Clay Softener Replacement.

You know, I've reason to believe that the local art shop I frequent hates me. I am really cheap--and cheapskates are not good for business. One of the things we always argue about is that I insist on digging my fingernails into their precious, unsold clay, to see if it's soft enough. Admit it, those who work with clay--it's so annoying and hard to work with hard clay! For me, it almost makes me not want to do anything with the clay. They told me I could buy clay softener if I wanted to. I was like, hell no. I want fresh clay, I want soft clay, I do not want old stocks, and screw you if you try to sell me this garbage. So I checked around the almighty internet and voila~ it did not disappoint me. Say it with me, loves:


YOU CAN USE ANY TYPE OF COOKING OIL TO SOFTEN YOUR CLAY.


I tried it, and it works. Some questions I've had about it:

Q:  Doesn't it ruin the clay?
A: I've read somewhere that if you use too oil, it will ruin the clay. What I do is that I dip my finger in the oil, wipe it off on the clay, then knead it and see how it works. If I need more, I just add more. So far, none of my works have been ruined by it.

Q: Do all kinds of oil work?
A: I don't know--I don't have access to all kind of clay. It works with all kinds of cooking oils though, I promise you. I don't know about baby oil or mineral oil. Frankly, I'm a little scared to use mineral oil 'cause I think it's a little weird. Let me know how it works if you use it.

Q: Won't it discolor the clay?
A: It won't. I've also used it with the sparkly kinds of clay and they maintain their sparkle, even though the uncooked clay may look a little dulled at first. Keep kneading, and it'll be fine.