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Dinheirinho Bom

Air dry clay crafts for beginners, step by step

About

Dinheirinho Bom is a free resource for learning air dry clay crafts from the very beginning. Every guide on the site is written for people who have never opened a block of clay before, or who tried once, ended up with a cracked dish, and are not sure what went wrong.

What you will find here

  • Beginner guides that explain the fundamentals: what air dry clay is, which tools are worth having, how to roll an even slab and how long pieces take to dry.
  • Technique guides for cutting, shaping, joining, smoothing, texturing, sanding, painting and sealing.
  • Step-by-step projects such as trinket dishes, magnets, wall hangings, gift tags, beads, mini houses and seasonal decorations.

If you are new, the best place to begin is Air Dry Clay for Beginners, followed by the guide to air dry clay tools. The full list of guides is on the Tutorials page.

How the guides are written

Each tutorial lists the materials at the top, describes one action per step and points out the stage where beginners most often run into trouble. Measurements are given in inches and millimeters or centimeters. Drying times are given as ranges, because they depend on the clay, the thickness of the piece and the room it dries in; the instructions on your clay’s package always take priority over ours.

The illustrations on this site are simplified drawings made to show tools, shapes and stages of a project. They are not photographs of finished pieces, and your results will look like your own handwork rather than like the drawing.

What we do not claim

Ordinary air dry clay is a decorative craft material. The projects here are meant for display and for holding dry items. We do not describe any project as food safe, waterproof, dishwasher safe, heat resistant or fire safe, and we do not publish projects meant for food, drink, standing water or real flames. If a product you buy is certified for a specific use, follow that product’s label.

We also do not publish invented reviews, ratings, testimonials or expert endorsements, and we do not recommend specific brands.

Corrections and suggestions

If a step is unclear, a measurement looks wrong or a link is broken, please tell us through the Contact page. Clear, honest instructions matter more to us than anything else on the site, and corrections are always welcome.