both lamps are perfect again.

My son (high school) used this for a class project. He made a flower 'candle' about 8 inches in diameter and 1/8 in thick with 1/2 high lips on each of the 10 'petals'. He only needed about 1/4 of the box. It took 2 days to fully dry and he had to turn the 'flower' over a few times. Then he varnished it with spray varnish, let that dry overnight, and then spray painted red. Then he poured melted wax in the petals to make 10 connected 'candles'. The clay worked well for this project and was plenty sturdy enough. He present the 'candle' on a wood base but it wasn't particularly fragile after being varnished and painted.Nice part was that he did not need to heat the clay to 'set' it. Just let it dry for 2 days.

I was worried about this because of the “crumbly” reviews, but it’s been great so far. We wanted to make a flower pot for our wedding, and do it ourselves, and it worked beautifully. There was a minor crack in the inside, but it didn’t go all the way through, and we’re going to waterproof it anyway, so I think we can seal that.The bottom was thicker than the sides eventually, so I think if we’d been able to keep it completely even, it might’ve been better, but it worked well. I definitely wouldn’t want to make it too thin, ours was probably an inch thick. Happy creating!

Great practice clay for leaning how to use a pottery wheel it's affordable and isn't hard to work with.However the amount of water you use when throwing should be limited. If you don't you'll lose more then you will gain and the clay will turn into mush and then you'll be stuck waiting a day for it to dry before you can continue using the clay and the more you have to repeat that process the less clay you'll have left.I'm sure this goes for most clays but with this particular brand it was a bigger struggle. Airdry isn't known to be the best for pottery wheels either, but it gets a person started and you won't need a kilm. People will tell you, you can't use this clay for pottery wheels you CAN. But you just can't!!! eat or drink form it. and you have to make things for storage more then anything else. But you should be fine. I do prefer other brands but for what this is attempting to achieve it isn't bad. There's a lot of mention of cracking (kneed it look up kneading clay) that's why it's cracking.

This product is as described. I bought it to make a wind chime and it is soft and easy to use. It is not wet like some people wrote. I'm waiting for them to air dry. It has been a couple days- so it does take a while to dry, but super easy to use .I don't usually write reviews, but I do read what other people write, so I thought I'd add a review this time because I really liked the product.

This clay dries super quick while working with it and if you add too much water to soften it, then it becomes really squishy and it makes it hard to work with...it will be basically slipping out of your hands. My sculpture cracked whithin 2 days of being made—big cracks! I don’t think is worth the money. I’m buying regular low fire clay next, this Air dry one is horrible. What’s the point of sculpting/making something that’s gonna crack and be thrown away within days?