I enjoy doing experiments with polymer clay. I like creating my little "control group," then trying various things with the other groups. I think it reminds me of my high school science club (yep, I was a geek!). Or maybe I just feel like a mad scientist, running horrific experiments on my helpless polymer clay subjects. :-)

But as much as I enjoy doing these experiments myself, I think I enjoy it even more when someone else does one and shares their results. I love looking at the photos -- I'll often hold up my laptop screen til it's just inches from my eyes and study the differences intently. (This always earns me a funny look from my husband!)

So I've been excited to see several good experiments shared in the polymer clay blogosphere lately -- and I wanted to make sure you had a chance to check them out, too:

• Jenny at Craft Test Dummies compares Kato Liquid Polyclay, TLS & Fimo Deco Gel for top coat and layering applications. I've preferred Kato over TLS for these uses for a while -- so I was especially interested in Jenny's impressions of the Fimo brand, which I haven't tried. It's a nice thorough report.
• I've heard speculation before on whether adjusting the clay formulation yourself (through leaching or adding mineral oil) would affect its strength -- but I'd never actually seen tests on it. Cynthia Blanton ran strength tests on leached Premo and found some problems.
• Michael at MossyOwls made polymer clay buttons, then tried a variety of finishes (liquid clay, acrylic paint, etc.) to see how they'd hold up in the washer & dryer. This is something I've always wondered about & her results aren't what I would have expected. Check them out!

Thanks to these gals for taking time to document their great tests... keep up the good work!

Update: Garie Sim just added a great article yesterday: Creating Your Own Colored Liquid Polymer Clay. Garie's site frequently features wonderfully-done, thorough experiments, and this comparison of how well the different liquid clay brands accept oil paint tinting is no exception.