Baking is easy!
To Bake a ClayLinks Print:
- Prints should always be baked in a well-ventilated oven and area and for best results bake within 30 days.
- Preheat your oven or toaster oven to 275º F (135º C). (For altitudes above 5,000 feet, increase temperature to 295º F.) It’s a good idea to use an oven thermometer to be sure your oven’s temperature is accurate. Over-baking or baking at too high a temperature may cause discoloration, cracking and/or burning.
- Place your print in a clean, ungreased baking dish and bake in your preheated oven or toaster oven for 20 minutes. The print will not look any different after it is baked properly. Baking simply “sets” the impression so it is permanently preserved. Do not bake in a microwave oven as these ovens may not allow the clay to bake thoroughly or equally.
- Remove the baking dish promptly from your oven and allow the print to cool to room temperature before touching. Your print is quite delicate when just removed from the oven and will harden as it cools. After the print has cooled, gently work a spatula under the edge of the print to loosen. It’s normal for your print to seem “stuck” to the dish but, once it is cooled, your print will easily “pop” loose.
To Decorate After the ClayLinks Print has been Baked:
- If desired, finish the print with decorations like ribbons*, finishing glaze*, or items that can be glued to the surface. If you paint your print, please use 100% water-based acrylic paint. Please do not use any kind of aerosol spray.
- Baked clay may be carved or sanded.
- Prints may be displayed in a variety of ways including hanging or table-top display easels, shadow boxes, or frames.
*Craft Oven, Ribbons, Finishing Glaze, and other items available in our online store.
For answers to more questions visit our FAQ page!
Considering using ClayLinks Kits, but not sure about baking? Remember…
Baking is the Strength of ClayLinks Prints!
Choosing ClayLinks Kits means providing the highest-quality, longest-lasting handprint or footprint keepsake for the families you support. Experienced bereavement professionals know that personal mementos, called linking objects, help grieving families feel deeply connected to their loved ones who have died.
ClayLinks Kits, the signature product of our CaringWisdom line, provide a quick, affordable way for you to create this kind of memento.
Families don’t return home empty handed when you make ClayLinks prints immediately following a death. Instead, they leave with treasured keepsakes, feeling forever connected to their loved one and to the compassionate care they received from you.
Kneading + Baking = Forever!
Our proprietary formula ClayLinks Clay is a polymer-based modeling compound. Kneading evenly distributes the oils in the clay, baking solidifies these bonds, making the impression durable and truly permanent.
Once it is baked, our archival-quality ClayLinks Clay…
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- preserves great hand or footprint details
- is permanent and shatterproof
- is made to be touched and held
- will not shrink, crack or curl
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No other clay results in such a lasting, personalized keepsake!
We know you have other options when choosing handprint and footprint keepsake products, but none of them provide the quality of a ClayLinks print.
- Air dry clays can shrink 5-15% on average during the drying process, distorting and changing the integrity of the impression.
- Air dry clays are likely to continue to deteriorate over time, leading to cracking and curling with little chance of repair.
- Plaster molds are time-consuming to make and result in an incredibly fragile end product. The fragility makes it inadvisable for families to ever hold or touch their plaster molds in order to feel connected to their loved one.
We’ve considered offering other kinds of molding materials but have not found any that we can offer in good conscience as a keepsake product. Our proprietary clay has been perfected specifically for this use for over 20 years. We hope you will give us a try!
Products to help with baking: