and finishing with an overlay of Sculpey clay, how does one calculate the baking time? Doing the same with an overlay of Sculpey Clay over carved wood, how does one compute the baking time, as the variances of depth of clay and thickness of wood equal too long of a baking time, or not sufficient time in the oven?
Take out the dog and trash at the same timeThen bring in the mailLED nightlights last a longtimePlug TV,VCR, DVD on a surge protector and turn off at the end of the dayWe do with some other appliances too, like the pencil sharpener, stereo and small CF lampKeep vents clean and unblocked for proper circulation by vacuumingClose door to a room not in useUse CF lights for outside tooThey last longer and are just as bright as the traditional bulbsWe were buying 6 outside flood light bulbs on a regular basisThey blew out oftenClose blinds and curtains to keep out cold or heat.
Use cold water to wash your clothes, any only wash if you have a full loadHang your clothes outside to dry, if you can, rather than using the dryerOnly use the dish washer if you have a full loadIf you are bushing your teeth, use cold water, and turn the water off while brushingIn the shower wet your hair and then turn the shower off and shampoo your hair then turn it back on to rinse itLeave all lights off that are not neededeven when watching TV the TV will light the room, and you do not need another light onUnplug all unnecessary appliancesUse the microwave and crock pot moreYellow is mellow- just flush the toilet for 2, and flush every 2 or 3 times for 1Turn down the thermostat on the heater and put on a sweaterOr use a blanket or throw while sitting on your couch.
We had blown-in insulation put in the house about 10 yrs ago, also glass block windows in basement, keeps the cold air out betterKeep your thermostats turned back, change your furnace filter once a month(Easy way to remember is change it when the new heating bill comes for current month.) I saw the tip above for a water saving toilet; that's a great idea, but an easier solution is to put a brick in the toilet tankIt raises the water level in the tank and you don't use so much flushing We also have a shower head that you can turn off after you get wet, suds up real well, then reach up and turn the water back on to rinse.
We got one of those heaters they've been advertising on TVThe one that looks like a fireplaceFlame isn't realDone with a video and/or mirrors or somethingLooks very realKeeps the main room of our home warmer, and looks like we have a fireplaceCozyAlso keeps the sensor in our thermostat from turning on as often It's chilly in the back rooms, but, so whatWe don't need the heat back there during the day anywayAnd at night, we get under the covers and sleep very wellGas bill went down by $40 this month.
Diane B will probably click in with better answers, but your real problem is that almost clays shrink when drying or bakingYour air dry clay will have already shrunk (and should be hollow to avoid cracking in drying) and the wood should be stableThe polymer clay will shrink during baking and is likely to crack (off) during baking The normal mandrel for polymer clay is scrunched up aluminum foil because of some ability to cushion the shrinkage but also the rapid conduction of heat across the insideBoth the clay and the wood have the problem you recognize - it takes much longer to heat the mass than the thin layer of claySo how do you make sure the clay is cooked through? Based on what I have seen, your best choice as you expressed it, would be to bake at a somewhat lower temperature for a longer time to bring the surface of the interior up near the cooking temp.
